The Lisieux Trust is delighted that Mark has been recognised at a recent awards evening for his outstanding contribution to mental health advocacy and his role as a co-trainer on the Oliver McGowan Training Programme. Mark has also worked closely with the NHS, sharing his experiences and supporting others through his training and advocacy work.

The Learning Disabilities Service User and Carer Awards, from the Birmingham Community Healthcare Charity, Mark was nominated, along with the rest of the Service User Group, for the Divisional Contribution Award by Learning Disability Services, who said in their nomination: “We are deeply grateful and want to thank all members of the group for engaging and being involved, whilst also acknowledging individuals’ personal growth and the personalities they bring to the group.”

Reflecting on the event, Mark (proudly pictured with the award) said: “We all sat down and had our dinner and things, and then after we had our dinner, there were a couple of awards going on… and I won an award. It was good.”

His award was presented in recognition of his efforts to raise awareness around mental health and his dedication to training others. Mark explained: “It’s all for doing like mental health and things.”

The evening itself was a celebration, with good food, which Mark was keen to talk about: “I had different kinds of chili – one was vegetarian, one was ordinary chili with rice – and had garlic bread, salad, and pudding as well, like cake and some fruit. It was pretty tasty,” he said.

Looking back on his achievement, Mark added: “It was just very good – it’s a good achievement really.”

The Trust is incredibly proud of Mark’s commitment to championing mental health and making a real difference through his work.