About us

 

Who We Are

Chasing the Stigma is a national mental health charity on a mission to normalise and humanise conversations about mental health, whilst ensuring that everyone in the UK can access clear pathways to support, whenever and wherever they need it.

With lived experience at our core, we are driven to create a society where there is no longer a stigma associated with mental health, where people are as comfortable talking about their mental health as their physical health, and where everyone is able to find appropriate support before they reach a point of crisis, leading to a significant long-term reduction in self-harm and suicide.

We strive to achieve this through the provision of pioneering training services, awareness-raising campaigns and lobbying activities whilst also operating the UK’s largest and most comprehensive directory of community mental health services, the Hub of Hope.

 

Our Founder & CEO

Jake Mills is an award-winning stand-up comedian, mental health campaigner and the founder and CEO of Chasing the Stigma.

He established the charity following his own battle with depression and suicide attempt in 2013. From a place of despair and personal turmoil, Jake created the Hub of Hope, a ground-breaking mental health database that has since become the UK’s biggest and most comprehensive mental health signposting tool, revolutionising mental health pathways in the UK.

Described as the ‘Dalai Lama of Mental Health’, by Davina McCall in 2017, after going public about his mental health struggles and recovery, Jake has continued to advocate for those with lived experience of mental health issues, while also highlighting the importance of acknowledging that we all have mental health to look after. 

Jake has driven the organisation forward to become one of the fastest rising and well-respected mental health charities in the UK, with the Hub of Hope being recognised at the BIMA, Third Sector Care and Charity Times awards – all within Jake’s first year in post.

In 2018, Jake developed the Ambassador of Hope mental health training programme, a fully accredited and accessible training programme, making it easier for organisations to equip all members of staff with the knowledge to talk about mental health confidently within the workplace. The training has since been rolled out to thousands of participants across a variety of  sectors, working with organisations such as the Premier League and Government offices.

Jake is supported in his work by the Chasing the Stigma team and the charity’s Board of Trustees.