The Kings Fund Award success for two Wirral charities

Now in its 27th year, the awards are described as 'a mark of excellence in the charity sector, designed to recognise the outstanding work of small and medium-sized charities working to improve people’s health and wellbeing in the UK'. 

As award winners, the Open Door Charity and Wirral Multicultural Organisation will each receive £40,000 in unrestricted funding as well as expert support and leadership development provided by leading health and care charity The King’s Fund.  

Representatives from Wirral Multicultural Organisation with their GSK IMPACT Award (Image: The King's Fund)

Established in 2011, Open Door Charity offers mental health support to young people aged 17–35 across the Wirral and Merseyside. It uses art, music and its environment as a catalyst for change, providing a range of services in a colourful and informal space. Young people can access these services for free and without a referral from a GP or other professional, and with no or minimal wait times.

Open Door Charity’s main programme is ‘Bazaar’, where a volunteer peer mentor, often someone of a similar age to the member and likely to have experienced mental health challenges, or had someone close to them experience them, is matched with someone struggling with anxiety or low mood. They meet up in person once a week for eight weeks. The programme blends aspects of cognitive behavioural therapy with mindfulness and positive psychology. 

Established in 1993, the Wirral Multicultural Organisation offers a range of professional and culturally sensitive services to improve the overall health and wellbeing of people from ethnic minority backgrounds. It provides language support, advocacy and social activities, and helps people to access primary and community health care services. The charity also runs a nursery for local children which offers some free childcare places to its service users.

Its health and wellbeing service includes support for asylum seekers based in two hotels in the area, giving access local health care and receive health checks.

Commenting on the award win, Lee Pennington, Open Door charity director, said: "To receive this recognition represents a very important milestone in the Open Door Charity story. We have been on a significant growth trajectory since creating the Bloom Building in early 2019, which has culminated in us reaching a transformational crossroads in our development.

"We are on the edge of a very exciting future and to be recognised in this way, on a national level, is something which the team and I are very proud of.

"The award will go a long way in helping to foster the trust and public awareness that will be vital to us achieving our aims over the next few years.”

Aline Macready, chief executive of Wirral Multicultural Organisation, said: "Our ability to innovate and improve our services comes not only from within our organisation but also from the willingness and ready support of our partners and funders whose collaboration we greatly value.

"Our staff, trustees and volunteers also deserve recognition for their dedication and commitment to providing seamless support to our service users.

“This award will allow us to take forward our initiatives and to develop the organisation in ways which support further innovation and creative approaches to emerging issues in a rapidly changing world.

"But, for us, the award’s greatest value lies in the recognition of the support we provide to our community."

Lisa Weaks, senior associate at The King’s Fund, said: "Open Door Charity is a pioneering organisation using arts and music to engage young people and reduce the stigma of mental health.

"Its ability to see young people quickly and effectively by self-referral is excellent.

"The charity’s ethos of blending open access mental health support with creative activities is impressive, along with its ability to influence wider sector collaboration and the development of new services. It is a lynchpin in the local community."

Lisa continued: "Wirral Multicultural Organisation offers a wide range of services and provides creative responses to the high levels of need in its community. It has placed itself as the ‘go to’ charity for people from an ethnic minority background within Wirral.”