Reflecting on Together’s Henry Hawkins Lecture 2024 with CEO, Linda Bryant – how community & connection can empower people and improve mental wellbeing

We had come together to connect and learn from our thought leading expert speakers and exchange ideas. We were especially delighted to host the event at the London Southbank University Hub and to partner with them welcoming students and lecturers from their mental health and social care courses.

Our theme for the lecture was celebrating the positive impacts community and connections can have on people’s mental wellbeing. The importance of community was clear to the namesake of the lecture series, our founder Reverend Henry Hawkins, when he started our charity in 1879. He worked tirelessly with women who had been committed to asylums, mobilising the cooperation of the local community to provide places to live, places of work and the offer of friendship.

Henry was a man of progressive thought and actions, recognising that close and supportive communities are a major protective factor for our mental wellbeing. In the present day, his legacy lives on in Together’s mission reflecting the value that Henry places on the innated kindness of humankind – his belief in the power of community to look after its members irrespective of background, life circumstances and life challenges and for people to be enabled to live independent and fulfilling lives. I

The importance of lived experience in understanding how to best support and empower communities was an inspiring feature throughout the evening.

After opening remarks, we began the evening with a wonderful performance from More Than Just A Choir who provide musical creativity for people affected by mental ill-health, in a friendly and safe environment. They hold weekly choir rehearsals and organise several public performances each year and our audience were treated to a rendition of ‘Something Inside so Strong’ by Labi Siffre. The choir aims to help their members build confidence, whilst also connecting with the wider community and that was certainly case as I looked at the smiling faces of the audience as the choir closed the event by performing ‘Under African Skies’ by Paul Simon.

Our first keynote speaker was Kate Jopling who explored the theme of loneliness, strongly advocating for change in public policy and practice to address the impact that disconnection and social isolation can have on people’s mental wellbeing. Kate is a Policy and Strategy Consultant and Independent Loneliness Expert and demonstrated through research evidence an understanding of why loneliness must be taken seriously as a public health issue. It was a thoughtful and engaging presentation that called for action on an issue that affects many people in society with ideas on how best to reach out to people in an inclusive way.

Next on our agenda was a further musical treat from Alice Renouf, a volunteer with Together’s Lewisham Wellbeing Hub facilitating sessions on relaxation, mental and physical health as part of their Long Term Health Conditions Support group. Alice performed her beautiful song Echoes in the Birdsong, with an introduction describing her process in composing the music and lyrics and leaving everyone, myself included, captivated.

Our second keynote speaker was Dr Jacqui Dyer MBE who through a moving and sometimes deeply personal presentation, described why the voice of the community is so vital in the improvement and transformation of service delivery. Jacqui is Chair of the Advancing Mental Health Equalities Taskforce and the Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework (PCREF) Steering Group, NHS England and shared her own lived experience around caring for siblings who had experienced mental distress and how their experiences shape the work she does now. Jacqui powerfully advocated for why it is so vital that we must systematically tackle inequalities in outcomes, experience and access to mental health services and how PCREF is looking to combat discrimination experienced by racialised people.

The evening culminated in Together’s first Henry Hawkins Staff Awards in recognition of the fabulous work by staff and volunteers across the organisation. It was a proud moment for me, especially so as we celebrated a special award for Sandy Hughes who has worked for us for an incredible 35 years.

It was also a chance for us to give thanks to our Chair of Trustees, Dr Carol Cole, who will be stepping down from her role at the end of the year. We are grateful for Carol’s leadership and commitment over the last seven years recognising the enormous responsibility that comes with being a trustee of a charity and the generosity of giving of her time and expertise.

A wonderful time together was rounded off when the discussion and debate continued at the networking session and my own sense of a joyful and life-affirming evening was reflected in the energy of conversation in the room and the connections people made with each other.

We look forward to planning next year’s lecture and exploring a new theme. I hope to see you there!