Londoners to get £1.5m National Lottery boost for climate action and mental wellbeing.
Thanks to National Lottery players, a new London Mental Health and Climate Coalition has received £1,499,958 over three years from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest community funder in the UK, to support Londoners in tackling climate change while also improving their mental health.
Stanley Arts is excited to be involved in this project which will seek to help communities create local climate solutions, develop policies that combine mental health and climate action, and build infrastructure for ongoing efforts and lasting impact.
Funding will particularly support ways to bring new voices from different communities, especially those experiencing poverty, discrimination, and disadvantage, into conversations about climate change and mental health.
Addressing a dual crisis
Across the partnership, we will be engaging with London’s communities on daily challenges that negatively impact mental health, such as financial pressures and limited access to green spaces, and demonstrate practical solutions that can improve people’s wellbeing while benefiting the climate.
Activities will be varied, from community ambassador training and creative festivals to youth-led campaigns and the development of new digital tools.
Louisa Bartlett-Pestell, artistic director & CEO of Stanley Arts, said: “Community venues like ours are the hubs where connections are made. We’re thrilled to be a space where Londoners can come together through this programme, share experiences, and collaborate on creative activities that benefit both them and their neighbourhood.”
Mete Coban MBE, Deputy Mayor of London for Environment and Energy, said: “It is great news that London is to get a £1.5m National Lottery boost for climate action and mental wellbeing. Congratulations to Thrive LDN and partners who have secured this funding through an exciting coalition that will help London’s communities better understand how climate policy and issues are linked to social, economic and racial justice. I’m excited to support the initiatives that will happen through this partnership as we work across City Hall to deliver a fairer, greener London.”
Professor Kevin Fenton CBE, Regional Public Health Director for London, said: “Many Londoners are understandably concerned about the health of our planet and their own mental wellbeing. This exciting project offers a hopeful path forward, showing how positive climate action can bring immediate, tangible benefits to our public health.
“By focusing on communities most affected by health inequalities and the climate crisis, this project will ensure we are working together to help to create a fairer, more resilient city for everyone. I am delighted to support the work of this vital coalition to improve the health of both Londoners and our city.”
Who else is involved
The project will be delivered through a new partnership between Thrive LDN, Black Thrive Global, Clean Slate Training & Employment, Climate Outreach, Hammersmith, Fulham, Ealing and Hounslow Mind, LIVING PROOF, London Arts and Health, King’s College London and Stanley Arts.
We are looking forward to working together with communities citywide to create a collection of resources, guidance, tools, and best practices, co-created policy recommendations, and new frameworks to help other partnerships, organisations and groups replicate the approach.
The programme will build on the approach taken by Thrive LDN’s Climate and Mental Health Action Partnership, which includes a regional network of more than 200 people working to address the interconnected challenges of climate and mental health.
The grant comes from the Climate Action Fund, a £100 million, 10-year commitment from The National Lottery Community Fund.
Subscribe to Thrive LDN’s regular e-newsletter to keep up-to-date and to find out how you can be involved with this programme as it develops.
