London well-being conference calls for action on mental health » Housing » 24dash.com

Due to take place on 2 February at the King’s Fund, the first London Well-Being Conference: Better Mental Health will bring together leaders in social housing, health and well-being to discuss issues facing mental health sufferers, with a focus on social housing residents.

Delegates from London and across the UK will review latest policy, strategy and best practice, and consider how residents’ well-being can be promoted through measures including partnership working, increased awareness of services and social housing design.

Peabody is sponsoring the conference as part of its Activate London programme, funded by the Big Lottery Fund, which promotes physical exercise, good mental health and healthy eating through a wide range of innovative community projects. Activate London is led by Peabody and delivered in partnership with Broomleigh Housing, CBHA, Circle Anglia, Family Mosaic, Metropolitan Housing and Southern Housing.

Stephen Howlett, Peabody’s chief executive, said:

“We’re committed to promoting good mental health among residents in social housing through initiatives such as Activate London. The London Well-being Conference: Better Mental Health is a vital opportunity to discuss and debate issues surrounding mental health in our communities.”

Organised by Civic Agenda and open to delegates from across the public, private and third sectors, the conference is free to attend. The programme will include a mixture of plenary sessions, panel debate and workshops, with contributions from keynote speakers including Charles Fraser CBE, chief executive of homeless charity St Mungo’s; Paul Finch OBE, chair of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment; and Paul Farmer, chief executive of leading mental health charity MIND.

Paul Farmer said:

"I’m delighted to be speaking at the forthcoming London Well-Being Conference. It’s well recognised that the relationship between mental health and housing is complex; this agenda has been building for a number of years and the time for action is well overdue. This event will provide the opportunity for much-needed dialogue between those working in the housing and mental health sectors. We must build stronger cross-sector relationships so that we are able to support some of the most vulnerable groups in our society".

To find out more information about this event, please visit www.londonwellbeingconference.co.uk.

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For more information, please contact Neil Young, Peabody media relations officer, on 0207 021 4210 or neil.young@peabody.org.uk.

Notes to editors:

• Peabody was established in 1862 and is now one of London’s oldest and largest housing associations, as well as being a charity and community regeneration agency. It owns or manages 17,500 properties across the capital, providing homes to over 50,000 people. Peabody’s mission is to make London a city of opportunity for all by ensuring as many people as possible have a good home, a real sense of purpose and a strong feeling of belonging. Peabody spends £3m on community support projects and helps more than 300 people into jobs and around 1,500 into training every year. www.peabody.org.uk
   
• Activate London is funded by the Big Lottery Fund as part of its £165 million well-being programme, which provides funding to support the development of healthier lifestyles and to improve well-being. Over 80 individual community-led projects developed to suit every interest, from cycling to yoga, will be launched across London during the course of the Activate London well-being programme (2008-2012). www.peabody.org.uk/living/well-being.aspx
   
• Civic Agenda is a specialist conference development and organisation agency delivering public and social focussed conferences across the UK. Civic Agenda works with a range of partner organisations and draws on the expertise of sister organisations Civic Regeneration, Regenerate IT and Market Squared to support conferences that explore key areas of social, economic and community policy for an audience of the public, private and voluntary sector. For more information please visit www.civicagenda.co.uk