The Kensington + Chelsea Foundation is honoured and delighted to be chosen by the RBKC Mayor Cllr Will Lane as his charity during his term of office starting in May 2024.

The K+C Foundation is an independent charity, set up in 2008. Our vision is of a borough where everyone has the opportunity to live happy, healthy, fulfilled lives. To achieve our vision, we use our extensive local knowledge and networks to support our charity partners and connect donors to the most vital issues in the community. Last year, the projects we supported reached 21,600 residents with support and services providing a lifeline to those in crisis. 

One of our priority programmes is Improving Mental Health.

In Kensington and Chelsea

• 1 in 12 local residents have a GP diagnosis of depression.
• 1 in 4 residents report feeling anxiety.
• 1 in 6 of our young people have a mental health condition.

Navigating statutory services when you have complex needs can be 'chaotic and impossible' and may lead to inaccurate referrals.

Our aim is to ensure that everyone can access tailored, targeted and person-centric support as they move forward in their lives. We want to get to a position where people like James never feel alone or abandoned and are supported in their recovery.

James was trying to cope with an unimaginable loss after his partner and both children were killed in an accident, and he began to slide into substance addiction. He was initially referred for bereavement counselling, but was rejected by the service which determined that he should first receive drug and alcohol counselling and referred him on. After being assessed  by the drug and alcohol service, it was determined that he should first receive bereavement counselling and so he was referred on again. This second bereavement counselling referral ended in rejection because he had a previous criminal conviction and therefore was not considered eligible for support. James ended up with nowhere to turn, facing his bereavement and addiction issues alone.

Thankfully, James went on to access support from one of the incredible local charities offering counsellng, social connections, and  therapeutic activities.

Our initiatives are significantly impacting and aiding residents in their recovery from mental health challenges.

Please donate today to help us reach more people like James, who might otherwise never get the help they so badly need.

Mayor Cllr Will Lane says

"I worry that when people hear about mental health these days they may switch off. It's too easy to become jaded to hearing about a problem that we often can't see and that takes so many forms. Unless you or someone close to you has been directly affected, it's difficult to understand how serious poor mental health can be.

So let's remember, at it's most serious, suffering from poor mental health can lead a person to take their own life. Someone close to me once told me that they had considered killing themselves. There was no worse feeling than hearing them say that.

That's why I'm supporting the K+C Foundation's work to provide support to our residents and a lifeline to those in crisis - nothing is more important."