On 16 July 2025, members of the UOK team had the pleasure of attending the Sussex VCSE Mental Health Network’s Summer Gathering, hosted at the beautiful Towner Gallery in Eastbourne. With a spotlight on Loneliness and Creative health, the event had live performances, chance to network, an amazing speaker panel and an added NHMT interactive session.
The event began on a high note, quite literally, with a lively and energising choir performance from Printers Playhouse, setting the tone for a day filled with honest, reflective and uplifting conversations.
Bringing together over 100 attendees from across the region, the event celebrated the diverse ways individuals, organisations and artists across Sussex are addressing loneliness through creative, community-rooted approaches to mental health and wellbeing.
Throughout the day, attendees heard from a number of inspiring speakers, including Frederick Smith from Just Friends, who shared a moving reflection on how 9% of the UK population lives alone, and the world is rarely designed with them in mind. Poets from Compass Arts Collective offered powerful readings exploring personal experiences of loneliness and connection.
A highlight of the day was the panel discussion, which centred around two key themes:
💡 The impact of loneliness on mental health
🎨🎵📸 The role of creative health in supporting mental wellbeing
Speakers shared their lived experience and learning from the sector, touching on topics such as how creative practices can enable expression, how safety and belonging are hard to quantify, and why communities need sustainable, long-term support rather than short-term interventions.
Fenya Sharkey reminded us that “art is medicine, and everyone is an artist.”
Esther Watts from the HERA Project reflected on how creative activity provides a “third thing” for people who find verbal expression difficult.
Soundcastle’s Hannah Dunster posed a powerful question that echoed across the room: “What is the prize for self-expression? How can we measure how safe someone feels?”
There was also honest discussion about the realities many grassroots organisations face – including the limitations of short-term funding and the heavy burden of grant writing. Speakers called for more investment in core teams, deeper trust in communities, and lasting spaces that offer connection and care.
The second half of the day featured a presentation from Amanda Walderman and Andrea Potter on the development of Neighbourhood Mental Health Teams (NMHT) across Sussex. They outlined how this model brings together core teams, aligned services, and a wider network of partners to offer more holistic, joined-up support for people with mental health needs.
Instead of simply referring individuals into services, NMHTs aim to enable collaboration through shared assessments, joint working, and better communication across the system – helping each person access the right support in the right way, at the right time.
UOK Brighton & Hove and Southdown would like to thank event organisers Sarah Dean and Andrea Potter for curating such a warm, reflective and impactful day. It was a privilege to be in the room with so many people committed to making Sussex a more connected and compassionate place to live.
