The History of Anxious Minds: A North East Charity Built on Understanding

Anxious Minds began with a simple belief: people should not have to face mental health difficulties alone, or wait until they reach crisis point before support becomes available.

Founded in 2015, the North East mental health charity grew out of founder Edward “Eddie” Dean’s own experiences of anxiety, depression and PTSD. After 22 years in the Armed Forces, Eddie found that getting timely, practical and ongoing mental health support could be extremely difficult. He understood from personal experience how isolating that struggle could feel and how important it was for someone to listen.

He used his War Pension to establish Anxious Minds. The charity began with a commitment to make support easier to reach, treat people with understanding and help them take steps towards recovery. That founding purpose continues to guide its work today.

A charity rooted in lived experience

From the start, Anxious Minds was shaped by the belief that people’s experiences matter. Mental health difficulties do not happen in a vacuum. Trauma, bereavement, abuse, family pressures, financial hardship and isolation can all affect a person’s wellbeing. A helpful response needs to recognise the whole person, not just a diagnosis.

That approach also reflects the charity’s North East roots. Anxious Minds was created to support people in local communities, where trusted relationships and a welcoming place can make it easier to ask for help. It has grown over the years, but the original aim remains: to offer accessible, compassionate support to people who may otherwise struggle to find it.

Building a counselling service

Counselling was one of the earliest parts of the charity’s work, and it remains central to what Anxious Minds does. Over time, the service developed to support adults and young people aged 14 and over, with counsellors offering a range of approaches tailored to each person’s circumstances.

The charity established counselling centres in Wallsend, North Tyneside, and Blyth, Northumberland, making face-to-face support available in local settings. Telephone and online options have also helped people access counselling when travel, health or other responsibilities make attending in person difficult.

For someone experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma or a painful life change, reaching out can feel like a big step. Anxious Minds aims to make that first contact feel manageable: with a chance to talk, explain what is happening and explore what support could help.

Creating a place to turn in the community

As the charity developed, it became clear that people needed more than appointments. They also needed opportunities to meet others, find practical help and feel part of a community.

In 2019, Anxious Minds opened a community recovery and drop-in centre in Wallsend. It created a place where people could come together and find connection alongside mental health support. The idea was simple but meaningful: a friendly welcome, a chance to talk and support that could respond to people’s needs as they changed.

That community focus has continued through the HOPE Recovery Centre and the Veterans and Community Kitchen. The kitchen helps provide meals and a welcoming space for veterans, families and local people facing hardship. It reflects a wider understanding of wellbeing: good support may involve food, friendship and practical assistance as well as counselling.

Supporting veterans and their families

Eddie’s own military background helped shape another important part of Anxious Minds’ history. Veterans and their families can face particular challenges, including trauma, difficulty adjusting to civilian life, isolation and the effects of mental health problems on relationships. The charity wanted to provide support that understood those experiences and could remain alongside people as they worked towards recovery.

In 2020, Anxious Minds established its Veteran Recovery College. The college brings together counselling, peer support, recovery workshops, practical advice and activities that help people reconnect with their strengths and interests. Support can also include help with issues such as housing and benefits, as well as activities outdoors.

The college’s approach recognises that recovery is personal. For one person, it may begin with a conversation or counselling. For another, it may mean joining a group, trying an outdoor activity or getting advice about a practical problem that is affecting their wellbeing. Families matter too, because the effects of mental health difficulties are often felt by the people closest to someone.

Since opening the Veteran Recovery College, Anxious Minds has continued to develop its work with veterans, reservists, families and carers. The college has received professional recognition for its veteran mental health provision, including accreditation through the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Quality Network for Veterans’ Mental Health Services.

Creating support for women in Blyth

In 2021, Anxious Minds established its Blyth Women’s Centre. The centre was created to offer women a welcoming place to find support, including those affected by domestic abuse and other difficult experiences.

For women facing abuse, trauma or poor mental health, safety, trust and choice are essential. The centre’s work has included counselling, wellbeing groups, practical guidance and opportunities to build confidence and connection. Its development reflects the charity’s commitment to listening to local needs and creating services that feel appropriate to the people who use them.

Growing through partnership and community effort

Anxious Minds has grown through the efforts of staff, volunteers, supporters, funders and partner organisations. Working together has helped the charity develop services in different communities and respond to needs that cannot be addressed by one organisation alone.

Partnerships have helped connect people with employment support, advice, veteran services and community activities. Volunteers have also played an important role throughout the charity’s story. Anxious Minds was built on a belief in people’s capacity to support one another, and that belief is reflected in the relationships formed across its services.

The charity’s work has been recognised through awards and professional accreditation. Those achievements matter because they recognise the effort behind the services. But for Anxious Minds, the purpose is still measured most clearly in people’s experiences: finding help sooner, feeling less alone, rebuilding confidence or discovering a reason to take the next step.

Looking ahead

More than a decade after it was founded, Anxious Minds continues to work across the North East, supporting people affected by mental health difficulties, trauma, abuse, isolation and hardship. Its services have expanded from the original vision, but the founding principles remain familiar: early support, compassion, practical help and an understanding of lived experience.

The history of Anxious Minds is not only the story of a charity opening centres or developing programmes. It is the story of turning a difficult personal experience into a commitment to help others and of a community building that commitment together.

As the charity looks to the future, its aim remains to make support accessible, welcoming and responsive to the people who need it. For anyone struggling, asking for help can be the first step. Anxious Minds exists to make sure that step does not have to be taken alone.