Let’s Talk Mental Health: Southdown marks Time to Talk Day 2025
Posted on 6 February 2025
Today, Southdown celebrates Time To Talk Day, an event run by MIND and Rethink Mental Illness every year to encourage the nation to talk about mental health.
First launched in 2014, this campaign is dear to our heart because it works to end mental health stigma and discrimination.
With one in four people experiencing a mental illness in their lifetime, we will all be touched by mental ill health – either experiencing it ourselves or in someone we know.
Last year, our 22 mental health support services supported 9,287 people. We are also a lead provider for UOK – a partnership of 20 community services working together to support people in East Sussex and Brighton and Hove.
Many of our clients’ lives have been helped by their ability to reach out and seek support. Emma, a client from our Employment Support services says,
“Those first little steps can lead to such positive outcomes. I want to highlight to people to not feel ashamed to seek help. The bravest thing can sometimes be to say, “I need to be seen, I need you to hold my hand through this.”
Rah Bray, Southdown’s Head of Mental Health and Housing Support says,
“Time To Talk Day is a great opportunity to highlight the importance of helping each other feel comfortable talking about the difficulties we might be facing in life. We all face challenges and we shouldn’t have to feel like we’re alone. We need to create space to listen to each other.
I’m proud of working somewhere where we hold space for our clients – and for each other. That can look like anything from a small interaction and moment of kindness, to sitting down with someone and coming up with original and practical ways to help them find their way forward when things are getting too much.
We don’t hurry people in our services or rush them to the practical aspect of support. We create space for conversations where they can tell us how they’re feeling. Having real conversations with people can help keep you buoyant through the tough times.”
Resources and Useful links
Time To Talk Day has created a guide on how to have these types of conversations. Click on the button below for their top tips on how to support someone and how to share your own feelings:
Talking can be so powerful and really transform lives. A client from our Housing Support services says,
“I am so grateful I picked up the phone. I wouldn’t be sitting here if I hadn’t. Support has meant I haven’t had to fight alone. Someone’s had my back.”
If you need help or want to know how to support someone who is struggling, please check out the list of mental health resources below:
⬜ Sussex-wide mental health support
⬜ Qwell – Free, online, 24/7 digital mental wellbeing service
⬜ UOK – Mental Health support in Brighton and Hove and East Sussex
