20th July 2018: The High Sheriff of Northamptonshire heard inspiring stories from adults who have overcome mental health issues when he visited Teamwork Trust.

The High Sheriff, James Saunders Watson has chosen Teamwork Trust – a Northamptonshire-based, award-winning organisation which supports adults with mental health needs, learning and physical disabilities – as his Charity of the Year.

Mr Saunders Watson met with volunteers, staff and members who have benefitted from the charity’s mental health services during his visit to Teamwork’s three centres in Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough on Friday 20th July.

He said: “Being able to meet the members, staff and volunteers at Teamwork Trust has been absolutely wonderful. The outstanding, often unsung support they provide to people with mental health issues in Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough is truly inspiring and being able to speak to people who have benefited from the charity’s services has been very moving.

“I chose Teamwork Trust as my charity of the year because I am deeply concerned about the significant incidence of mental illness among those caught up in the justice system – that is why I am so passionate about the prevention of mental health related illnesses and supporting people at an early stage before issues develop into something unmanageable. It was also very important to me that I chose a local organisation in the north of the county as that’s where I am based.

“The amount of people who lose their self-esteem through mental health issues is vast but today I have seen first-hand how Teamwork Trust help people believe in themselves again. This visit has strengthened my commitment to helping the charity boost their profile and I am very excited about working with the fantastic team.”

Graham Marshall, operations director, Teamwork Trust said: “We are delighted that the High Sheriff was able to visit and that he has chosen us as his charity of the year – our members have thoroughly enjoyed showing him around. Today was about showing him exactly what we do, enabling him to get a real feel for the services we provide to the community and our members, and allowing our members to tell him their stories so that they have an input into the future of our charity. The county’s limited provision of mental health support means that more people are turning to us so we are always looking for new solutions to ensure we maintain an excellent service. With the High Sheriff’s help we hope to explore even more opportunities so that Teamwork Trust can continue to grow.”