The Stuart Low Trust
Mental wellbeing
We plan to run Friday evening events in our Caledonian Road centre to bring isolated local people together to enjoy healthy food, join a social activity and create their own peer support community.
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About this cause
The Stuart Low Trust (SLT) fills a gap in support for local adults in Islington experiencing long-term mental health issues and socially isolated. SLT was founded by the Islington residents and celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2023. We provide award-winning, free, socially therapeutic activities, including ‘out-of-hours’ times when people at risk are at their lowest ebb, uniquely embedded in the local community. We deliver up to 200 sessions supporting 1,000 people per year led by qualified practitioners with support from volunteers through our three programmes, Arts, Nature and Wellbeing, offering a toolkit of coping skills. 89% of our participants self-reported experienced feelings of mental wellbeing at the end of the session, compared to 26% at the start of the session.
How this cause brings people in the community together
One in four of us will experience a mental health problem at some point in our lives, and the stigma around mental illness means people feel alone, ashamed and judged. There is an increasing mental health crisis in our Islington community caused originally by the pandemic and made worse by the pressure of the cost of everyday living for people on low incomes. We exist to counter this downward spiral. Our Friday evening events offer a safe community space throughout the year ‘out of hours’ when people at risk can feel most desperate and there are few (if any) alternatives for them locally. Our free events help participants build their confidence, skills, mental wellbeing and community connectedness in a supportive, welcoming, non-judgmental environment – ‘a lifeline in a tough world’.