UOK Brighton & Hove Celebrates Five Years of Community Mental Health Support

Posted on 4 December 2024

Southdown, as the Lead Provider of the network, organised the event which brought together partners, clients and staff members to celebrate the special milestone.

Last week, we came together to celebrate a significant milestone for UOK Brighton & Hove – five years of dedicated mental health support for our community. This heartfelt event marked the achievements of the network and its profound impact on countless lives.

The celebration brought together partners, clients, and colleagues from across Southdown, offering a moment to reflect on personal stories of resilience and transformation. Among the many inspiring testimonials, Paul, a participant from Southdown’s Recovery College shared:
“Recovery College was a fantastic help for me. It saved my sanity…Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Sarah, another Recovery College client shared how the support they received “literally saved their lives.”

Southdown CEO Neil Blanchard shared his reflections during the event, highlighting the shared vision and the strength of collaboration:

“Our vision for UOK was to create a mental health system for the city that is accessible and inclusive, holistic and preventative. Collaboration is a key part of that—when the issues are so big, we have to work together to resolve those. No one single agency or provider across the city can do that”.

“As a network, we feel proud of building a strong, collaborative voluntary sector partnership. In mental health, it feels stronger together now than it was five years ago. It’s not perfect…but I feel the voice of the sector is more heard, and we are in the driving seat of leading change,” Neil added.

The event also provided an opportunity to showcase our 5-Year Impact Report, offering a snapshot of the partnership’s achievements and the difference it has made in the community.

A Special Thanks

A huge thank you to Brooke Joyce, UOK Partnership Lead, for organising this event and for her leadership in shaping the partnership. Reflecting on the milestone, Brooke shared:

“I feel really inspired and proud to be a part of this great partnership, and on behalf of Southdown, I would like to say a huge thank you to all people from Southdown and all our partners – as you make people feel better every single day.”

Looking Ahead

As we celebrate this milestone, we are reminded of the power of collaboration and the importance of continuing our mission to provide accessible, inclusive, and preventative mental health support. Looking ahead, we are preparing to retender for the UOK Brighton & Hove partnership and are excited about the opportunity to continue building on the strong foundations we’ve created together.

Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey—partners, clients, and colleagues. Together, we are making a real difference.