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Marches for Mental Health; 8th & 9th October

To mark World Mental Health Day our campaign is organising two marches for mental health.  The marches will demand decent and high-quality services in both counties. If you care about mental health services in Norfolk and Suffolk and you want to highlight to those in power that something urgently needs to be done to improve things, please join us marching (see flyers below). The Norwich march is on Saturday 8th October, 11am Chapelfield Gardens followed by the Ipswich march on Sunday 9th October, 11am Ipswich Town Hall.

We will have some placards ready but please do bring your own if you can. If you do not want to carry a placard you could pin your slogans or what you are marching for to your chest and/or back. Some suggested slogans are:

  • Safe Mental Health Services Now!
  • Too Many Deaths: Public Inquiry Now!
  • Resource Our Mental Health Services
  • ‘Inadequate’ Mental Health Services = Devastated Lives
  • 10 Years of Harm: enough!
  • 4 Failed CQC Inspections: 2,500+ Deaths
  • Therese Coffey: Act Now. Enough is Enough!

Be as creative as you wish.

We have found that it helps people in power to be reminded of personal stories and the impact that failing mental health services have. You may wish to march for someone you love. In which case you can make a heart placard for them (being mindful of their privacy) (see photos of examples below). If you have lost someone and wish to march in memory of them you might want to add a photo.

Please support us by sharing the leaflets (email norfolksuffolkcrisis@gmail.com if you want electronic copies of the leaflets to circulate or wish to distribute paper leaflets).

Social media is an important way of reinforcing our messages. We will be using the hashtags NSFTcrisis and LostLivesNSFT on social media. Please send photos of your placards or the march to us using our Facebook and Twitter DMs or email them to norfolksuffolkcrisis@gmail.com or post them yourself and tag @NSFTcrisis. We want people to attend the marches but realise this may not be possible. if you cannot attend and want to participate please put your placard/poster at an NSFT site or in your window and send us a photo.

A campaign spokesperson explains why we are marching:

“This year’s theme for World Mental Health Day 2022 is ‘Make Mental Health and Well-Being for All a Global Priority’.   Unfortunately for too long people in mental distress in our region have not been a priority.  We have experienced sub-standard and dysfunctional services and the Government and NHS England have failed to act effectively to safeguard patients and service users across the 2 counties.  The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has failed the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT) 4 times and the Trust has been in special measures for 6 out of the last 8 years.  This unacceptable situation cannot continue and that is why we are organising these marches”.

Please do whatever you can to spread the word and support us in fighting for the high quality mental health services the people of Norfolk and Suffolk deserve.

The Norwich march is on Saturday 8th October, 11am Chapelfield Gardens followed by the Ipswich march on Sunday 9th October, 11am Ipswich Town Hall.

NSFT Cuts | admin | |   March for mental health

22 thoughts on “Marches for Mental Health; 8th & 9th October”

  1. anonymous support worker says:

    Hi everyone,
    I was here today as a frontline worker in a voluntary sector organisation. Feeling vulnerable as our contract is “up for tender’-again next year. Voluntary sector organisations and large national providers are being pitched against each other vying for contracts
    I support people in the community and in a group. 
    What I hear every week is:
    Someone’s care co has left.
    XYZ has been discharged by the IDT and is now with the social services. N.N. is not their designated social worker.
    We are applying for charity funding for someone to access a few sessions of psychotherapy.
    The traffic is horrendous because of another “jumper” off the Orwell Bridge
    People often tell me they had to call 111 choose Option 2 for mental health support and had to wait for ages
    It is getting harder and harder to meet a mental health professional in person.
    People are getting “referred” to drop-ins and community groups for support, including support in a crisis.
    People are shown apps and websites to learn coping skills
    Community groups themselves are vulnerable as they have to fight for and rely on intermittent short-term funding pots every year. Let me be clear: Community groups and voluntary sector organisationsare there to enhance people’s wellbeing and not replace clinical services. Many good things in Ipswich have been lost in the recent years and we have only a few things left to “signpost” people to.
    Apps and websites can be useful additionalresources but they don’t replace face-to-face- support by a real human!
    Recovery needs time and cannot be achieved by a quick online course or via an app.

  22. 20bet says:

    Your article gave me a lot of inspiration, I hope you can explain your point of view in more detail, because I have some doubts, thank you.

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