Counselling in the Community
1951. Stuart Hutton-Brown
Stuart Hutton-Brown, from Blackpool, founded ‘Counselling in the Community’, a donation-based service making counselling more accessible to adults, children and young people in the city.
Approximately one in six adults in Blackpool suffer from depression, but through Stuart’s service, over 130 people are now able to receive counselling every week, paying a small donation – dependent on personal circumstances – to keep the initiative running. Since 2017, the social enterprise has worked with more 930 adults and provided more than 6,000 hours of counselling in 2021, with appointments often available on a three-week waiting list. With his current hub currently at capacity, Stuart is fundraising to establish a second centre in Blackpool, which would also serve as a wider community hub.
Stuart said:
“It is an absolute honour to be nominated for this award. I am so privileged to work with 40 amazing volunteers at Counselling in the Community. We see on average 130 people a week, offering over 6000 counselling hours last year alone. Covid has added a whole new level to Mental Health, I am just so relieved our service is able to help so many people.”