Succeeding together throughout 2023

Today we launch our 2023 Impact Report highlighting some of the many inspiring stories and highlights of the last 12 months. In it we focus on our collective story of how we built resilience as a staff group and how we supported our partners and our clients to do the same..

The golden thread running through the report and our collection of stories is about succeeding together. As one of our five core values, succeeding together is fundamental to everything we do. We believe we’re at our best when we work together – staff, clients, carers and partners – making the most of each other’s talents and strengths.

Operating across Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) and into Bath and North-East Somerset (BANES) and across all of Somerset, we cover a large part of the South West region. We also deliver a wide range of services, more than 25, from our suicide prevention service, Hope, in BNSSG, to the Rehabilitation Team supporting people throughout Somerset.

Our four priorities for the year as laid out in our Strategic Plan shaped our work and represent four key cultural shifts to:

• Build an inclusive culture
• Embed our psychological, adversity and trauma-informed approach
• Value lived experience
• Create an enabling organisation

The stories here are typified by Tom’s who worked with his recovery navigator Cat to find new hope and courage to change his life. From living off grid for years, without a place to call home and continually avoiding people he finally find a way to build new rhythms in his life.

Tom’s story is inspirational. Thanks to his strong relationship with Cat he discovered he was able to express himself through art – painting became his friend. Now he volunteers with our North Somerset Wellbeing team teaching others to paint.

Aileen Edwards, our Chief Executive.

All our impact report stories explore the importance of strong relationships, either between individuals like Cat and Tom, or between organsiations such as our partnerships with the NHS and local authorities. Again and again, we show the effectiveness of like-minded partnerships working together to support some of the most vulnerable people in our communities to manage their mental health difficulties.

If you’d like to find out more about the work we do or have any other comments or questions, please get in touch with our Communications Manager, Jane Edmonds.

You can read our impact report in full here

“We all need something to hold on to” – Watch Tom’s story below