Mental Health and wellbeing champion Adam Parkes has launched a campaign to develop a national support network with the creation of an initiative called the TogetherTown Project. 

Adam, working with his non-profit organisation, Taking Off The Mask, is looking to build supportive local communities by, amongst other things, offering training in mental health first aid for workers in easily accessible places, such as pubs, shops, libraries, churches and leisure centres. 

A qualified trainer of mental health first aiders, Adam’s vision involves starting off with a small network in North Staffordshire, his home area, with support then radiating out across the UK. 

“The idea is to bolster support for anyone who needs help,” said Adam of Biddulph, who founded the organisation after coming through a personal crisis that left him on the brink of suicide. 

“We have a mental health crisis and that’s been made even worse following recent lockdowns, and access to services is getting increasingly harder and more time consuming. People often won’t come forward to ask for help from health practitioners, but a network of volunteers would help to take away the barriers of stigma and embarrassment and provide a first port of call for anyone who feels in need of support. 

“The concept is simple. I want communities to have the capacity to pick up the shortfall in mental health services and the ability to support their own people. Historically, towns would come together to assist those in need and I want this philosophy to return. Often a conversation, with someone who knows the potential issues, is enough to spur someone on to seek more support.” 

Adam is now in talks with a number of local councils and community groups wishing to know more about the project and its benefits.  

Having experienced his own health crisis, Adam who was formerly a headteacher, has used his experiences to help others. 

He founded Parkes Education, a company through which he carries-out work within schools, adding awareness of mental health issues to senior management teams and supporting staff and pupils, and has developed Taking Off The Mask, which started life as a Facebook blog. 

Adam explained: “I have told my story to groups of people and in the media and started blogging because I felt it may help others to hear it via social media. 

“This started a conversation; Taking Off The Mask was founded, and we now have thousands of members, in over 100 countries and the ability to offer support and training.” 

Adam was an award winning headteacher when his personal family issues, in particular the death of his father and then a marriage break-up, conspired with the pressure of a heavy workload, to trigger anxiety which, over time, became severe depression. He wrote letters of goodbye to family and friends and went for a walk along a cliff edge, in Devon. As he sat on a bench, contemplating his fate, the police arrived. They had tracked Adam’s phone signal having been alerted by worried family and teaching colleagues. 

Recalling that day, Adam said: “The officers were calm and wanted to listen. Talking to people who didn’t know me and didn’t judge me gave me the strength to carry on.” 

Once able to do so, Adam began helping school leaders through Parkes Education and began the blog that led to Taking Off The Mask. 

TOTM’s goal is to “create a safe space where people can open up, receive support from like-minded individuals, and know they are never alone.” 

TogetherTown builds on concepts outlined by the Centre for Urban Design and Mental Health which developed four key principles for town planners, through a programme they call GAPS. This said towns should be built on Green spaces, Active places, Pro-social places, and Safe places to thrive. 

Adam said: “The benefits of accessible green spaces and places for activities are well known and these are bolstered by spaces that promote social interaction (pro-social) and safe spaces. 

“It is a concept I want to build on along with Taking Off The Mask. If we can develop TogetherTowns, backed by a network of community mental health first aiders, we can create a resilient, network of supportive towns and communities.” 

ENDS

For media enquiries please contact Nigel Howle on 0776 2043436, email [email protected]