Manju Shahul-Hameed Foundation for Mental Health

In 2017, Toni Letts OBE and Manju Shahul-Hameed founded the registered charity, Manju Shahul-Hameed Foundation for Mental Health, Reg Charity No. 1176447 (www.msfoundations.co.uk). Toni Letts OBE was a councillor for 36 years, twice Mayor, cabinet member of Economy and Regeneration in Croydon and Chief Executive of South London YMCA for 10 years. The charity’s aim is to work with the community raising awareness, addressing the different stigmas associated with mental health, especially in BAME communities, and the acceptance of mental illnesses, working with them to bring improvements where possible. The charity looks after 80 people in Croydon every month by providing them with food and clothes; these include homeless, refugees, elderly, and differently-abled people.

The charity has successfully organised more than 300 mental health-related events, aimed at physical and mental wellbeing for people from different walks of life. These activities include Stress Management, Intergenerational Care, Silver Sunday, Yoga, Meditation, Adult Mental Health First Aid Trainings, Youth Mental Health First Aid Course, Suicide First Aid Training, confidential Counselling service, Chakra Dance, a Dementia Cafe, and Dementia Awareness. The charity also funds a variety of short and long-term initiatives including World Mental Health Day in which schools, headteachers, special educational need coordinators, and the lead members of the wellbeing team of Croydon Schools all helped to create youth mental health first aiders who have the skills and knowledge to recognise the signs of mental ill health issues early, and help support those facing difficulties.