Mental Health Awareness Week
Together we can tackle loneliness
Mental Health Awareness Week
9-15 May 2022
For Mental Health Awareness Week this year, we’re raising awareness of the impact of loneliness on our mental wellbeing and the practical steps we can take to address it.
Loneliness is affecting more and more of us in the UK and has had a huge impact on our physical and mental health during the pandemic.
Our connection to other people and our community is fundamental to protecting our mental health and we need to find better ways of tackling the epidemic of loneliness. We can all play a part in this.
Stories from Aberdeen
For Mental Health Awareness week 2022 we took a closer look at projects operating in Aberdeen which bring communities together and alleviate the impact of loneliness.
The projects featured were supported by the Scottish Government’s Communities Mental Health & Wellbeing Fund which was distributed in Aberdeen by ACVO.
Citymoves Dance Agency
Dance for Parkinson’s
Dance for Parkinson’s is a national project run throughout Scotland from Scottish Ballet and Dance Base in Edinburgh. All tutors receive training specific to working with those living with Parkinsons. This year thanks to the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund, Citymoves were able to not only fund the class in their studio but also an additional class in the community to reach more participants and their carers in Aberdeen City.
As part of Mental Health Awareness Week you can listen to the words of participants and tutors to hear first hand the impact the project makes.
Aberdeen Methodist Church
Open House
Open House provides a safe space for people to meet and for a community in the centre of Aberdeen to flourish. The aim of the project is to both help prevent and to address the problems associated with poor mental health and loneliness.Â
For Mental Health Awareness Week, listen to the words of those who attend and run the sessions to find out more about the community and how it is bringing people together.
TLC
Aberdeen Befriending Project
Organisations, like TLC, who work closely with those struggling with loneliness and isolation saw the huge impact of the pandemic on mental health and wellbeing. Various lockdowns and the fear that the pandemic created, caused a loss of confidence and fear in entering and being part of their local community. For those affected, this has meant a decrease in their community connectedness and resilience, with higher levels of lonelinessÂ
The Aberdeen Befriending Project aims to act as an early intervention to alleviate feelings of loneliness and isolation. Hear more from the team in this Mental Health Awareness Week Profile.
Find out more
One in four adults feel lonely some or all of the time. There’s no single cause and there’s no one solution. After all, we’re all different! But, the longer we feel lonely, the more we are at risk of mental health problems. Some people are also at higher risk of feeling lonely than others.Â
Find out more about the work of Mental Health Awareness Week and the Mental Health Foundation at mentalhealth.org.uk
The second round of the Communities Mental Health & Wellbeing fund has just been announced! Look out for details soon on how to apply for grants to support projects in Aberdeen like the ones featured here.
