A Leicester mental health organisation has received £500,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund to continue supporting Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups in one of the most financially deprived areas of the city. 

Based in Highfields, The Adhar Project was established in 1989, with the goal of providing community support services to people who are suffering from mental health difficulties. It aims to support Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups, although not exclusively.

The £500,000 funding, provided by the National Lottery Community Fund, will be used to expand their mental health recovery service, which provides preventative and early intervention support through therapy, recovery and wellbeing workshops, and an advocacy and benefits service. This tailored and varied support  empowers people to manage their mental health challenges, helping them to lead healthier lives.

This year, the project has provided financial support to over 150 people through their advocacy service and has run culturally sensitive recovery and counselling workshops for over 100 people.  

The project will expand its mental health support in deprived communities across Leicester, including elderly people, BAME communities in rural areas and men at risk of suicide, ensuring help is available to everyone who needs it.

Harjit Sandhu, Chief Executive Officer at The Adhar Project, said: “The funding we have received from The National Lottery Community Fund has been crucial and allowed us to run 1-2-1 therapy sessions. Thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to reach more people who need help and have a positive impact on their wellbeing. We are dedicated to helping our service users with their physical, mental and creative wellbeing, which benefits their day-to-day lives and the people around them.

“We receive a lot of positive feedback for our advocacy service, as the benefits system can be quite difficult to navigate, especially for those who might not have English as a first language. We hope to continue this into the future as it is a service that allows our users to really improve their standard of living.”

A person who has benefitted from the service said: “I was in a really difficult situation before I spoke to someone at The Adhar Project. I didn’t realise that this is a service you could access in the community. The Adhar Project helped me apply for the right benefits in my situation and this has helped me stay afloat and have a better life. I don’t know what I would do without the service.”

Visit https://www.adharproject.org/about-us to find out more.