Improving Mental Health Support in Brighton

On October 14th nearly 40 members of our Parish attended a live-streamed Assembly event to help improve mental health care support services in Brighton and most especially for the young. Canon Kieron and three other parishioners attended in person. The organisers were delighted with this level of support. Our parishioners joined just under 500 others from the Community Organising Alliance of some 18 Faith, non-faith and educational local groups known as Brighton Citizens UK. The event was hosted by One Church at the Florence road venue. 

During the event our three local MPs, the head of the Council and the Chief Medical Officer for the local NHS Trust presented their vision for Brighton, listened to 5 testimonies from alliance members and agreed to work concretely and co-creatively with the alliance to help improve mental health support in Brighton. Amongst those who gave testimonies were Cyril Dykes from St Josephs and Grainne Byrd (Deputy Head Cardinal Newman).

Follow up meetings are now being scheduled for the head of Council and Chief Medical Officer and alliance representatives to continue the dialogue of how to reduce stigma, improve access to services and reduce social isolation and digital exclusion that have worsened during the pandemic. The event was covered by local radio and by BBC News South East who featured a short piece on Friday 15th Oct.  Please access via : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SQHUZqBQyj0YATWuE-ke-eFJpo4xQ2EB/view?usp=sharing

The Alliance will shortly start a new listening exercise to find out what concerns and unites members now most in this city.