Improving Lives is the local charity that supports adults with complex health and social needs in Nottingham, in particular people with mental health issues.  This has never been more needed than in the past year and the number of people supported has increased by 64%.

Improving Lives take referrals for people who are in secondary mental health services, meaning that they have a Community Psychiatric Nurse or Psychiatrist.  The aim is to offer practical and emotional support to enable people to manage the challenges they face more effectively.  Put simply they work together with people to enable them to believe that life can change for the better. They have a number of projects supporting people on a one-to-one basis and also providing social groups and phone befriending.

The individual support is tailored to the person’s needs whether that means accompanying them to a doctor’s appointment, making sure they have the benefits their entitled to, help them to manage their debts or make sure their housing is appropriate for their needs.  They can also help people to access counselling services and support people to access groups or activities in the community to reduce their social isolation.

Improving Lives is facing a challenging time financially and the money raised will be used to help them continue to support as many people as possible.