Changes to Regional Communities & Keeping it Local – Vote Now!

Mind provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. They campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding. They help everyone experiencing a mental health problem to get support and respect.  They do this in several ways:

• Local Minds provide help and support directly to those who need it most. There's a network of around 130 local Minds across England and Wales that offer specialised support and care based on the needs of the communities they support.

• Mind campaign for change so that everyone with a mental health problem should be able to access excellent care and services. We also believe you should be treated fairly, positively and with respect.  They campaign on a range of issues that could affect anybody with a mental health problem including health services; legislation; protection of legal rights, and employment.

• They help bring about real change, end discrimination and promote good mental health for all through their training and consultancy, this includes workplace training to develop mentally healthy offices, applied suicide intervention skills, Mental Health First Aid and bespoke training session.

For more information see here.

An educational charity that supports young people through learning and adventures in the wild.  They partner with schools, colleges, employers and youth groups.

The Outward Bound Trust is an educational charity that helps young people defy their limitations through learning and adventures in the wild.  They partner with schools, colleges, employers and youth groups to teach the most important lesson they could ever learn - to believe in themselves!

Outward Bound provides outdoor learning courses and each one is unique.  They take young people on a journey of self-discovery.  They leave their familiar behind and head to the wild hills, lakes and lochs.  The participants take on adventures, overcome challenges and learn about leadership, teamwork and resilience. Often these experiences can be life-changing.

Over 80% of attendees receive funding to go on the courses. Their goal is to empower all young people to succeed; for themselves, their communities and society.

For more information please see here.

Supporting families in food poverty through a nationwide network of food banks.

The Trussell Trust aim is to end hunger and poverty in the UK

They support a nationwide network of food banks, provide emergency food and support to people locked in poverty and campaign for change to end the need for food banks in the UK.

In the UK, more than 14 million people are living in poverty – including 4.5 million children. The Trust supports more than 1,200 food bank centres in the UK to provide a minimum of three days’ nutritionally balanced emergency food to people who have been referred in crisis, as well as support to help people resolve the crises they face. Between April 2018 and March 2019, food banks in their network provided a record 1.6 million food supplies to people in crisis, a 19% increase on the previous year.

The Trust knows it takes more than food to end hunger. That’s why they bring together the experiences of food banks in their network to challenge the structural economic issues that lock people in poverty, and campaign to end the need for food banks in the UK.

For more information please see here.

This is a new charity waiting for a dedicated website but you can read what inspired it by clicking here.

Vitamin Sea is a new charity, set up by Coop Midcounties Environmental Ambassador Cal Major.  It aims to help people reconnect to nature to improve mental health and appreciate the importance of wild places for the benefit of wellbeing.  As a result of this reconnection, the evidence shows that more people will understand how vital it is to protect our natural world and ecosystems.  It also helps to provide positive solutions to plastic pollution.  Vitamin Sea is such a new charity that it doesn’t yet have its own dedicated website but by following the link above you can see what inspired Cal to set it up.