Could you help change attitudes towards mental health? Time to Change Buckinghamshire calls for local champions

If you have personal experience of mental health problems, you could help a local campaign aiming to tackle the stigma around mental health. That’s the message from the County Council and other local partners leading Time to Change Buckinghamshire.

The Time to Change Buckinghamshire campaign is a network of local organisations and individuals, working alongside the national Time to Change campaign, committed to tackling negative attitudes and behaviours towards people experiencing mental health problems.

Time to Change Buckinghamshire is calling for ordinary people with personal experience of mental health problems – whether that’s their own experience or the experience of someone close to them like a family member or close friend – to join the Time to Change campaign by becoming a local champion. Champions would use their own experiences to help change other people’s perceptions about mental health through conversations and social activity.

Being a Time to Change Champion is a flexible and voluntary commitment and people can do whatever they have time for and what they’re comfortable doing. This could be:

– Having conversations about mental health with the people around you – whether that’s a family member, a friend or someone else
– Running a Time to Change activity e.g. in a café, train station or at work
– Telling your story online or in the media
– Speaking up when people say stereotypical or damaging things about mental health

Registered champions will receive training from the national Time to Change campaign and ongoing support from the local champions’ network. Funding from the Local Champions Fund is available to support champions with their campaigning or social activity.

See some examples of activity carried out by local champions across the UK.

Martyn Walsh, a Trustee at Buckinghamshire Mind and a Time to Change champion, first experienced mental health problems in his teens. He says: “I know from my own personal experience how a kind word and a positive attitude from other people really helps make the day better for people who have a mental health problem. The more we can do to help encourage a change in attitudes across Buckinghamshire, the better. You can be a Time to Change champion and do as much or as little as you like, so please get in touch.”

Noel Brown, Buckinghamshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Engagement & Public Health, said: “You don’t need any special experience or skills to become a Time to Change champion, just a willingness to help change people’s attitudes and perceptions. The most important thing is that people who have personal experience of mental health problems get to hold meaningful conversations to tackle the misconceptions and negative stereotypes when they come across them.

“I’m asking everyone to consider whether there’s someone they know who would make a good Time to Change champion, and encourage them to look at our website to find out more.”

Find out more about Time To Change Buckinghamshire at www.buckscc.gov.uk/timetochange or email timetochange@buckscc.gov.uk for further information.