We all know that it’s good to talk, and a local campaign is using conversations to help end mental health discrimination, writes Bucks County Council’s cabinet member for community engagement and public health, Noel Brown.

Time to Change Buckinghamshire is a network of local organisations and individuals, working alongside the national Time to Change campaign, which is committed to changing how we all think and act about mental health. We’re working with local communities, workplaces and schools to help tackle negative attitudes and behaviours towards people experiencing mental health problems.

Mental health problems can affect anyone. One in four people experience some form of mental health problem in any one year, which means we will all know someone who is or has been affected. Many of these people still experience stigma or discrimination because of it, and it is these negative attitudes that the campaign is aiming to stop.

Help us tackle the stigma around mental health: If you’ve had personal experience of mental health problems, you could become one of our Champions and help us with our campaign.

Time to Change Champions with personal or ‘lived’ experience of mental health problems are at the heart of our work and they are well placed to become Champions, using their own experience to help change attitudes through conversations and social contact activity.

What do Champions do?

Being a champion is a voluntary commitment and is fully flexible - you can do whatever you have time for and what you’re comfortable doing. For example, you could start conversations about mental health with the people around you or run a Time to Change activity in a café, train station or at work. There is free training and a campaign portal which has lots of resources to get you started.

Why be a Champion?

• You’ll be at the heart of our campaign to change people’s attitudes around mental health

• It’s an opportunity to build skills and experience

• It’s an opportunity to build skills and experience

• Funding is available for Champions to hold their own stigma-busting activities

Please find out more about how to become a Time to Change champion at www.timetochangebucks.org We’d love to hear from you!