16th May 2023

Let’s Chat 2023 campaign launch – don’t miss your chance to get involved!

Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust is supporting Derbyshire County Council's 'Let's Chat' campaign. After the successful launch of the Let's Chat campaign in 2022, around 700 bench signs were put out across Derbyshire to tackle social isolation and encourage conversations while providing mental health support information via QR codes. 

The signs went to local councils, organisations and businesses and were put on benches across Derbyshire. A map of where a selection of bench signs and indoor signs have been put can be found here.

Due to phenomenal feedback and growing requests for more signs over the winter period, an indoor campaign was designed which consisted of posters, window stickers and table signs to encourage conversations and support information and how to have conversations. Over 120 organisations participated, with 5000 resources sent out, and this number is growing. The feedback was excellent, and positive conversations were made, as well as other local authorities wanting to mirror the campaign and roll it out in their area.

Local photographer, Tony Fisher, went around taking images of the benches – including of people using the benches. These photos are part of a Derbyshire travelling exhibition.

This year the bench signs are being relaunched, with your help you can reduce stigma on mental health, help in creating conversations while also supporting people with information to get support. Organisations, charities and business can order for public-facing or employee-facing resources within Debry and Derbyshire. Please support in providing this information whether it is bench signs, the smaller mental health information signs for gates and fence posts as well as the indoor resources.

If you would like your 2022 or 2023 bench signs added to the map, please email letschat@derbyshire.gov.uk

Indoor resources are ready and available to order, and the outdoor ones are currently in production and will be sent out as soon as possible, feel free to share this with your contacts across Derby and Derbyshire.

If you have any questions, please email luke.oldham@derbyshire.gov.uk and don’t forget to follow on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date on mental health, suicide prevention and neurodiversity within Derby and Derbyshire.