Our history
Lifecraft was founded by a small group of mental health users who identified gaps in community care particularly access to information and support. Lifecraft’s main aim was to promote self-help for mental health.
By the community, for the community
Lifecraft was founded by a small group of mental health users who identified gaps in community care particularly access to information and support. Lifecraft’s main aim was to promote self-help for mental health.
Bev Sedley, co-founder of Lifecraft, explains how it all started…
“In January 1993 four of us who had mental health problems felt there was a need for a place for people to come together to support each other in any way we could. For several weeks we met in my basement room, the group got a bit bigger and we managed to get £400 from Cambridge City Council to rent the hall at The Bath House on the corner of Mill Road and Gwydir Street and put up some posters. The first day no one came, except a social worker who put her head around the door to see what we were about, but pretty soon word spread and we had 20 or 30 people just dropping in to have a cup of tea, chat, share music and do a bit of play reading. It was really supportive – I loved it because I didn’t need to pretend I was always OK, I felt at home with everyone, it was like a new kind of family. It just grew from there, really.”
1995
We officially became a registered charity and relocated our drop-in sessions to the welcoming space of the Mill Road Library.
1996
We launched our first Mental Health Handbook and started offering counselling one afternoon a week. Our groups moved back to The Bath House, and we opened a weekly drop-in session in Soham. We employed our first members of staff and won a Voluntary Sector Award from the Department of Health.
1997
We started our Hearing Voices group, meeting monthly, and relocated our Soham drop-in sessions to Ely.
1998
We introduced membership for anyone wanting to attend our drop-ins and expanded our counselling services.
1999
We launched our first website, opened our helpline Lifeline to provide support every night from 7pm to 11pm for people in Cambridge, and started holding member meetings on a monthly basis.
2003
Lifeline became a freephone number and expanded to offer support across the entire county.
2007
The Big 1 in 4 Bus project was launched to raise awareness of mental health and reduce stigma in our communities.
2008
We dabbled with podcasts and a radio programme.
2012
Our two-year Shame No More campaign, focused on addressing self-stigma, began. We also started a Floristry Social Enterprise and launched our Time to Change roadshow.
2015-2016
We started supporting people into work and volunteering opportunities. And in 2016, our Member Employment Scheme began.
2017-2018
In 2017, we launched our Suicide Bereavement Service. And in 2018, the SUN Network inspection rated our services with four stars – excellent, the highest award.
2019-2020
In 2019, we opened a hub in Newmarket, which operated until funding ran out. In 2020, our counselling service received accreditation from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.
2021
We were awarded a Cambridge Mayor’s Award for our services during the pandemic. As the country re-opened, we gathered for picnics before returning to The Bath House. We also provided a dedicated helpline for health and care workers and launched our Sanctuary Aftercare and Missing From Home services
2022
We began supporting people who are discharged after being section 136 of the Mental Health Act. We opened Lifecraft in Ely and our amazing Crisis and Support Helplines Manager won Helpline Employee of the Year 2022 at the National Helpline Awards. We also launched a five-year strategy.
2023-2024
We voted to change our charity structure and are now operating as a Charitable Incorporated Association (CIO) with a new charity number. And in 2024, we began hosting weekly sessions at Fulbourn Hospital..
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