Mental Health Awareness Week 2026
This week (11 – 17 May) is Mental Health Awareness Week 2026. This year’s theme, ‘action’, focuses on taking action to support good mental health – for yourself, for someone else, for all of us.
To mark the week, we are sharing activities, advice, support and resources, alongside real-life examples and inspiration of how to take action for your mental health. Even small actions can make a big difference.
Reach out for support: Talking Therapies
Our Talking Therapies services offer evidenced-based psychological interventions to support people experiencing common mental health problems including anxiety, depression and stress. They are available to anyone over the age of 16 who lives in Bolton, Salford, Manchester, Trafford or Wigan.
Visit our Talking Therapies page to find out more, including how you can refer yourself
Tom's story
Since childhood, Tom struggled with a phobia that had an impact on his life. Now 37, Tom shares how he is managing this, with some (rather unconventional) support from Trafford Talking Therapies. Read Tom’s story
Drop-in support: Crisis Cafés and Listening Lounges
Community spaces across Greater Manchester known as ‘Crisis Cafés’ or ‘Listening Lounges’ offer a safe, comfortable, and confidential environment for anyone over the age of 18, who is feeling low, anxious, struggling with negative thoughts, or just wants to talk to someone during evenings or weekends.
The hubs are delivered by voluntary community and social enterprise (VCSE) partners supported by Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH) in Manchester, Salford and Trafford.
View a full list of mental health community spaces across Greater Manchester
Urgent mental health support
If you need urgent mental health support, for example if you feel mentally unsafe or severely distressed, you can quickly and easily access support by calling NHS 111 and selecting the mental health (option 2).
NHS 111 Mental Health is for people of all ages. It’s available 24/7, free of charge and you can call for yourself or someone else.
You can also access NHS 111 online by visiting 111.nhs.uk
NHS 111 also offers a British Sign Language (BSL) service, available 24/7. Text relay is also available – call 18001 111 using the Relay UK App or a text phone.
NHS 111 Mental Health is not an emergency service. In emergency situations where there’s an immediate risk to life, or you need urgent physical care, you should contact 999 or go to accident and emergency (A&E).
Small actions can make a big difference (five steps to mental wellbeing)
Five steps to mental wellbeing
Evidence suggests there are five steps you can take to improve your mental health and wellbeing. Trying these things could help you feel more positive and able to get the most out of life.
Read more about the five steps to mental wellbeing on the NHS website
1. Connect with other people
Good relationships are important for your mental wellbeing. They can:
- help you to build a sense of belonging and self-worth
- give you an opportunity to share positive experiences
- provide emotional support and allow you to support others
2. Be physically active
Being active is not only great for your physical health and fitness. Evidence also shows it can also improve your mental wellbeing by:
- raising your self-esteem
- helping you to set goals or challenges and achieve them
- causing chemical changes in your brain which can help to positively change your mood
3. Learn new skills
Research shows that learning new skills can also improve your mental wellbeing by:
- boosting self-confidence and raising self-esteem
- helping you to build a sense of purpose
- helping you to connect with others
Even if you feel like you do not have enough time, or you may not need to learn new things, there are lots of different ways to bring learning into your life.
Learn with our Recovery Academy!
Our Recovery Academy is recognised locally and nationally as a flagship Recovery College. It offers educational and awareness raising courses and resources, focusing on recovery, wellbeing, and shared learning, bringing together the expertise of people with learnt experience, and people with lived/living experience.
Visit the Recovery Academy’s website to view the full range of courses and resources they provide
4. Give to others
Research suggests that acts of giving and kindness can help improve your mental wellbeing by:
- creating positive feelings and a sense of reward
- giving you a feeling of purpose and self-worth
- helping you connect with other people
It could be small acts of kindness towards other people, or larger ones like volunteering in your local community. Find out more about volunteering at our Trust on our Volunteering page
5. Pay attention to the present moment (mindfulness)
Paying more attention to the present moment can improve your mental wellbeing. This includes your thoughts and feelings, your body and the world around you.
Some people call this awareness "mindfulness". Mindfulness can help you enjoy life more and understand yourself better. It can positively change the way you feel about life and how you approach challenges.
Get involved in research and innovation
Shape the future of mental health care by getting involved with Research and Innovation (R&I). You could make a difference to thousands of lives, see cutting-edge therapies and technologies first-hand and develop your own skills and understanding.
Visit our active studies finder to see what studies are currently underway.
GMMH events and activities
A number of events and activities are happening across our Trust and the boroughs we cover for Mental Health Awareness Week.
Recovery Academy service user and carer engagement roadshow
Our Recovery Academy is embarking on a service user and carer engagement roadshow for Mental Health Awareness Week 2026, alongside some of their students.
The roadshow aims to connect with local communities to promote the Academy’s offer and highlight how getting involved can help improve overall health and wellbeing.
View details of where the team will be below - do say hello if you see them out and about!
| Date | Time | Information and location |
| Monday 11 May 2026 | 10am to 12:30pm | Recovery Academy stand, Trust induction |
| 1pm to 3pm | Recovery Academy Stand, The Curve | |
| Tuesday 12 May 2026 | 10am to 12pm | Engagement and experience event, Moorside, Trafford |
| 12pm to 3pm | Work Well for GMMH, The Curve | |
| Wednesday 13 May 2026 | 10am to 12pm | The trauma informed recovery toolkit, Room 3, The Curve |
| 10am to 12pm | Recovery Academy stand, North View | |
| 1pm to 3pm | Engagement and experience event, One Central Park | |
| Thursday 14 May 2026 | 11:30am to 1:30pm | Recovery Academy stand, Waterdale |
| 10am to 12pm | Recovery Academy stand at Brightmet Library, Bolton | |
| 12:30pm to 3:30pm | Engagement and experience event, Salford Listening Lounge | |
| Friday 15 May 2026 | 10am to 4pm | Recovery Academy stand, Wigan Warriors |
Wellbeing groups at No. 93 Wellbeing Centre
No. 93 Wellbeing Centre in Harpurhey, North Manchester, is a community hub offering various free groups and activities to support mental health and wellbeing, including yoga classes, art sessions and many other wellbeing groups.
There are several groups and activities taking place during Mental Health Awareness Week, including:
- Drum therapy session (Tuesday 12 May 2026)
- Make your own hanging basket (Tuesday 12 May 2026)
- Pizza making workshop sessions (Wednesday 13 May 2026)
Visit our No. 93 page for full details of the groups and activities taking place
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Crisis Team – Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge
We would like to wish good luck to members of our CAMHS Crisis Team who will be taking on the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge on Saturday 16 May in honour of Mental Health Awareness Week 2026.
Wigan Neighbourhood Mental Health Team – Wellbeing focused events
To mark Mental Health Awareness Week 2026, our Wigan Neighbourhood Mental Health Team are hosting a series of wellbeing-focused events, including the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge, a sunset hike up Snowdon and a closing celebration at Crompton Street. Good luck to everyone taking part!
Resources and information
Helpful information
We have collated a hub of helpful information, support and resources on our website. This covers a wide variety of topics and needs, and includes:
- Health and wellbeing
- Self-help resources
- Suicide prevention
- Mental health wellbeing guides
Mental Health Foundation
The Mental Health Foundation is charity behind Mental Health Awareness Week, which officially began in 2001.
