Meet our 2019 Award Winners
12/11/2019
On Saturday 9 November, Rethink Mental Illness announced our 2019 award winners at our National Member's Day in London. Our annual Pringle and Janey awards recognise people and groups who have made a real difference to people severely affected by mental illness during the previous year and is just one of the highlights of our yearly member's event.
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Member of the Year: Shaun Vos
The Pringle award for member of the year recognises a member who has made an outstanding contribution to Rethink Mental Illness. Shaun is a “tireless and inspirational” member and has coordinated the Support Together Southend group since December 2017. He campaigns to change attitudes towards mental illness, is an active fundraiser and also sits on our Lived Experience Advisory Board, and volunteers with the fundraising team.
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Group of the year: Chester Support.
Our network of over 140 groups support people living with mental illness and their loved ones. This award recognises the dedication and work that goes into running these groups. Launched in 2013 by two volunteers, the group now includes five different peer-support groups and have influenced key service developments in Chester.
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Service of the Year: Warwickshire Employment Service
The service provides support for people with severe mental illness moving into employment and education, also for people in employment whose employment may be struggling because of their mental health. During the past 18 months they have supported just under 100 people into employment and education and helped transform theirs and their family’s lives.
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The Bill Pringle Award for art: Lauren Foster
Bill Pringle was a talented artist who lived with schizophrenia. These awards recognise the incredible creativity of our community. All art and poetry entries this year were asked to reflect the theme of empowerment. Lauren won for her artwork Learning to love yourself. The artwork is about how empowering it is to accept yourself as an imperfect person, physically and mentally.
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The Bill Pringle Award for poetry: Sophie Pickup
Bill Pringle was a talented artist who lived with schizophrenia. These awards recognise the incredible creativity of our community. All art and poetry entries this year were asked to reflect the theme of empowerment. Sophie won for her poem Power which is about her own experience with severe obsessive disorder and intrusive thoughts and anxiety. The poem is a reflection of her encounter with mental illness and how she has taken control of her illness and can manage it effectively.
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Janey Antoniou Award Winner: Sue Wheatcroft
Sue is a campaigner and group coordinator who lives with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). She has made a huge difference on both a local and national level.
Read more about the BPD group Read more about the BPD group -
Janey Antoniou Award Finalist: Hope Virgo
After her own experiences of anorexia Hope has used her experiences to campaign to improve support for people with eating disorders.
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Janey Antoniou Award Finalist: Georgi Lopez
Georgi has been determinedly campaigning to get the Mental Health Act changed, drawing on her own experience of her time in hospital.
