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Norfolk people challenged by leading
social entrepreneur Andrew Mawson OBE to ‘Stuff Stigma!’
A ground-breaking conference designed to boost understanding of mental health issues took place Friday 2nd Feb at the Maddermarket Theatre in Norwich.
More than 170 people filled the Maddermarket Theatre on Friday afternoon to hear top UK expert on leading cultural change Andrew Mawson OBE (founder of the Community Action Network) challenge Norfolk people to become just a little rebellious and rise to the challenge of ‘stuffing stigma’ here in our County.
He explained that whilst the professionals have an important role to play in supporting people with mental health problems, those people need friends as well. ‘We all have a role to play in reducing the stigma that surrounds mental illness,’ he said. ‘And it’s the little things we can each do, that when added together, make a huge difference,’ he added.
Paul Corry, Public Affairs Director for mental health charity Rethink told the audience that his organisation had chosen Norwich to pilot its controversial anti-stigma campaign last March because, ‘The city has one of the highest prescription rates for anti-depressants in the UK.’ He went on to explain how the world’s media quickly picked up on the Norwich campaign when the statue of Churchill in a straight-jacket was unveiled in the Forum. ‘After three days we were instructed to take the statue down,’ he commented, ‘yet most of those we surveyed after the campaign felt it should have been allowed to stay.’
The conference will also saw the launch of an ‘anti-stigma’ fund within the Norfolk Community Foundation from which grants will be made to support anti-stigma work in the county. Author, activist and Community Foundation Trustee Robert Ashton, who chaired the conference said: ‘The established mental health organisations do a fantastic job. But there’s much more that needs to be done. By creating a fund within the Community Foundation to support grassroots anti-stigma projects, we can inspire and support people who want to make a difference and have spotted a provision gap they feel they can plug.’
When asked what was going to happen next, Ashton replied: ‘the audience on Friday represented just the tip of the iceberg. There are many people with strong feelings about stigma who with the encouragement and the support of other like minded people, will help us to stuff stigma here in Norfolk.’
To download the Conference Poster click here