Two Northampton charities team up to make mental health services more accessible

Two Northampton charities have joined forces to “remove barriers and widen the gateway” to help people access mental health support across the town and wider county.

Pink Rooster, an award winning organisation that focuses on using arts and creativity to help improve health and wellbeing, has set up permanent residency on the Northampton site of St Andrew’s Healthcare.

The charity, which was founded in 2013, was at a key stage in its development and needed premises as a long-term solution to sustain its services. It will now be located on the Wantage Gate entrance on Billing Road.

Knowing that St Andrew’s Healthcare is also a mental health charity based in the same town, Pink Rooster approached the organisation to see if they could both work together to find a solution.

Pink Rooster CEO David Maxwell said: “When we started looking for premises, St Andrew’s Healthcare was top of our list of organisations to approach as we firmly believe our joint values and what we’re trying to achieve, align.

“Pink Rooster is committed to improving the lives of those in need through the therapeutic power of music, the arts and creativity, through educational activities and interventions. We bring hope and life back to people living with mental and physical health issues.

"We’re confident that by being placed centrally in the town centre we will have removed many barriers and widened the gateway to receiving mental health support which we know many people have experienced.”

Once the organisation has settled into its new home it will set about launching a wellbeing, therapy and creative centre, which will be open to the public. The premises will also provide a community hub for people, which will act as a central point for information, guidance and will help to promote local services and events.

There will also be consulting and therapy rooms which will be used for one-to-one sessions and internet and telephone access. The space will be open to people of all ages and it is hoped the services provided will support people with mental health issues and help prevent social isolation which so many people suffer from.

St Andrew’s Healthcare’s CEO Dr Vivienne McVey said: “When Pink Rooster approached us about us letting them office space we were only too happy to accommodate. As a charity, we promote wellbeing, give hope and enable recovery, so Pink Rooster’s aims, objectives and long-term plan fits perfectly into what we’re also trying to achieve.

“We’re thrilled to be supporting another like-minded charity and it’s a huge bonus having them on site as they’ve also kindly agreed to engage and support our patients. We know from research and the outcomes from our own approaches how powerful music, art and encouraging creativity can be when it comes to helping people, particularly with mental health issues, so to have Pink Rooster be able to support our Occupational Therapy team is a wonderful resource to have.”

Pink Rooster is governed by its board of trustees and day-to-day operations and service delivery, are managed and co-ordinated jointly by the chief and deputy chief executive.

The organisation is primarily funded through a variety of sources including local authority, charitable foundations, fundraising activities and donations from the public.