History

CHAT (Come Have A Talk) started in 2024 when Redeeming Our Communities (ROC) collected data within Manchester to identify gaps in services within the community. It was identified through lots of local and company feedback that urgent mental health services were needed to support the residents of Wythenshawe. This was further proven when the NHS ICB offered to fund this project. As a result, the CHAT project was born.

Between November 2024 and July 2025 we have supported 204 people by doing CHAT sessions. 31 volunteers contributed to 1,860 hours of volunteering time. We started off at the Wythenshawe Forum, but now have 5 public locations. Additionally, we have partnerships with local family centres and support a local school and parents. This allows us to better support the community by being well-connected and more accessible. Setting up hubs in a variety of places is important to us so we can improve our accessibility and include hard-to-reach communities.