The compassionate mental health charity that has been helping the people of Manchester for 35 years

In the late 1980s, amid a whirlwind of social unrest and creative explosion in Manchester, something revolutionary took root in Hulme.

Against the backdrop of Thatcher’s Britain and rising inequality, a coalition of clergy, elders, community workers and local activists came together with a radical vision: to tackle the deeper issues behind poor mental health in their community.

That vision became the Hulme Action Research Project (HARP), a grassroots movement founded in 1989 that would evolve into Manchester Mind, now one of the city’s most vital independent mental health charities.

“I relied on others to contain my enthusiasm and keep it real,” said John Butler, the organisation’s first employee.

“But we had this opportunity to create a more radical person-centred approach. It was quite edgy at times, but we believed we could achieve great things, and that’s what we did.”

Manchester Mind

While the UK was embracing the optimism of a new decade, parts of inner-city Manchester, particularly the infamous Crescents of Hulme, were left behind.

The housing was so derelict that the council stopped collecting rent, yet it still served as a dumping ground for “hard to let” tenancies.

Many of these were occupied by people with complex mental health needs who found themselves in a “revolving door” of hospitalisation and discharge, unable to access meaningful support.

Moved by what they saw, HARP’s founders took over the Zion building (now Z-Arts) and began offering what was then a radical idea: a friendly, welcoming space that actually listened to people.

It wasn’t only therapy on the menu – HARP offered benefit advice, tackles housing issues and created a community café where everyone can feel safe.

Three decades later, the ethos hasn’t changed. Still largely based in Hulme, Manchester Mind supports more than 11,500 people every year, with a team of over 80 staff and 80 volunteers working across the city.

How Manchester Mind are helping the community

Today, the Welcome Team is at the heart of that first contact moment. In the last year alone, they took over 3,300 calls, each one a person reaching out for help, whether they needed advice, counselling, a referral, or just someone to talk to.

Of those, 819 were referred into further Manchester Mind services.

One such call came from Janiyah, a young student newly arrived in the UK, isolated and overwhelmed. After an hour of active listening and support, she was referred into both counselling and the charity’s Listening Ear service.

Later, she joined a peer support group: something she continues to attend today. That single call connected her to three separate lifelines.

Listening Ear, once on hiatus due to capacity limits, was relaunched in 2023. It now offers short-term emotional support to those waiting for counselling, or, in some cases, those who’ve finished therapy but still need connection.

Last year, 37 people received over 7,500 minutes of one-to-one support through this service.

One recipient, Gina, found her Listening Ear volunteer more helpful than counselling. Through video calls, practical advice, and referrals to benefits support, she was able to navigate tenancy fears and an impending inheritance with far less anxiety.

The service, says Manchester Mind, is a critical bridge: “emotional and practical support combined.”

“Listening is hard, but it’s where you start”

CEO Elizabeth Simpson is under no illusions about the scale of demand, or the level of skill required to meet it. “Listening, and really listening, is hard,” she said. “But actually, it is one of the most important places to start. Often people tell us that that just doesn’t happen. To feel and be validated is powerful.”

According to Elizabeth, it’s about how those services are delivered. “We try to offer support that is safe, creates trust, empowerment, choice and is culturally appropriate. What that really means is people feel valued and welcomed.”

The power of connection

At the centre of Manchester Mind’s work is something that often can’t be measured but is deeply felt, human connection.

This comes in several different strains, through volunteering, peer support, or simply being part of something bigger, this sense of belonging has transformed lives across the city.

Dionne, a long-standing team member, reflects on how her own role has evolved from feeling detached during lockdowns to being a key part of Manchester Mind’s volunteer programme.

Her valuable input at the Zion Centre allotment and the “Food For All” team has helped create safe, welcoming spaces where people come not just for support, but for growth, skill-building, and community.

“The key word that I am focusing on, which illustrates this past year for me is Connection,” she said.

Through supporting others, she has found herself more deeply connected to her colleagues, volunteers, and the community they serve.

Her leadership at the Zion Centre allotment and the “Food For All” team has helped create safe, welcoming spaces where people come not just for support, but for growth, skill-building, and community.

One of those people is Aaron, who joined the allotment volunteering team in early 2023 during a difficult period of recovery from a serious mental health breakdown.

“Ah, I was back in the world again,” he said, describing how weekly gardening sessions helped rebuild his confidence and reignite his sense of purpose.

That first step into volunteering became a catalyst for wider change. He’s now thriving in a new career, playing football again, and even preparing to climb Kilimanjaro.

“I started to care about me again,” he said, crediting Manchester Mind for offering not just support, but a chance to turn his life around for the better.

The Mums Matter programme

A similar transformation can be seen in the story of Lisa, who delivers the Mums Matter programme.

Designed to support new and expecting mothers, the course blends mindfulness with peer connection. Lisa highlights how the strength of the programme lies in the space it creates: “The tools they will get are good, but what’s really magic is the connections they will make with other mums.” From Whalley Range to Longsight, her sessions have helped mothers find their village, spaces where they are heard and supported. Best of all they know they are never alone.

Each story—whether Dionne’s, Aaron’s, or Lisa’s—shows that meaningful human connection can be the spark that turns things around.

When people are supported to contribute, share, and grow, the impact is powerful and long-lasting, for all of the community.

What is a ‘whole-person’ approach?

The story of Manchester Mind is a masterclass in what a whole-person approach really means.

The issues people faced in 1989, poverty, housing, social exclusion, are still pressing in 2025. The organisation continues to adapt, growing organically based on community need rather than ticking boxes or chasing trends.

Last year, the charity supported:

• 1,933 people with welfare advice

• 284 adults through counselling

• 940 people through community training

• 70 people through peer support groups

• 566 young people in counselling

These numbers represent real lives. One peer support participant wrote, “Peer support for me is a lifeline… I wouldn’t know what to do without the people involved”.

“Everything is connected,” says Elizabeth “Income, debt, housing, peer support, physical activity—plus a place to arrive and be heard. It’s all important.”

She added: “the most important bit is recognising the power of listening and hearing what people say.”

Improving physical health, too

Manchester Mind’s community services reach across the city, including weekly wellbeing courses, resilience workshops, and Mindfulness and Relaxation for Menopause sessions, attended by over 300 women this year. Not only this, 100% of Mums Matter course attendees reported improved wellbeing.

Many of the incredible volunteers you’ll find at Manchester Mind today, were initially service users.

Many now give back by helping others, turning their own healing into ripples of community support.

Nowhere is the need more urgent than among children and young people. Manchester Mind has seen a 42% rise in referrals to its youth services in the last year, with 566 young people receiving counselling and hundreds more reached through school partnerships.

One young person, Aisha, shared her journey after being referred due to trauma and family breakdown.

Through 15 sessions of one-to-one support, she moved from severe psychological distress to a place of greater self-compassion, empowerment and clarity.

“They’ve done this, they’ve said this to me, but they don’t define me,” she told her practitioner. “I am who defines myself.”

The decline of good mental health in young people

Nowhere is the demand more urgent than among children and young people. Manchester Mind has seen a 42% rise in referrals to its youth services in the last year.

“Young people tell us they want a young person’s approach, not a statutory one,” Elizabeth explained. “They want to be listened to and heard in safe spaces… but also to have more creative ways of expressing themselves.”

Funding has become a challenge. “Our counselling funding ended last year and now we are unable to offer counselling to anyone 18 and under,” she says. “We know early intervention is key, and we want every young person to have access to mental health support without long waiting lists.”

Many of the charity’s volunteers were once service users. Elizabeth believes this says a lot about the culture Manchester Mind has cultivated.

“I hope what it says is that we provide a welcome and a sense of belonging. More than that, we equip people with training, skills and experience. We have people working with us who’ve experienced the other side of the table. That’s powerful.”

Over 50% of trustees have lived experience of mental health issues. “Involving people is also a process,” she added. “And we are continually trying to improve how we do this.”

How to get better mental health at work?

It’s not just community members who benefit. Over 2,000 people received mental health training through Manchester Mind’s workplace programme last year. These sessions educate teams, build resilience, and also generate income for the charity.

“Probably one of the best courses I’ve been on,” said one attendee. “I began to understand how many people struggle with anxiety, including me.”

With 91% of participants rating the training as “excellent” or “very good,” the impact of this outreach is huge.

Fundraising for Manchester Mind

From corporate supporters to cake-bakers and charity cyclists, more than 324 organisations, 200 individuals, and 125 volunteers raised a total of £366,481 for Manchester Mind last year.

Among them were Mark and Steve, who cycled the length of the UK in memory of a friend lost to suicide. Their efforts raised over £10,000 and highlighted the deeply personal motivations behind many fundraisers.

Twelve staff members also took to the skies, literally, completing a 15,000-foot skydive in Lancaster to raise over £5,500 – an incredible display of solidarity and courage to support those navigating mental health problems.

Manchester Mind also plays a vital role in improving the physical health of people with severe mental illness, a group often marginalised by mainstream healthcare systems.

Last year, their dedicated team helped facilitate 900 additional NHS health checks, contributing to Greater Manchester’s achievement of a 60% attendance rate for the first time.

These checks are life changing, enabling early intervention for heart disease, diabetes, substance use and more. Manchester Mind’s ability to listen, build trust and reach people where they are is what makes this success possible.

“Without it I wouldn’t have been able to do what I’ve done,” said one participant who regained independence through tailored support.”

The next chapter of Manchester Mind

As Manchester Mind celebrates 35 years, the needs they were formed to meet, poverty, housing, stigma, and isolation, remain. But the organisation is moving forward with optimism.

But they ultimately need your help.

Elizabeth shares that the charity will soon relocate to a new city-centre building: “It’s an exciting moment in our story,” she said. “It gives us more space, and it allows us to deliver on our strategy.

“It is much bigger and it needs work doing to it, so we have to be able to meet the additional costs.

“This move is necessary though as it will enable us to deliver on our strategy and we have a strong vision for our future.

“So we need funding to help us through this set up and transition phase, it would make a huge difference for us and allow us to support more people who are facing mental health problems.

“If you have any money to spare – that would go a long way to helping us set up this new city hub and help us to continue for another 35 years and more.”

If you’d like to donate to this amazing cause, you can do so by clicking here

As the organisation reflects on three decades of impact, it does so not with complacency, but with a fierce commitment to evolving with its community, being there for whoever needs them, whenever they’re ready to ask.

Manchester Mind are looking to work with local business to help put mental health at the heart of their organisation. If your company or one you know may be interested, please click here to find out more info.