Mental health awareness week is a time for more talking and thinking about mental health and what we can do to improve our wellbeing and the wellbeing of those around us. The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week for 2025 set by the Mental Health Foundation is “community”. This year we are celebrating the power of a safe, positive community to support good mental health and wellbeing.
The Black Country is known for having a strong community spirit, in Dudley there are lots of opportunities to connect with your local community whether its finding like-minded people, services offering support, opportunities to volunteer or community events.
Sgt Pepper’s in Kingswinford is a great example of the power of community. Roger Edwards set Sgt Pepper’s up after a local study of community services found that people just wanted company and a giggle to make them feel like they had their life back. They now welcome over 100 people from across the borough every Tuesday morning.
“If you go home feeling better than when you came that’s what we want to achieve” (Roger Edwards 2025)
If you want to unlock the power of community to improve your mental health and wellbeing this year, the Dudley CI Directory offers a one stop guide to explore activities information, services, support and events across the borough.
Communities can help us to talk about our mental health, link you to support and services when you need them, overcome addictions, motivate us to get out and keep active, learn something new and find the human connections we need to thrive.
We thrive when we have strong connections and a sense of belonging with other people and supportive communities that remind us, we are not alone.