Welcome to episode 229 with Glyn Butcher, who is a member of the People Focused Group in Doncaster and an Ambassador for the Citizen Network.

Growing up Glyn experienced racism, abuse, poverty and discrimination on a daily basis. When he was 11 his Mum was sectioned under the mental health act and not long after that he left to school to care for her at home.

He spent his youth bouncing in and out of care homes and his adulthood bouncing around the mental health system and spent 39 years as part of one institution or another and struggling with suicide, self-harm and addiction.

Things started to change for Glyn when he was introduced to the People Focused Group, an organisation that embraces a new way to deliver support in the community, based on people power and since experiencing true peer support, Glynn hasn’t looked back.

In this episode Glyn guides me through the challenges and trauma of his early life and how he ended up trapped in the mental health system.

We chat about his path to the People Focus Group, what happened when he got there and the incredible work that he does now.

We chat about hearing voices, the power of community, taking back control, meeting people where they are at and why Glyn has come to see his experiences with mental illness as a gift.

And we talk about the work that PFG are doing in and around Doncaster and how they are harnessing the power of the local community to do things differently to not just change lives, but to empower people to save themselves.

Glyn is an incredible human being! It was a privilege and a joy to chat to him and it’s impossible to spend time in his company and not feel inspired and hopeful.

If, like me, you’re a bit cynical of World Mental Health Day and you want to cut through the noise and the performance of it all, then this is a conversation that you need to hear.

Follow Glyn on Twitter @glynbutcher

Learn more about the incredible things happening at PFG here: https://peoplefocused.org.uk

You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.

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If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!