Reflecting on London’s first Great Mental Health Day

On Friday, 28 January, London celebrated its first ever Great Mental Health Day.

Great Mental Health Day saw Londoners and community groups sharing ideas and ways in which they are supporting their own wellbeing or others in their community or neighbourhoods.

Individuals and organisations all over London come together to host online and in person events, with the aim of encouraging us all to talk about mental health and highlight the great support available.

The action-packed day was developed from work started by the London Borough of Haringey. Facilitated regionally by Thrive LDN and Good Thinking, and supported by London’s health partners, including OHID, the NHS in London, London Councils, and the Mayor of London, the day aimed to get Londoners talking about mental health, to highlight the great support available, and, crucially, take the stigma out of asking for help when needed.

Events ranged from online guided meditation and yoga to community wellbeing walks and coffee mornings. With more than 60 events taking place on or in the run up to the day, there was something for everyone to enjoy.

Social media users also joined in using #GreatMentalHealth to say how they look after their mental health as well as those around them. Including key public figures, ranging from the Mayor of London to the Secretary of State for DHSC.

On the whole, Great Mental Health Day was a huge success and provides a strong platform for us to collectively build upon:

• Nearly 10,000 people have accessed the interactive map of London on our website to find out what is going on in their area.
• On the day, there were more than 750 individual tweets using #GreatMentalHealth and more than 20,000 video views on Thrive LDN channels alone.
• More than 60 events took place across almost every borough in London, many of which were held in person, involving local walks, coffee mornings and workshops.

A huge thank you to all of the individuals and organisations that took part in making Great Mental Health Day 2022 a success.

We have put together a round-up of the day alongside some recommendations and thoughts for supporting Great Mental Health Day in 2023.  We’d welcome and value any ideas you may have, contact the team and let us know what you think.