Charlton Athletic Community Trust (CACT) are marking World Mental Health Day on Saturday by welcoming staff, clients and families involved in its mental health programmes to The Valley for the Addicks’ clash with Bristol City.
Staff and their families from acute mental health wards across Greenwich, Bexley and Bromley are among those joining us, alongside staff and clients from Kent’s Early Intervention in Psychosis teams.
Those attending represent a small number of the people who play a crucial role in the wide-ranging mental health provision CACT provide across south-east London and Kent, with the Trust delivering a variety of programmes alongside several partners including Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust, Porchlight and Shaw Trust.
Earlier this year, CACT and Oxleas renewed their partnership, extending a collaboration which supports people experiencing mental health challenges through physical activity, social connection and opportunities to engage in their communities.
Described by Debbie Cook, EFL Director of Community, as “transforming lives and improving the mental health of people across local communities,” the partnership sees the delivery of programmes such as the Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) programme, which has been ongoing for 16 years. The programme provides regular activity days for people aged 16 to 60 who are supported by EIP services in Kent and south-east London. Sessions combine sport, leisure, arts, culture and social activities, helping participants build confidence, improve physical and mental wellbeing, develop social connections and take positive steps towards education, employment or training.
For people further along their recovery journey, CACT deliver a five-day Next Steps residential in Cornwall through the EIP programme. Participants take part in activities including coasteering, paddleboarding, coastal walks and visits to the Eden Project, with the experience designed to build confidence, resilience and independence.
CACT also deliver Up and At ’Em, now in its 10th year with Oxleas, supporting older people experiencing mental health challenges. Across three south London boroughs, participants take part in activities including theatre trips, gardening, adapted sport, museum visits, river boat tours, music sessions and healthy walks. The programme aims to tackle loneliness and isolation while helping people build confidence and reconnect with their communities. Recent data from 90 participants engaged during 2024/25 highlighted the impact of these programmes, with 72% of participants reporting improved mental health and reduced stress, while 66% felt more able to connect and communicate with others.
The Trust’s mental health provision also extends into hospital and forensic settings, with new projects being developed through the renewed partnership with Oxleas. These include alternative referral pathways focused on social connection, guidance and physical activity, expanded social prescribing support through the Greenwich Mental Health Hub and a new CAMHS project inspired by the EIP model.
CACT also deliver open-referral wellbeing projects designed to help people who may be feeling low, socially isolated or looking to meet new people. The Kent Wellbeing Project offers a programme of activities and opportunities to connect with others in the community, with sessions available to people across Kent and south-east London. The latest timetable is included on this page, with further information on how to get involved.
Click here to read more about CACT's mental health programmes.
For more information about participating in CACT’s mental health programmes, please email Terry Peart, CACT’s Disability & Mental Health Manager, at terry.peart@cact.org.uk.
