Comic Relief, EastEnders and Brandon Centre….!!
We’re absolutely thrilled to have been part of the Comic Relief and EastEnders special 5-minute episode that aired during Comic Relief: Funny for Money on Friday night!
The episode powerfully captured the mental health struggles and situations that many of the young people we support face. You may have seen the character Andy speak about accessing therapy after becoming homeless in a hostel — a direct reference to the outreach therapy work we provide in two local Islington homeless hostels.
Even more special, our amazing therapist Aaron, who delivers this service, was interviewed by Davina McCall — highlighting not only the challenges young people experience but also the incredible impact of the work being done at Brandon Centre.
A huge thank you to Comic Relief and Eastenders for this amazing opportunity to showcase our work. We’re so proud to be part of something that’s bringing these important conversations into the spotlight.
If you missed it, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer!
Exclusive! Comic Relief, EastEnders and Brandon Centre… the one to watch!!
We are thrilled to be working alongside EastEnders and Comic Relief on an incredibly important mental health storyline, set to debut on Comic Relief: Funny for Money this Friday, 21st March.
At Brandon Centre, we’ve been honoured to consult on this storyline, ensuring it highlights youth mental health and homelessness in a sensitive, accurate, and authentic way. These are real issues that impact so many young people, and it’s fantastic to see them brought to light on such a big platform.
We are also incredibly grateful to Comic Relief, our amazing funder, for supporting our homeless outreach service, which provides dedicated therapy within local homeless hostels. Their support makes a huge difference in the lives of young people facing these challenges.
A huge thank you to EastEnders for tackling such vital topics with care and compassion. We can’t wait for everyone to watch and be part of this important conversation.
Pete’s Arctic Ultra Ice Challenge
On the week of February 18th, Pete embarked on the challenge of a lifetime-the grueling Ice Ultra Marathon in the Arctic Circle. Braving extreme conditions with daytime temperatures plunging as low as -40°C, he pushed through 230km over five intense stages across frozen lakes, vast snowfields, and untouched wilderness.
But Pete wasn’t just running for himself—he was running for Brandon Centre. Through his incredible effort, he has raised over £3,000 for Brandon Centre, supporting our vital mental health services for young people. His dedication, resilience, and commitment to making a difference inspire us all.
Last week, he set off for Sweden, carrying everything he needed to survive the race-food, clothing, and essential gear—on his back. This self-sufficient ultramarathon, organized by Beyond the Ultimate, is one of the toughest endurance events in the world, testing both physical and mental strength.
We are beyond grateful for Pete’s determination and generosity. His achievement is nothing short of extraordinary.
Read about Pete’s experience in his own words below!
The Ice Ultra was not merely a race; it was an unyielding examination of my spirit, pushing me to the edge of my mental and physical limits. It cast me into an unforgiving wilderness, an otherworldly landscape of ice and solitude that demanded answers to questions I never knew existed.
Every step was a testament to the uncharted depths of human resilience. The terrain was hostile, and remote, a single lapse in concentration could end my life. It was not just about finishing the race; it was about survival. One wrong move out there meant more than disqualification. “Look after your kit, look after yourself, and look after each other,” were not just words they were lifelines.
The challenge was relentless and surreal, a place where the environment and loneliness conspired against me. Climbing the frigid mountains with temperatures plummeting to a mind-numbing -37 degrees, followed by the desolate stretches across frozen lakes, where the finish line teased me from 20 kilometers away, always visible yet annoyingly distant.
Exhaustion seared through my body, my legs screaming in agony, my mind in turmoil, urging me to quit. But overriding the endless pain and fatigue was my determination my “why.” This burning “why” drove me forward, forcing my legs to keep moving despite their protests.
Night fell, and with ten kilometers still ahead, I knew the journey to rest was far from over. Trudging through the darkness, every slow, painful step brought me closer to the base camp. When I arrived, it was a scene of eerie stillness, other runners asleep or tending to their gear. However, my work was not done. My mind raced with the essential tasks of rehydrating, replenishing energy, and meticulously preparing my equipment for the next day an unforgiving cycle that granted me a mere three to four hours of sleep.
Each stage was a marathon in itself, often starting and ending in darkness. Ten grueling hours of relentless trekking, where loss of focus meant not just failure, but a step closer to peril. A delayed action, an overexertion, or a moment of hesitation could shatter all the efforts I had poured into this endeavor.
This was not just a race; it was a narrative of sheer survival and the undying resolve of the human spirit. I discovered that my body and mind are capable of far more than I ever imagined. The Ice Ultra asked unanswerable questions and continuously tested the very essence of my endurance.
Dr. Helen Montgomery Passing
Helen led the Centre’s renowned sexual health service with distinction for over 15 years from 2003. She was responsible for managing the service, including setting clinical standards, and delivering clinical sessions. She was a highly respected and valued colleague. When I appointed her, I was very concerned as to whether the service was meeting new and challenging expectations by the NHS for young people’s sexual health services. Helen transformed the service according to these expectations. The achievement of this transformation was rewarded in the outstanding assessments the service received following Care Quality Commission inspections.
She was a thoughtful and caring clinician who was empathetic and concerned about the emotional needs of her patients. The feedback of their experience of the Centre inevitably referenced the wonderful care and attention they received from Helen. Indeed, I often heard from our reception staff how young people would ask to see the ‘blond lady’. Quite a few Camden and Islington users of the sexual health service saw Helen over many years spanning their teenage years until they were young adults and, to their disappointment, had to be discharged because they had turned 21 and had therefore reached the age limit for the service.
Under Helen’s leadership, the demand for the sexual health service increased enormously in terms of the number of young people seen. The variety of services offered including for example outreach work in local schools and colleges also greatly expanded. In partnership with other NHS young people’s sexual health services and Brook, we successfully bid for tenders. The increase in demand put pressure on the service’s ethos which was to ensure that the young person had sufficient time to talk about emotional and personal issues that might be troubling them as well as having direct clinical needs addressed such as contraception and sexual health concerns. Helen ensured that patients’ psychosocial needs continued to be addressed by clinical and front-line staff. A striking example of her commitment to the emotional welfare of the users of the service occurred when a visit by a government minister was proposed by civil servants at Department of Health who considered the Centre a model for delivering sexual and mental health services for young people. In my excitement to promote the Centre, I agreed, without consulting Helen, that we would ask some young people to meet the minister with the press in attendance. Unlike me, Helen was alive to how confidentiality for these young people would be compromised and in no uncertain terms put me in my place: she was happy for them to meet the minister but not in the presence of the press. This typified Helen’s professionalism and her sensitivity to protecting young people’s need for confidentiality considering the vulnerabilities they might have around sexual health issues. Eventually Helen stepped down. She was by now commuting from Southend-on- Sea where she lived with her partner David and where she also worked in General Practice. Understandably, she decided that the commute to London and the responsibility for running the service had become too much for her.
Those of us who knew Helen were shocked and distraught to learn that she was suffering from a serious, life-threatening illness. She was always so vibrant and had a love of life and people. This optimism continued to be evident, for example when she attended the fundraising event hosted by Grace Campbell, despite her deteriorating condition. She is a great loss, and our heart goes out to David, her partner, and Helen’s family.
Geoffrey Baruch 31st January 2025
We’re excited to share Brandon Centre’s new 2024 brochure!
Take a look to see all our new services and the incredible impact we’ve made over the past year. We’re proud of the progress we’ve achieved in supporting young people’s mental health, as well as providing valuable support to parents through our parent groups.
A huge thank you to Design Portfolio for their continued generosity in donating their time and resources to help bring this brochure to life. We’re truly grateful for your support!
Have a look and learn more about the work we’re doing!
Winter 2023 – 2024 newsletter
To view the ‘Winter newsletter – 2023 – 2024
Psychotherapy Annual Report – 2022 / 2023
To view the ‘Psychotherapy Annual Report – 2022-2023
Spring/Summer 2023 Newsletter
As a charity focusing on adolescent mental health and wellbeing, our tagline is that we’re ‘Here for Young People’. Of course, it’s much more than just a tagline. It’s about being present in a way that answers young people’s needs and helps them find solutions that work.
We know we can’t just take a guess at what those needs are, or develop services in a silo. So, some of the most important work we do is consulting and working with young people to make sure our services are valuable, effective, and accessible to everyone, especially those who are traditionally more difficult to reach.
A wonderful development in our young people’s involvement work has been an increasing focus on supporting their personal development. Often, when someone has experienced significant life challenges and had space to reflect on what’s important, they can then continue to grow going forwards.
One of our aims is to give young people a better understanding of what is within their control and what isn’t. By supporting them to release anything that is out of their control and to focus on their strengths and potential, we help them identify and embrace new and exciting opportunities.
Our Young Ambassador programme is a great example of this. It offers a supportive, innovative, and creative space for young people to volunteer on a chosen project and, at the same time, develop their leadership skills. Brandon Centre provides a safe space to help them work out who they are, what they want and need in life, and time to think and plan their next steps.
Time and time again our Young Ambassadors have shown how amazing their journeys continue to be into further studies and employment. Many of them come back to help us support the next generation of Young Ambassadors. We also provide important training opportunities across the charity for young management trainees and placements in our counselling services and family and parenting programmes for students training to qualify as clinical psychologists and psychotherapists.
I hope you enjoy reading about how we’re supporting the next generation of leaders as well as our other exciting Brandon Centre news, including how to help us win a Tesco Community Grant and a wonderful interview with our new young patron, comedian Grace Campbell.
Wishing you all a reflective and inspiring summer.
Download the full newletter
A celebration of Sexual Health at Brandon Centre
53 years of compassionate trailblazing
We’ve always felt privileged to be able to continue the innovative work pioneered by our founder, Dr. Faith Spicer. In 1969 she combined contraceptive advice with counselling and psychotherapy to provide a specialist service that put young people’s needs at its heart.
In an average month in 2022, Brandon Centre saw over 200 young people for contraception provision and advice, including free condoms, pills, patches, coils and implants, pregnancy testing & counselling, and STI diagnosis and treatment.
Emma Saunders – International Women’s Day
Emma Saunders
Why is International Women’s Day important to you?
My Dad was my hero – he always taught me that I could achieve anything that I put my mind to, he encouraged me and by believing in me, he helped me to believe in, and value myself. He was also a very just man, believing in equity and respect for all and was a huge supporter of women’s rights and International Women’s Day.
Like my Dad, International Women’s Day is important to me because it provides an opportunity to celebrate girls and women and what they can, and have achieved. It is a day to recognise the difference that women and girls are making all over the world, as leaders in government and business and also in their local communities as we continue to strive for equity, respect and opportunity for all women.
How does your organisation support girls, young girls, and women in the community?
Brandon Centre has been supporting young people for over 50 years and we continue to put young people at the heart of everything we do. We provide a welcoming and safe space, at the heart of the community, for girls and young women to access sexual health and mental health services to meet their individual needs.
What do you think has been your impact last year supporting girls and young girls in Camden?
Our new Young Peoples Leadership Board was formed at the end of 2021, following the development and facilitation of engagement work with young people over the previous 12 months. The Board has provided a platform for young people to share their ideas and views about the work we do at Brandon Centre and to work with us to co-design and co-develop our services. It is also a space for young people to discuss issues that are affecting them locally and to influence the development of new services that can support girls and young women locally in Camden.
The members of the Board are currently all young women, who have been instrumental in the design of the Board, ensuring the voices of young women in Camden continue to be heard.