An independent mental health charity which is transforming the lives of South Asian men and women who have never spoken about their mental health before is the official charity partner of the Asian Media Awards 2024.
Lancashire Mind works with people of all ages to develop ‘resilience and improve wellbeing’ – and its services have never been in more demand.
Guests are being asked to donate in memory of our colleague and friend Umbreen Ali, who co-founded these awards, passed away aged 45, in December 2020.
She was keen to support local charities and community groups in any way she could.
Lancashire Mind has doubled in size over the past five years as it works towards a region where everyone can have the best mental health and wellbeing possible. It engaged with more than 17,000 people last year.
CEO David Dunwell said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been chosen as the charity partner for this year’s Asian Media Awards.
“Half of us will experience poor mental health in our lifetime, including conditions such as depression and anxiety. So, an opportunity like this means a great deal to our charity, enabling us to spread awareness, offer support and raise funds which help us continue to deliver vital services.
“Thank you to the organisers for recognising this, as there’s never been a better time for media professionals to keep mental health in the spotlight just as much as physical health, and to encourage people to seek out support before they reach crisis point.”
One of the projects Lancashire Mind delivers is called Connecting Communities where adults across the local area are supported to overcome barriers and challenges to achieve positive mental health and wellbeing.
They benefit from free, culturally sensitive wellbeing workshops, delivered by friendly and bi-lingual staff with translated resources, even using cooking as a way of engaging and sharing.
Aasma* said: “I wanted to know more about mental health as it’s not talked about in our community, and I felt I couldn’t find any services that could accommodate me and my needs.
“Following the session, I feel like I understand my mental health more and I will be effective in my decision making. I feel empowered.”
Connecting Communities training sessions, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, can also be delivered to professionals and community leaders across Lancashire.
The project not only looks to resolve the issues that marginalised groups face from a bottom-up approach, but also through a top-down one, by providing free professional training to service providers across Lancashire, informing them of the impacts of mental health on the racialised community so they can adapt their approaches to be more accessible.
Naima Adam, senior adult project coordinator, said: “Connecting Communities is a fantastic project for South Asian communities to get vital mental health and wellbeing support. It’s a free service and we can provide help and support straight away.”
Lancashire Mind has a host of other tailored services ranging from virtual one-to-one coaching, suicide prevention training or low-cost private therapy, to working with school-aged children to boost their resilience and supporting companies with specialist mental health training in the workplace.
Mr Dunwell added: “Mental health is as important as physical health – we all have it, and we all need to take care of it to feel happy and well. At Lancashire Mind, we believe everyone should understand their mental health and how to look after it.
“By connecting, supporting, and changing minds, we foster understanding, offer vital services and break the stigmas around mental health.”
If you are able to donate to Lancashire Mind, you will be investing in better mental health and wellbeing. As it becomes more challenging to gain funding for projects such as Connecting Communities, and demand for services grows, the charity relies more than ever on donations just like yours to reach people in need.
This year’s Asian Media Awards return to the Hilton Manchester Deansgate on Friday October 25.
Previous recipients of an Asian Media Award include Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Waris Hussein, Art Malik, Mehdi Hasan, Nina Wadia, Anita Rani, Shobna Gulati, Faisal Islam, Kulvinder Ghir, Adil Ray, Lisa Aziz, Meera Syal, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Tina Daheley & Mihir Bose.
The University of Salford are Premier Partners to the Asian Media Awards.
Partners to the awards include ITV, EssenceMediacom, Reach PLC, Women In Journalism & Lancashire Mind.
The awards are also supported by Manchester Metropolitan University, AMT Lawyers, DKR Accountants, Opus Broadband, Janan, Hilton Manchester Deansgate, Fritz AV, Payal Events & Cleartwo.
