Prince and Princess of Wales to boost mental health support

The Prince and Princess of Wales have announced a new collaboration with a local mental health charity, Norfolk and Waveney Mind.

Norfolk and Waveney Mind aims to support the rural and farming communities of Northwest Norfolk. The pilot program is being co-funded by the Prince and Princess and Wales as evidence suggests there is a strong need for further mental health support in those communities.

The pilot program will last two years and will have the potential to reach the 1,500 people in the community in Northwest Norfolk; this includes the Sandringham Estate. It will officially launch in 2025.

Sonja Chilvers, Interim CEO, Norfolk and Waveney Mind said, “We are all too aware of the specific mental health challenges faced by people in rural settings,
particularly those in the farming community. We’re delighted to be working with The Prince and Princess of Wales, who know our Northwest Norfolk communities well, and we are keen to see the difference that this pilot will make to local people’s mental health. Our innovative new partnership will drive proactive outreach and preventative measures to the whole community and form a vital step in better protecting the well-being of local people. If successful, it could be used as an example and replicated in other rural estates and communities across the UK. Delivering these new services is part of an exciting series of developments for our charity in Northwest Norfolk, as we also prepare to launch our new-look Talking Therapies service from our REST Heacham site, opening up free counselling for people experiencing anxiety and depression.”