Bradford District and Craven Mind launch Be There For Bradford Appeal

We have launched a fundraising appeal in response to the longer term impact the pandemic is having on the mental health of people in our community.

The Be There For Bradford Appeal comes in response to an increase in demand for mental health services and the results of a survey we conducted in April, which asked how local people had been affected by the past year.

Over 300 people across the Bradford district and Craven took part and the results showed four clear impacts of the pandemic on mental health:

1. People rating their wellbeing said it has significantly declined since March 2020.
2. Anxiety, depression and loneliness are the most common problems people have struggled with since March 2020.
3. COVID-19 and lockdowns have contributed to poor mental health.
4. Isolation, staying at home, fear of catching COVID-19 and uncertainty about the future are the most common reasons for COVID-19 and lockdowns contributing to poor mental health.

Their data on the state of mental health in the local community is backed up by analysis of how the district’s Healthy Minds website, www.healthyminds.services, has been used from January to March 2021. The website features a Wellbeing Assistant which allows people in the local community to rate their feelings to be recommended the most suitable local services, as well as wellbeing resources to aid self-care. During this time, the two most commonly viewed types of services were those which help people with anxiety and depression, which accounted for 49% of support services viewed.

We supported 75% more people in July-September 2020 than in July-September 2019, and have adapted and extended our services during the pandemic in response to the growing demand for mental health support. We consistently saw high demand throughout the last year. The number of callers to our Guide-Line freephone helpline nearly doubled, over a third more people attended our crisis service Sanctuary and just under three times as many people accessed our one-to-one support.

We are now launching the Be There For Bradford Appeal so we can continue to support more people and shape our services to address the lasting impact of the pandemic on the mental health of local people.

CEO Helen Davey said: “While we are now gradually easing out of lockdown, the uncertainty surrounding the roadmap and the virus remains. The recent prolonging of restrictions will come as a knock to some people’s mental health, with plans being cancelled or postponed; for others, the easing of restrictions and returning to ‘normal’ will be a source of anxiety.

“We want to be there to support people in exactly the way they need to be supported as we continue to feel the impact of the pandemic. But we can only do this with the help of the community.

“That’s why we’re launching the Be There For Bradford Appeal. Anyone who donates will help us to raise vital funds so that we can continue to Be There For Bradford.”

To find out more and to donate to the appeal, please visit https://www.mindinbradford.org.uk/support-us/be-there-for-bradford-appeal/.

Posted on: 24th June 2021