Sharon Bowles marks World Mental Health Day

5.00.00pm GMT Mon 13th Oct 2008

Sharon Bowles MEP

Sharon Bowles MEP for the South East, marked World Mental Health Day by visiting Warneford Hospital as part of Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust's event to mark the occasion. She joined patients and staff in celebrating the work of the Trust.

Sharon met with patients and staff during a tour given by Chief Executive, Julie Waldron, including the Warneford Sculpture Walk which was launched earlier that day. Artists worked alongside service users to create a number of sculptures which are permanent fixtures in the hospital grounds for everyone to enjoy. The climax to the day was a lively football tournament in which Sharon witnessed the Aylesbury Academicals, a team made up of service users and staff, secure a convincing victory in the final.

Sharon said: "World Mental Health Day is an excellent opportunity to promote greater understanding of mental health and celebrate the hard-work of mental health professionals throughout Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. Mental Health Services must not be considered the 'Cinderella' of the services. With one in four people suffering with a mental illness at some point in their lives, we must ensure that current stigma is eliminated. "The Trust has done laudable work in promoting a positive message for mental health services across Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire; I hope that with greater support even more can be achieved in the future. I am privileged to have helped celebrate this valuable service."