Meet Simon, our new and first Head of Partnerships!

“I am delighted to have this opportunity to introduce myself.  I am Simon Hughes, the newest member of the Chasing the Stigma team, stepping into the role of Head of Partnerships. With a background in both IT and Social Care across the private, public, charitable, voluntary, and social enterprise sectors, I am thrilled to be here.

Since joining the team at the end of January, I’ve already had the privilege of meeting with people from more than twenty of our partner organisations and having conversations with about sixty people from services listed on the Hub of Hope. I’ve attended suicide prevention conferences in Liverpool and London and visited the Hope in the Community Project in Westminster.

Working with our partners has been truly rewarding. Exploring how they apply our Ambassador of Hope training and leverage the tools and data provided by the Hub of Hope to make informed decisions, improve access to services, and better serve their communities has been enlightening.

I’ve also enjoyed meeting with many potential partners, laying the groundwork for initiatives aimed at enhancing access to mental health support.

I am genuinely excited about the collaborative effort underway between different people, organisations, sectors, and communities and how working together has a significant impact on mental health provision.

Having recently moved back home to Liverpool (Chasing the Stigma’s base) after twenty years in Sussex, I am looking forward to getting back to hiking in the beautiful Lake District.  I’ve also promised myself I am going to take the opportunity of being close to Crosby Marina to pursue my dream of learning to sail.”

If you are interested in discussing opportunities to work together to improve mental health, please call me at the office on 0151 318 4747, on my mobile at 07988 084 123, or drop me an email at simon@chasingthestigma.co.uk.