News - Promoting positive mental health for all members of the community

Cheshire West Voluntary Action (CWVA) and nine other community sector organisations are launching Positive Mental Health for Us, a project aiming to share the experiences of under-served communities and improve access to mental health support.  

This project, which has been funded by Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Promoting Equality and Diversity Fund, has been led by CWVA through its Mental Health Alliance.  

Data and insight gathered by the Mental Health Alliance has shown that people from under-served communities can be at greater risk of mental health challenges and often face barriers when trying to access support.  

The aim of this project is to enable people from these under-served communities to share their lived experience, highlighting the challenges and barriers they face and working with mental health providers and commissioners to improve support for people in future.  

The community sector organisations involved have played an integral part with gathering lived and professional experience in the following areas.  

• Cheshire and Warrington Race and Equality Centre (CHAWREC) – Displaced Persons 

• Vesta – Polish community  

• Irish Community Care – Gypsy, Traveller and Roma community  

• Chester Pride – LGBTQIA+ community  

• ND Directed – people with ADHD 

• West Cheshire Autism Hub – people with autism  

• Vision Support – people with significant sight loss 

• Deafness Support Network (DSN) – people with significant hearing loss 

• Café 71 at Spider Project – multiple under-served communities 

Andrew Herbert, Mental Health Strategic Lead at CWVA, said: “This is a powerful project, capturing the voices of lived experience and opening up conversations to help shape future support.  

“People from under-served communities are more likely to experience mental health challenges, yet often face barriers when trying to access mental health support because of their disability, stigma, cultural differences or language.  

“We’ve managed to capture views through audio, video and written testimonials from many different communities in west Cheshire, helping us understand the unique challenges that each might be facing when trying to access support.  

“It’s important we listen to these views and look at how we can all work collectively to best meet the needs of all members of the community.” 

A launch event will take place at the National Waterways Museum in Ellesmere Port on Friday 22 November 2024, enabling professionals to hear lived and professional experience, contribute their insights and questions, and access an information resource being developed by the project team. 

• Book your place at the launch event