West Kent Mind Winners in Kent Charity Awards 2021

Local mental health charity West Kent Mind has been announced as the Disability and Mental Health Charity of the Year 2021 at the Kent Charity Awards.

Now in its sixth year, the annual celebration recognises the hard work that Kent charities undertake to make the lives of others better. At a ceremony in Rochester Cathedral on 9^th September presented by ITV Meridian’s Sangeeta Bhabra, the 32 finalists were awarded certificates and winners in each category were presented with trophies.

West Kent Mind provides support to people living and working in West Kent to get well, stay well and thrive with better mental health and the Kent Charity Award is wonderful recognition of the incredible work that West Kent Mind staff, volunteers, trustees and community fundraisers have undertaken in the past year during such challenging circumstances.

Covid-19 has changed so much of our lives and our behaviours and the impact of it will be seen for many years to come. Depression and anxiety are still highest in young adults, women, people with lower household income, people from ethnic minority backgrounds, those with a physical health condition, and people living with children. People with a diagnosed mental illness are still reporting higher levels of depression and anxiety symptoms (as might be expected). It’s therefore no surprise that last year saw a significant uptake in services. During the year West Kent Mind delivered 3,297 counselling sessions which was a 37% increase on last year. Over 100 people experiencing domestic violence were supported with counselling and group therapy and referrals across the charity’s community wellbeing programme increased by 39%. Attendances at social activity groups were up 55%.

The passion, commitment and determination of the West Kent Mind team to continue supporting those in the local community who needed it throughout the last year has been recognised with this prestigious award.

Stevie Rice, CEO says, “We are so utterly thrilled to be named the Disability and Mental Health Charity of the Year. So many charities have had the most challenging year through the pandemic and we are very humbled to be finalists amongst some outstanding charities.

 Winning this award is a real testament to the energy, drive and ambition of all the staff, volunteers and the trustees who work for West Kent Mind. It is also an award for those people we work with who have chosen to share their stories, sought out our support and made us a part of their mental health journey.

We will continue to work with passion and determination to enrich lives through better mental health, by offering support to get well, stay well and thrive.”