Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing hears from the people working across Wales to make sure there’s ‘No Mind Left Behind’
l to r - Tracey Price, Chris, Sue O Leary, Sarah Murphy, Meg, Ashton Hewitt and Michelle Collard
Politicians and campaigners have been hearing about the first-hand experiences of people both providing, and benefitting from, mental health support services in Wales at a special event in Cardiff Bay.
Wales’ Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Sarah Murphy, was joined at the Pierhead Building by Welsh rugby player Ashton Hewitt and other supporters for the launch of the Mind Federation in Wales’ annual impact report, ‘No Mind Left Behind’.
Highlighting the vital services 16 local Mind charities in Wales provide alongside national information and support from Mind Cymru, those attending the event also included local Mind representatives, members of Mind Cymru’s Youth Voice Network, and people supported by mental health services at local Minds too.
And it was the first-hand experiences shared by Meg, a member of Mind Cymru’s You Voice Network, and Chris, from Llanelli, that really helped summarise how people’s lives have been changed by Mind Cymru, its charity shops and its network of 16 local Minds across Wales within the past year.
In the ‘No Mind Left Behind’ report, Chris says: “When I lost my daughter, that’s when my mental health spiralled completely. There was no way of hiding it, no more putting a brave face on and making people think I’m totally fine.
“I found myself homeless, crying out for help. I went to Llanelli Mind and they supported me through it all. At first, I was really nervous and apprehensive. But the way I was greeted made all the difference.”
The mental health charity was also represented nationally by Mind Cymru Executive Director, Sue O’Leary, at the event, which was sponsored by Lesley Griffiths MS.
Ms O’Leary co-hosted a panel discussion alongside Tracey Price, CEO of Pembrokeshire and Carmarthen Mind, with Megan and Chris, Michelle Collard, CEO of North East Wales Mind, and Mr Hewitt as a high-profile supporter of Mind as an organisation too.
Mr Hewitt, who plays for Newport side Dragons RFC and has spoken publicly of his own mental health challenges relating to online racism in the past, said: “The work that Mind carries out is extremely important when you consider the statistics that exist around mental health issues in society.
“I know how difficult it can be to go and seek support, but the work Mind does goes a long way in helping to break down some of those barriers.”
Mind Cymru works hand in hand with a network of 16 local Minds, which are all independent charities anchored in the heart of their communities, working to shape and provide their support around the needs of the people they serve.
Covering the period April 2023 to March 2024, the latest Mind Federation in Wales impact report, ‘No Mind Left Behind’, shows that within that time:
- Local Minds supported 36,356 people with their mental health in Wales.
- Volunteer efforts meant £732,759 worth of time was generated.
- Mind Cymru produced 37 updated pieces of mental health information in the Welsh language, which were visited online more than 35,000 times.
- Mind’s four helplines, which include advice on welfare and benefits as well as emotional support, received 2,000 calls from Wales, with 31% referred to their local Mind for support.
- There are 18,000 subscribers in Wales to Mind’s online peer support platform, Side by Side.
Sarah Murphy, Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, said: “It is important to have the opportunity to hear how people have been supported by Mind Cymru and the difference this work has made to people.
“Attending today provided me with a chance to highlight our forthcoming strategy that sets out our 10-year vision for supporting mental health and wellbeing in Wales.”
Sue O Leary, Executive Director at Mind Cymru, added: “We’re so grateful to everyone who took the time to come and hear about the vital mental health support services our local Minds continue to provide to people across Wales, and to our panel of speakers for sharing their own experiences for the benefit of others too.”
“It’s been really heartening, and poignant too, to see everyone come together and recognise the impact that Mind as a mental health organisation continues to have on the communities it works with both on a local and national level across Wales.”
Mind Cymru’s latest annual impact report ‘No Mind Left Behind’ can be read in full in English here and in Welsh here.
More information on Mind services in your area can also be found here.