Bangladeshi women’s support group in Essex among projects celebrated this World Mental Health Day
- This World Mental Health Day (10 October), The National Lottery Community Fund is celebrating those community groups helping to improve mental health and wellbeing.
- Since the start of the first lockdown*, The National Lottery Community Fund has distributed over £9 million to 128 community groups in Essex working in this area.
- In total, the funder has distributed over £438 million to almost 9,000 projects across the UK supporting mental health and wellbeing*.
To mark this Sunday’s World Mental Health Day (10 October), The National Lottery Community Fund is highlighting the positive impact that charities and community groups in Essex are having on the mental health and wellbeing of their communities.
The theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day is ‘Mental Health in an Unequal World’, with much of the spotlight placed on those marginalised communities worldwide whose mental health has been disproportionately affected by the inequalities laid bare by the pandemic.
One charity that is helping to make a difference is Colchester-based Bangladeshi Women’s Association Essex, which has received almost £10,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund to provide mental health and wellbeing support to women from the Bangladeshi community. It’s one of almost 130 mental health and wellbeing projects in Essex to receive a share of over £9 million of National Lottery funding since the start of the fist lockdown in March last year.
Addressing challenges such as language barriers, cultural isolation and a higher degree of stigma in the community relating to mental health problems, the Bangladeshi Women’s Association focuses its support on women negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and lengthy periods of isolation.
Salma Ahmed, Director at the Bangladeshi Women’s Association, said: “Bangladeshi women have particularly suffered in isolation and that has been exasperated by recent covid. This is much to do with culture, with mental illness neither understood nor recognised as an illness in many parts of the community. It’s a taboo subject and looked at as a weakness, leaving many to seek religious help as their only recourse.
“However, the pandemic has encouraged more people to talk about mental health. Women are now coming forward and talking about it and admitting slowly that it’s a problem that needs to be tackled urgently.”
As well as being a place where Bangladeshi women can come and talk about their mental health concerns, the charity also runs a local allotment project, exercise classes and a community volunteer programme. All these activities are geared towards building confidence and empowering the women to deal with problems they may be facing.
Since the commencement of the first national lockdown on 26th March 2020, The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK, has distributed almost £27 million to 533 projects in the East of England helping to support mental health and wellbeing in their communities.
In total, over £438 million has been distributed to almost 9,000 projects across the UK that are providing wellbeing support – many of which have seen a huge increase in demand since the beginning of the pandemic.
Salma said: “A huge thank you to The National Lottery Community Fund and all the National Lottery players. This grant will enable us to deal with mental health issues in our communities through training, awareness raising and challenging the stigma that holds people back from confronting mental illness. We want our community to talk about mental health, understand the issue and seek help.”
Another Essex charity to receive National Lottery funding is Changing Pathways in Basildon, which received £38,000 to support those facing the psychological impact of domestic abuse. Others included the RCCG Vineyard of Succour in Castle Point, which received £10,000 to set up a mental health support hub for black and minority ethnic residents, and Isedale Wa in Braintree, which received £27,000 to provide out of school activities and mentoring for children, particularly from the ethnic minority communities.
Research carried out by mental health charity, Mind, earlier this year, shows that 80% of adults aged over 25 experienced mental distress during or before the COVID-19 pandemic, while as much as 88% of young people experienced the same feelings. Furthermore, two thirds (65%) of adults and more than two thirds (68%) of young people with mental health problems said they felt worse since the first national lockdown.
Helen Bushell, Senior Head of Regional Funding for London, South East and East of England at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players, this funding is making a huge difference to organisations that are working hard to tackle mental health challenges that have only worsened during the pandemic.
“Good mental health is vital if we are to see communities prosper and thrive, so it’s heartening to see so many groups and volunteers dedicated to supporting others, and particularly those in marginalised communities, to improve their mental wellbeing.”
The National Lottery Community Fund distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes. National Lottery players raise £36 million each week for good causes throughout the UK*. Thanks to National Lottery players, last year we awarded over half a billion pounds (£588.2 million) of life-changing funding to communities across the UK. Over eight in ten (83%) of our grants are for under £10,000 – going to grassroots groups and charities across the UK that are bringing to life amazing ideas that matter to their communities.
To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk