Funding For North Yorkshire Projects To Improve Mental Health

National funding has been secured for grassroots projects in North Yorkshire which promote good mental health.

NHS England has awarded £34,000 in a third year of funding for projects in the county which promote wellbeing and positive mental health.

It follows a successful bid by North Yorkshire County Council and partner organisations in the Durham, Darlington, Tees, Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby Sustainability and Transformation Partnership.

The aim of the funding is to support a national initiative to reduce suicide rates in England by ten per cent by 2020-21.

“Statistics show that, at some point in their lives, one in four people will experience mental health issues,” said County Councillor Caroline Dickinson, North Yorkshire’s Executive Member for Public Health, Prevention and Supported Housing.

“In North Yorkshire, that’s around 150,000 people, or to put it another way, more than the populations of Harrogate and Scarborough combined.

“We can have good or poor mental health, just as we have varying physical health, and we can all experience changes in our mental wellbeing from time to time. This can be anxiety, stress or a more serious mental health condition.”

Any organisation is eligible to apply, however the County Council says they are particularly interested to receive applications from organisation who work with and support men aged 40 and over. It says between 2015 and 2018 in North Yorkshire the highest number of suicides were among men aged 40 to 59 (40%) and this reflects the national picture.

The money is for projects which provide support to strengthen and build peoples’ resilience and makes a positive contribution to one, or more, other areas;

• Reducing stigma and discrimination;

• Developing mentally healthy communities and workplaces;

• Reducing loneliness and social and emotional isolation;

• Reducing suicides.

Organisations can bid for between £500 and £4,000 for funding up to the end of November 2021. The deadline for applying is midnight, November 8, 2020. To apply, email; amber.Graver@northyorks.gov.uk

For an application form, or for further information, visit; https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/stronger-communities