Eleven Kent projects aimed at preventing suicide, reducing self-harm and saving lives are being announced today as a way of marking World Mental Health Day.

The schemes have secured funding of between £500 and £15,000 to help provide support to their communities.

The announcement was made by the Kent and Medway Suicide Prevention Team and aims to promote initiatives including those giving fathers safe spaces to explore their feelings about parenting or helping children who have lost someone close.

It is part of the 2023/24 round of the Kent and Medway Better Mental Health and Wellbeing Community Fund.

Kent County Council (KCC) Deputy Director of Public Health, Dr Ellen Schwartz, said: “The impressive standard of applications is testimony to the incredible work going on to help residents have better mental health.

“It’s also fitting we celebrate our latest applicants’ success on World Mental Health Day as they are driven by the awareness day’s theme that ‘Mental health is a universal human right’.

“We know from previous funding rounds that grants in the right hands go a long way and have an inspirational impact for the people the projects are working to support. With COVID-19 and the cost of living still casting shadows over many lives, having hope and sharing hard times is more important than ever before.”

NHS Kent and Medway’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Kate Langford, said: “So many factors can affect our mental wellbeing as the wide range of projects receiving funding shows.

“Smaller projects and initiatives at a grassroot-level can provide people with more specific support according to their situation and helps to build resilient communities.”

Director-Found of DadSpace, Denver King, said: “Receiving the KCC grant is a huge help.

“These funds will allow us to expand our reach across Kent, opening three new locations in Ashford, as well as Broadstairs and Canterbury.

“Our vision is to provide a safe space for dads to talk, listen and share their experiences of fatherhood across the country and believe DadSpace should be accessible to all dads and hope to see one in every town or city.

“Consistency is key, we aim to offer DadSpace meet-ups regularly so dads know they’ve always got a place to go.”

The project set to benefit are:

ABIGAIL’S FOOTSTEPS – Rochester-based baby loss charity providing support and counselling for bereaved parents and families;

DadSpace – gives fathers safe places in Maidstone and Sevenoaks to share experiences of parenting;

DOVER BIG LOCAL CIC – offering support to volunteers with mental health and neuro-divergent issues;

FAVERSHAM LITERARY FESTIVAL – will stage at least three events specifically talking about experiences of suicide, plus two workshops;

MEDWAY DIVERSITY FORUM – aiming to connect grassroot British Minority Ethnic people through visual art and poetry workshops to relieve the pressures of mental ill health;

MIND IN BEXLEY AND EAST KENT – helping to destigmatise mental health among veterans;

MIND SOUTH KENT – working with children and young people to look at how the financial crisis has impacted their own feelings of stress and anxiety within their family and provide the tools to help manage this;

MIND WEST KENT – providing co-produced support for LGBTQIA young adults, 18-30-years-old, who are experiencing poor mental health and self-harm, or are at risk of self-harming or suicide across the West Kent area

SLIDE AWAY – based in Wrotham, helping children and young people get back on their feet after bereavement;

TONBRIDGE AND MALLING BOROUGH COUNCIL – supporting a men’s mental health group through OneYou Kent in partnership with West Kent Mind;

UNSTOPPABLE GIRLS – working with teenage and young adult females living with ADHD in the Ashford area.