Earlier this month, Solent Mind’s supporters and stakeholders joined us for our Annual Celebration Event.

Held at Blake Morgan LLP in Southampton, it was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate Solent Mind’s achievements over the past year and to reflect on the difference we are making in the community.

The event featured an inspiring keynote from Dr Lesley Stephens from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, who shared insights into the VCSE sector and the NHS 10-year plan. And Solent Mind CEO, Sally Arscott unveiled the charity’s vision for the future of community mental health services and how Solent Mind will work alongside its NHS and voluntary sector partners to make it a reality.

It was the personal stories from Solent Mind’s former service users, volunteers and lived experience participants, however, that highlighted the impact Solent Mind is having on the people we support. Sophie, Richard and Katie all shared inspiring personal accounts of how important Solent Mind is to them.

Service user, Richard, spoke about how accessing our peer support service in Southampton, was a real turning point for him, and how it has inspired him to become a volunteer with Solent Mind.

He said: “There was a time when my mental health issues felt like a shadow I couldn’t escape. I felt worthless and had no confidence. Solent Mind’s peer support service gave me a space where I could speak freely, and my peer worker, with their own lived experience, could really understand what I was going through.

“I’m now a volunteer with Solent Mind and I find therapy in helping others. I want those who are also struggling to know they’re not alone. There is help. There is hope. And there are people – like those at Solent Mind – who will walk beside you, even when the path is unclear.”

Sally Arscott, Solent Mind CEO, said: “At Solent Mind, we are committed to making sure we can reach those people who need us most, and I’m proud of what we’ve achieved in the past year.

“This event has been a great opportunity to celebrate our impact with our supporters and to hear the difference we’re making to the lives of the people we support. A huge thank you to our speakers, especially our story sharers, and to everyone who came along.”

As part of the event, each guest took away a copy of Solent Mind’s latest Impact Report 2024-25.

To view Solent Mind’s impact report 2024/25, visit: https://www.solentmind.org.uk/about-us/reports-and-accounts/.