3. We connect Minds

No one can take on the mental health crisis alone. That’s why we connect people and organisations to fight for mental health together. Our impact grows when we work in partnership, leading more people to connect with each other, share experiences and feel the power of knowing they're not alone.

We know our physical and mental health are linked, and there’s good evidence that getting more physically active can have real benefits for mental wellbeing. We also know running is one of the most accessible and low-cost ways to be active, with more than 500,000 people across Wales running on a regular basis.

So, in February 2024, with Welsh Athletics, we launched a ‘first-of-its-kind partnership’ to improve mental health within running communities and promote the wider benefits of physical activity. Over 2 years, mental health champions will be trained in Wales’s athletic clubs and social running groups.

3.1 Moving for mental health with Welsh Athletics

This opportunity to use the power of running to support improvements in mental health is huge, and this partnership will enable us to build a sustainable network of support that will have a lasting impact across all parts of Wales.

James Williams, CEO, Welsh Athletics

We believe this partnership will add an extra dimension to the support we can provide locally and contribute to greater awareness around mental health in Wales.

Sue O’Leary, Executive Director, Mind Cymru

Champions will not only promote the benefits of running for mental health and help tackle stigma by backing mental health key moments, but also be trained to spot people who might be struggling, support them in the moment and signpost to mental health support.

We hope this partnership will not just improve mental health within sport, but also encourage more people to find support by offering supportive, welcoming and open spaces.

We launched the partnership at the Senedd, at a ‘run and breakfast’ event sponsored by John Griffiths MS and James Evans MS. We saw runners from across Wales participate in a 1-mile run, walk or push alongside Senedd members.

Why this work is important:

Being physically active can boost self-esteem and reduce the risk of depression by

up to 30%. ⁴

By working with local running groups, we can connect people to local services.

The partnership will increase awareness of the help Mind offers through its services and in doing so boost much needed support to keep these services running.

[4] UK Department of Health & Social Care (2019), UK Chief Medical Officers' Physical Activity Guidelines), page 36.

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There are more than 70,000 stroke survivors in Wales, yet there’s little specialised mental health support to help them adapt to life after a stroke, with only 3% getting the support they need.

Neath Port Talbot Mind and Neath Port Talbot Stroke Group joined forces to address this gap in their local area by creating the Wellbeing After Stroke Project (WASP). The support model, co-designed with stroke survivors and their loved ones, offers advice, signposting and information, 1 to 1 therapy and group support. Psychoeducation and wellbeing sessions are specific to stroke and have a strong focus on community connection.

In its first year, the service supported more than 300 stroke survivors, family members and carers. In this time:

Measured with The Short Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS)

3.2 Co-creating services
with stroke survivors

88%

of people saw a decrease in their level of depression

94%

saw an increase in their emotional wellbeing.

81%

saw a decrease in their level
of anxiety

Inspired by the project’s success, Mind Cymru and Stroke Association launched a partnership to co-create a programme of stroke specific mental health support in other areas of Wales. The work includes a strong focus on effective support for Black and South Asian communities, as evidence shows that this group is most severely impacted by stroke.

Together, we are also campaigning for:

Clinical stroke services to include a focus on mental health support.
Public bodies to raise awareness of stroke, particularly among racialised communities and in areas of social deprivation
The next Welsh Government’s mental health strategy to include reference to how people with specific physical health conditions are able to access mental health support tailored to their needs.

You can view the full project report here.

It’s provided me with practical information and with emotional support. I feel that my life has turned around, I have found myself again after being lost.”

WASP service user

People from ethnic minority communities are more likely to experience a mental health problem, have poorer outcomes from services^[5] and are less likely to receive support.

As a result, the Time to Change Wales campaign, run in partnership with Adferiad, has made reducing stigma within racialised communities a priority.

The programme established in 2012 to make lives better by ending mental health discrimination in Wales. It focussed on working with Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities and employers in areas of poverty and deprivation throughout 2023/24 and beyond.

A Partnership Officer with the remit of building community networks, helped make strides in addressing mental health stigma in diverse communities through engagement, with over 1,400 attendances at venues including places of worship, and across 28 community events such as the Festival of Communities and Mela.

In addition, over 30 workshops, and anti-stigma talks including one at the Darul Isra Mosque, also proved effective and led to monthly sessions. Mental health resources were produced in multiple languages including Kurdish, Sorani and Mandarin. Additionally, the "Room to Talk" podcast was launched, creating a new platform for people from diverse backgrounds to share experiences around mental health stigma.

3.3 Time to tackle stigma in racialised communities

16 Time to Change mental health champions from Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic backgrounds were trained – helping to break down stigma within their communities, strengthen community ties and empower people to share their stories.

[5] Race and Mental Health

When life crumbled around me after my miscarriage, being misunderstood and judged by family for my reactions with my deteriorating mental health, I was overwhelmed with depression and felt helpless and alone. At times, I wished I could leave this world and be with my baby.

Thanks to a friend forcing me to the monthly Chai and chat sessions at the Darul Isra that Time to Change Wales and Community Care and Wellbeing Service (CCAWS) provide so we can open up and get over the stigma and discrimination, they gave me strength to overcome stigma and shame, allowed me to talk openly about how I feel and seeking the counselling therapy I needed to grieve properly for my baby, preventing suicidal thoughts

Time to Change Champion

3.4 Equality in action in Powys

Tailoring support and meeting local need is always top of a local Mind’s list, especially with Wales’s diverse communities. That’s why, collectively, there was an ambition as part of our Network Strategy for Wales to work towards becoming a more culturally competent network.

Powys for example, is Wales’ largest local authority by land area (covering around a quarter of Wales), but also the least densely populated.

And when Mid and North Powys Mind’s data showed they had fewer people from ethnic minority communities coming through the doors than the rest of Wales, they acted. To make sure services fairly represented this large but rural community, they signed-up for Diverse Cymru’s Cultural Competence Certification.

Mid and North Powys Mind has shown commitment to diversity, whether linked to ethnicity, physical ability or neurodiversity. Gaining Silver certification led to partnerships with more community groups, such as a local Buddhist retreat and Black and minority Ethnic church in Newtown. This sees the local Mind join Mind Cymru, who have also worked towards the achievement of the certification in recent years.

Additionally, the Ethnic Youth Support Team Wales were able to support Syrian refugees at local Mind premises, staff learned about the history of black people locally through campaigns like Black History Month, and the local Mind led Powys’ first Pride event.

Their most recent equality and diversity survey shows the local Mind are more representative of diverse communities.

The award is about making services more accessible and successful for all. It’s wider than racialised communities. But we knew we weren’t attracting as many people from racialised communities as we should, and we wanted to change that.

Mary Griffiths, Development Manager and co-CEO