#ThroughTogether stories 2024
#ThroughTogether stories showcase how Londoners are making a difference to those in their local community and beyond by supporting each other through the emotional pressures and challenges they may be feeling right now.
#ThroughTogether stories showcase how Londoners are making a difference to those in their local community and beyond by supporting each other through the emotional pressures and challenges they may be feeling right now.
Great Mental Health Day 
Campaign
Updated: 16/02/2024
London is full of amazing people who have come together for each other during the most challenging of times.
Thrive LDN is excited to spotlight just some of the people making a difference to fellow Londoners right now.
#ThroughTogether stories 2024
Listed below are a short collection of #ThroughTogether stories which showcase how Londoners are making a difference to those in their local community and beyond by supporting each other through the emotional pressures and challenges they may be feeling right now.
The stories range from Mindful Mums in Lewisham, to a community choir with displaced Londoners, as well as showcasing Bridge Watch, a group of volunteers supporting vulnerable people on and around the bridges of London.
But we know this is just a snapshot. Examples of kindness and connection can be found right across our city.
We want to hear about your stories to create a space to share how people are making a difference to others.
Help us shine a light on how we are dealing with the current pressures – share on social using #ThroughTogether.
Andy’s Man Club
Meet Andy’s Man Club London.
A men’s suicide prevention charity, offering free-to-attend peer-to-peer support groups across the country with two groups supporting Londoners in Barnet and Euston.
Established in 2016, the group aims to provide men with a safe space where they feel comfortable to talk and open up about their experiences in a room free of judgement.
The first rule about Andy’s Man Club is, it’s okay to talk at Andy’s man club.
Find out more about Andy’s Man Club and find your local club on their website.
Mindful Mums
Meet Mindful Mums, free wellbeing groups from South East London Mind, that help pregnant women and new parents look after their mental and emotional wellbeing during pregnancy and their baby’s first year.
Including the Mindful Mums Diversity Matters group which provides a safe space for mothers of babies 0-12 months to talk about the complexities and issues related to their culture, upbringing and heritage with balancing the challenges of early motherhood.
Since the service began in 2016, Mindful Mums has supported more than a thousand women in Bromley, Lewisham and Greenwich.
Find out more via South East London Mind website.
Run Talk Run
Meet Run Talk Run, a global mental health running group with a mission to increase accessibility to mental health support through running & walking peer support groups.
The group was founded in 2017 by Jess Robson, a runner who wanted to create spaces that allowed people to support others and to give them the opportunity to feel ‘heard’.
Those who participate in the community running groups can talk, free from judgement or competition. Run Talk Run is free to attend and open to all abilities. Groups run as slow as the slowest runner.
Find out more about Run Talk Run and find your local club via their website.
Bridge Watch
Meet the Bridge Watch programme and the volunteers.
The areas of London, on and around the Thames and the bridges, are amongst the most popular attractions in the country. This popularity can and does extend to behaviour that leads to people, for a host of reasons, to put themselves in harm’s way.
Incidents involving people suffering mental crisis and indicating intent to enter the water from these sites, account for a rising number of incidents around Thames bridges annually. Bridge Watch supports a team of volunteers that ‘patrol’ the areas on and around the bridges of London and who have a brief to engage with anybody indicating intent to enter the water.
Find out more and become involved via Ascension Trust website.
Sing For Freedom Choir
Meet Sing for Freedom Choir.
Run by Together Productions, an arts production company, the group brings displaced people together with others from across London and around the country who join to sing in solidarity with them.
Founded by survivors from the charity, Freedom From Torture, it offers members a joyful community founded in music. United in song, the choir tells us what being part of the group means to them and the lasting friendships they have made as a result.
Spectra
Meet Spectra.
Originally started in 1996 as the West London Gay Men’s project, Spectra now exists to support people of all sexualities, gender identities, cultural influences and ethnicities who want to make positive changes to their lives.
Spectra offers a range of services to support people’s physical and emotional wellbeing. They envision a future where people from under-served and disadvantaged communities reach their full potential by being empowered, encouraged and supported to make positive life choices.
They do this through delivering creative, supported, non-judgmental peer-based services with a focus on sexual health and wellbeing including counselling, therapy, outreach services and peer mentoring.
To find out more about the wide range of services Spectra offers visit their website.
Wellbeing Grab Bags
Meet TfL River Services who have partnered with Thrive LDN to launch wellbeing ‘grab bags’ across their services.
The bags are for staff to have on hand when interacting or intervening with vulnerable customers. Matthew Hack, Operations Manager, tells us about the bags, the valuable signposting they provide and the additional training staff had to support users of the river. The bags, along with the training could make all the difference to someone in need.
To find out more or take the the free suicide prevention training visit Thrive LDN’s #ZeroSuicideLDN page.
Mayor’s Fund for London
The Mayor’s Fund for London (MFL) charity is London’s largest provider of holiday food and activities.
The Mayor’s Fund for London is an independent and apolitical social mobility charity which improves the life chances of over 35,000 young Londoners from low-income backgrounds every year.
We spoke to John Jones, Communities Project Manager at MFL, to find out more about the work they’ve been delivering during the cost-of-living crisis – read more.
Additionally, in February 2024 the Mayor’s Fund for London brought together key leaders, decisionmakers, and experts by experience for the Mayor’s Fund for London Food & Communities Summit 2024. We’ve added a short video from MFL about the event.
Find out more about Mayor’s Fund for London’s Food and Wellbeing programmes.
Money A+E
Money A+E is an award-winning social enterprise that provides money advice & education to disadvantaged groups, Diverse Ethnic Communities (DEC) and young people.
Money A+E provides advice and education for anyone facing financial challenge to achieve money goals.
We spoke to co-founder, Jerry During, to find out more about the work they’ve been delivering during the cost-of-living crisis – read more.
Additionally, Money A+E is working with Thrive LDN to host a webinar on the cost-of-living crisis and the Ethnicity Premium. The webinar will be held during Mental Health Awareness Week 2024 – register for more details.