Zoe Bennett Zoe supports many different organisations and people in the Midlands from many different communities and is very diverse as well as inclusive in her approach by raising funds... Expand Zoe Bennett aka The Motivational Queen® is one of the U.K's most sought after inspirational speakers who has endured and survived countless life-threatening adverse events. Zoe is the Managing Director of Training Personified a personal development training company which recognises and applies individual bespoke training needs. She is also a:- Multi International Award Winning Business Owner * Mentor * Author *Event Host * International Inspirational TedX Speaker * Personal Development Mindset Trainer. As the founder of the MBCC (Midlands Business and Community Charity) she supports many different organisations and people in the Midlands from many different communities and is very diverse as well as inclusive in her approach by raising funds and giving away thousands of pounds each year to various charitable organisations. She does not only help one core group but many such as Domestic Violence victims, the Youth, the Unemployed, the homeless, Cancer Victims, mental health sufferers, the disabled and continues to support many others.
Alisdair Cameron Alisdair Cameron has variously been an academic historian, a lawyer and a user of mental health services, in between stretches of generalised community activism... Expand Alisdair Cameron has variously been an academic historian, a lawyer and a user of mental health services, in between stretches of generalised community activism. His day job is as team leader at Launchpad, the mental health service user involvement project for Newcastle upon Tyne, and he is also co-chair of the Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Service User & Carer network, and has been a leading light in the establishment of a North East region-wide MH user and carer body, NEt. He is also Chair of Newcastle and Gateshead Arts Studio (NAGAS), Vice-Chair of MHNE, a Governor of the NTW NHS Foundation Trust, and a board member of NSUN, the National Survivor User Network for mental health. In spare moments he shuffles all of the letters from the aforementioned acronyms and sees what they can spell out.
Eleni Chambers Eleni has worked in health and social care since 1989, in both the voluntary and statutory sectors... Expand Eleni Chambers has worked in health and social care since 1989, in both the voluntary and statutory sectors. She is a long-term intermittent user of mental health services and more recently of adult social care, and has particular interests in concurrent mental and physical health conditions, personalisation and research. Eleni is currently a member of the National User Group of Shaping Our Lives, a member of SCIE’s Co-production, Equalities & Human Rights Steering Group and works freelance for a number of national and local organisations, including NIHR, HRA and various Universities. Eleni’s interest in involvement originates from activism in service delivery settings, and she is keen on user-led research and co-production. She has a particular interest in involving communities who are marginalised and/or not usually involved and is currently doing a PhD in involvement in Palliative Care research.
Nic Murray Nic Murray - several years experience working to amplify the voices of people with lived experience of mental distress within a UK policy and influencing context while working for the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute (MMHPI) ... Expand Nic Murray - several years experience working to amplify the voices of people with lived experience of mental distress within a UK policy and influencing context while working for the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute (MMHPI). At MMHPI Nic was involved with the senior management team in establishing the organisation’s fundraising protocols, contributing to decisions on the risk register and drafting equal opportunities and ethical and data compliance protocols for engaging with service users. This experience provided Nic with a strong understanding of the governance processes required of charitable organisations and the responsibilities and duties of trusteeship. As the policy and campaigns convener at London Irish Abortion Rights Campaign, he regularly convenes and organises a working group to respond rapidly to the legal and political landscape across Ireland and the devolved nations. Nic has additional experience in revenue generation for a wide variety of charities and campaigns from private companies as well as grant making organisations, aligning funding opportunities with existing charitable objectives.
Angela Newton: Chair Angela Newton is interim Chair of NSUN, and has twenty years’ experience of working within mental health service user involvement and leadership to transform lives, services, organisations and society. Expand Angela Newton is interim Chair of NSUN, and has twenty years’ experience of working within mental health service user involvement and leadership to transform lives, services, organisations and society. As the former Director of Service User Involvement at Together for mental wellbeing, Angela led the work of the Service User Involvement Directorate to pioneer best practice in involvement and ensure the voice of service users informed and influenced the organisation at all levels and within the wider mental health landscape. Whilst at Together, she led the strategic development of a high quality national peer-led peer support network and developed two accredited service-user-led training programmes. Prior to this, Angela established an award winning training programme, the Clued-In Project at Imagine, to reduce stigma and discrimination within mental health. Whilst at the Liverpool Mental Health Consortium, Angela worked with stakeholders across voluntary and statutory services to ensure that the development, delivery and evaluation of primary and secondary care mental health services across the City were inclusive of the views and opinions of people using them. Angela was an advisor to the development of national best practice standards for involvement, known as 4Pi, has published an article about service user leadership within the training context, speaks at national sector related conference and events and provides expert advice and guidance to others. Angela has experienced mental distress herself and seeks out the experiences of a wide range of people who also experience distress and/or use mental health services to inform her work and ensure that her knowledge and insight remains current. Angela is also Founder of Lived Experience Matters and Managing Director at Ten Years’ Time, and mother of two young children who keep her on her toes!
Jonathan Rackham Jonathan Rackham is a disabled international Independent advocate and consultant who specialises in all forms of Disability and human right law including the United Nations Convention on the person’s right with disabilities... Expand Jonathan Rackham is a disabled international Independent advocate and consultant who specialises in all forms of Disability and human right law including the United Nations Convention on the person’s right with disabilities. He is also a trainer/facilitator and researcher in complex mental health and social care systems and legal frameworks. Jonathan has gained and achieved access to justice working with influential official figures including MP’s, Law Lords, local authority officials. He has a wealth of professional knowledge and experiences into the world of health and social care, disability and human rights law and has been involved in setting new case law precedents. He is involved in a variety of disability organisations including working at senior levels in both the public and voluntary sector and ensures people’s voices are heard and not ignored. He champions the rights of people to be empowered to succeed and reach their individual potential.
Emily Reynolds Emily Reynolds has been a service user/survivor for nearly fifteen years and has been writing about mental health and social care for five. Her work as a journalist has seen her published in The Guardian, BBC and more... Expand Emily Reynolds has been a service user/survivor for nearly fifteen years and has been writing about mental health and social care for five. Her work as a journalist has seen her published in The Guardian, BBC and more, and in 2017 she published a book, A Beginner's Guide to Losing Your Mind, a practical guide to navigating mental illness for young people, with Hodder and Stoughton. She has also talked on mental health policy and more on Five Live, Women's Hour, at the British Academy and more. She also sits on a campaign steering committee for the women's mental health charity Wish, where she is working on two campaigns: one aiming to give women the option of gender specific talk therapy, and another looking at provision of certain services by male staff in women's prisons.
Rachel Rowan Olive Rachel Rowan Olive is a mental health service user / survivor, illustrator, and MA student in Applied Linguistics at Birkbeck, University of London. She uses her lived experience of mental health and social policy to inform research consultation... Expand Rachel Rowan Olive is a mental health service user / survivor, illustrator, and MA student in Applied Linguistics at Birkbeck, University of London. She uses her lived experience of mental health and social policy to inform research consultation and teaching and training work with universities including UCL, Birmingham, and Essex. She has particular interests in gender and crisis support, informed and guided by membership of a local women’s service user group. Rachel is a member of Studio Upstairs Dalston, a therapeutic artistic community, and exhibits regularly with them in London. She also takes her work - largely cartoons about mental health, politics, and pets - to various zine and illustration fairs.
Amy Rushton Amy Rushton is an interdisciplinary researcher and writer on mental distress, critical thinking and creative work. Amy’s professional background is in academic research and teaching in UK Higher Education... Expand Amy Rushton is an interdisciplinary researcher and writer on mental distress, critical thinking and creative work. Amy’s professional background is in academic research and teaching in UK Higher Education; they are currently Senior Lecturer in English at Nottingham Trent University. As part of the LGBTQ+ community, Amy has direct experience of how mental health services can emphasise ‘normalcy’ and cause further alienation and distress. Amy uses their lived experience and professional platform to advocate for mental health-related rights and justice. https://www.ntu.ac.uk/staff-profiles/arts-humanities/amy-rushton (pronouns: they/them/their)