The Thanet Working Group have been celebrated in the Marsh Awards for Mental Health Peer Support 2019.
Doing it for Ourselves
The Thanet Working Group (TWG, pronounced ‘twig’) were in the Doing it for Ourselves category, and came runner up in the awards.
‘Members work together to ascertain the gaps in mental health service provision within Thanet, an area recognised nationally as having some of the highest levels of mental health inequality,’ says the Marsh Christian Trust.
Or, as organiser Kay puts it: “We’re a group of people who came together who were terrified that funding was going to be cut and they were going to lose their services and their support. One of the first things was money.”
One of their ideas, the fundraising calendar, was more than just for the fun images or the funds it raises.
People getting together
“Some people think oh it’s just another charitable calendar. No it isn’t. It was about people getting together,” said Kay.
“The group has created a few projects one of which is the family circle for people that care for people living with a mental health diagnosis.”
There’s also a gardening club and a drop in cafe.
Unfunded and self-organised
TWG is completely unfunded and self-organised and supported by SpeakUpCIC, a mental health support organisation where many of the members of TWG met.
Here’s Kay from the video again, as positive, inclusive and sharing as ever: “If we could do it, you could do it. I’d love to see Twigs all over the country. Branches all over the country. And we’d be more than happy to go and help people to do that.”
