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  1. About us
  2. Our team
  3. Trustees

Trustees

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...

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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.

Published: 24th October, 2019

Updated: 25th February, 2020

Author: Zoe Kirby

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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...

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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.

Published: 27th October, 2019

Updated: 25th February, 2020

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Eleni Chambers

Eleni has worked in health and social care since 1989, in both the voluntary and statutory sectors...

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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.

Published: 31st October, 2019

Updated: 21st October, 2020

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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) ...

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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.

Published: 7th November, 2019

Updated: 25th February, 2020

Author: Zoe Kirby

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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.

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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!

Published: 11th November, 2019

Updated: 17th December, 2020

Author: Zoe Kirby

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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...

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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.

Published: 17th November, 2019

Updated: 17th December, 2020

Author: Zoe Kirby

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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...

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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.

Published: 17th November, 2019

Updated: 25th February, 2020

Author: Zoe Kirby

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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...

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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.

Published: 21st November, 2019

Updated: 25th February, 2020

Author: Zoe Kirby

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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...

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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)

Published: 24th November, 2019

Updated: 17th December, 2020

Author: Zoe Kirby

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Dawn Willis: Secretary

Dawn Willis has an extensive background in both working within mental health services and as a campaigner at local and national level...

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Dawn Willis has an extensive background in both working within mental health services and as a campaigner at local and national level. Having been previously part of the governance structure of Rethink Mental Illness on the South West regional committee she was a national lead on ‘The Hardest Hit’ campaign; delivered ‘The Fair Treatment Now’ petition to Downing Street and was heavily involved in Lord Keith Bradley’s report into the treatment of mentally ill people within the criminal justice system. She was the winner of Rethink Mental Illness’ Pringle Award for campaigning, and a runner up in the MIND Media Awards. Dawn describes herself as a social media fanatic. She has a large twitter following using her handle @quinonostante which she says is pronounced (qui-nono-stante) and loosely translated means ‘here, in spite of’ -  a reference to feeling she’s lucky to still be around following her chaotic earlier life and ongoing experiences with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Dawn co-authored the document ‘Responsible Reform: Changes to Disability Living Allowance’ as part of the Spartacus Group of professionals concerned about the cumulative impact on sick and disabled people by the proposed changes from DLA (Disability Living Allowance) to PIP (Personal Independence Payments). Her dream is that one day, service provision will be completely managed and operated by people with lived experience, and that there will be no organisations bringing along their ‘token service user’ to validate themselves at mental health events.

Published: 1st December, 2019

Updated: 25th February, 2020

Author: Zoe Kirby

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Showing 10 of 10

Latest

  • Still breathing. Not dead.

    Still breathing. Not dead.

    Blog by Alice Smith, founder of NSUN member 361 Life Support. "We believe in emotional evolution - for ourselves and for society as a whole. To see beyond. Was this ever needed more than now?"

  • Rai Waddingham

  • Vikki Price

  • Community Constellations

    Community Constellations

    Community Constellations is a new capacity-building project for the vibrant but precarious user-led and community-led sector in London

Most read

  • Jobs and involvement opportunities

    Jobs and involvement opportunities

    Please bookmark this page as we will share employment offers and involvement opportunities here as soon as they arise.

  • 4Pi National Involvement Standards

    4Pi National Involvement Standards

    Developed by people with lived experience as part of the National Involvement Partnership (NIP) project, the 4Pi National Standards ensure effective co-production, thus improving experiences of services and support.

  • Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit - Open Letters

    Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit - Open Letters

    The UK government is hosting a Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit in London on the 9th and 10th of October, 2018. The Summit aims to “build momentum on global mental health issues such as early intervention, public health, research, tackling stigma, and promoting access to evidence-based services.”. Read the Open Letters to the Organisers, Partners and Delegates of the Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit, London

  • BME mental health service users launch manifesto

    BME mental health service users launch manifesto

    The Kindred Minds BME mental health service user led manifesto is a unique resource, has been written by BME mental health service users and has a comprehensive vision for the policy and practice changes needed to improve the mental well-being of BME mental health service users.

  • History

    History

    About the National Survivor User Network (NSUN) and the wider service user survivor movement. What we have achieved.

  • Join as a member or supporter

    Join as a member or supporter

    We are a user-led network of over 5000 individual and group members or supporters. We aim to connect, inform, influence, and improve the experiences of people who need services and support when in distress.

  • Survivor Researcher Network launch manifesto

    Survivor Researcher Network launch manifesto

    Written by the Survivor Researcher Working Group, the SRN manifesto sets out the background and context to survivor and service user research and SRN's aims and values as a network

  • Alternatives to detention/sectioning under the Mental Health Act 1983. Can you help with suggestions?

    Alternatives to detention/sectioning under the Mental Health Act 1983. Can you help with suggestions?

    As part of her work for the Independent Review of the Mental Health Act, Dorothy Gould is trying to collect as many examples as possible of alternatives to detention/sectioning.

  • Our vision

    Our vision

    Our vision is for the lives of people who experience mental distress, discrimination and disadvantage to be better

  • The Principles of Peer Support Charter

    The Principles of Peer Support Charter

    A collaboration between statutory and voluntary sector organisations has facilitated the production of a peer led and produced Principles of Peer Support Charter.

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© 2020 The National Survivor User Network (NSUN) is a registered charity in England (no.1135980) and a registered company limited by guarantee (no.07166851). NSUN, Kemp House, 152-160 City Road, London EC1V 2NX