Mind Excellence Awards 2025
19/12/2025
We’re incredibly proud to share that Manchester Mind has won a Mind Excellence Award for Effective Services and Leadership.
This recognition means so much to us – not because of the trophy, but because it reflects the compassion, commitment, and trust that our community places in our work. Every day, our team shows up to support people across Manchester with empathy, dignity, and hope. This award is a testament to them, and to everyone who believes in the power of local mental health support.
At the heart of Manchester Mind’s strategy is a simple but powerful aim: to make it easier to ask for help. We recognise that people do not want to be “passed around” when seeking support. Instead, they want to feel heard, safe, and that they belong. That understanding has shaped a model designed to remove the barriers so many people face when trying to access services.
Our Welcome Team is now the first point of contact for anyone reaching out for support. They offer a warm listening ear and the time to explore what someone might need, guiding people to the right help from the very start. The Welcome Team phoneline is open five days a week, and senior leaders – including our CEO – are part of the rota, ensuring leadership stays closely connected to the realities people face.
We also offer in-person support sessions, delivered by staff and trained volunteers, providing space to build trust and explore needs and goals. Recognising that meaningful support takes time, these sessions are available for up to three weeks. Alongside this, an advice worker is available to support with practical issues such as benefits, debt, and housing.
Through this holistic and compassionate approach, Manchester Mind has created a more human way to support those who reach out – offering emotional support alongside access to services and clear signposting. By making our welcome process more flexible, empathetic, and trauma-informed, we’ve made our services more accessible, connected, and responsive to the people who need them.
