Speaker Meeting, 6.15 for 6.30pm

John Stooke was making a return speaker visit.  

1st November 2021 The Ale and Beer Houses that have disappeared from Swindon between 1700 and the present day.

At this meeting he came to talk about the Kelly Foundation which he founded with others a few months ago. Governed by a board of trustees, it is a Charity Commission registered charity.

Everyone at the Kelly Foundation has been touched by the tragedy of suicide not least John, having lost 2 children himself.  The aim of the Foundation is to tackle mental health issues for anyone over the age of 18.  It focuses mainly on the Pinehurst, Penhill, Moredon and Gorse Hill areas of Swindon.

Currently there are 22,766 people in Swindon diagnosed with clinical depression of which 2,000 suffer severely.    There are 700 hospital admissions each year for self-harm incidents and on average 16 residents a year commit suicide.  The Office of National Statistics records 52 deaths from suicide in the Swindon area from 2018-2020. 

One in four of us will experience a mental health issue at some point in our lives. It could be due to a bereavement, divorce, job loss or another trauma that impacts on our mental health. Some of us will suffer short term and others will suffer much longer.

Due to scarcity of resources, individuals with poor mental health do not receive the same access to NHS services or the quality of care as do people with physical illnesses.  The Kelly Foundation is seeking to address such inequalities in mental health provision. These largely relate to inequalities in society, the conditions in which people are born, grow up, live, work and age. It is the unequal distribution of the social determinants of health such as education, housing and employment that in turn drive inequalities in mental health. 

The Foundation’s work can be summarised under five headings:

1.    Listen and Understand: GP surgeries are limited in what they can offer.  Listening and talking therapy can be highly effective if delivered within a structured and long-term plan.

2.    Signpost: following listening and understanding, one-to-one coaching alongside access to dietary and nutritional specialists, recovery groups, voluntary opportunities or supported employment.

3.    Deliver Practical Support: by liaising with the Department of Work and Pensions, the local Borough Council and other local agencies.

4.    Work Collaboratively: working with parents, supportive family members, local agencies and employers to find part-time or full-time work placements.

5.    Advocate: general advocacy to ensure those who are most vulnerable have their voices heard on issues that are important to them.

The Kelly Foundation’s annual running costs amount to £40,000 all of which has to be fundraised and local firms, especially Zurich and Nationwide have been very supportive.  On 5th February the Foundation is promoting a concert in The Deanery Theatre (the school near Waitrose) featuring “The Swing Birds”.

The Kelly Foundation website