Dame Carol Black supports Making Life Better campaign

01/10/2009

The Government’s National Director for Health and Work is encouraging everyone in Gloucestershire to support a countywide campaign to combat stigma and raise awareness of mental ill health.

Dame Carol would like people to get involved in the Making Life Better campaign organised by the ²gether NHS Foundation Trust.

The campaign roadshow has visited sites across the county over the past two months to:

• Raise awareness of mental wellbeing
• Decrease discrimination
• Provide information about mental health services in Gloucestershire and membership of the ²gether Trust

Dame Carol said: “It is fantastic to see Gloucestershire tackling stigma and discrimination via the Making Life Better campaign.

“It is imperative that we focus on ways of supporting people to stay mentally healthy, to protect them from discrimination and give them the best chance of staying in or close to the labour market, especially during these tough economic times. I would encourage anyone in Gloucestershire with an interest in social inclusion to get involved with this exciting initiative.”

The campaign is also backed by Gloucester Rugby stars and England internationals James Simpson-Daniel and Tom Voyce.

More information on the campaign, public videos and an interactive moodometer which helps to gauge the mood of the region on any given day, is found at www.2getherinclusion.nhs.uk