THE Mental Health Foundation has launched the first campaign action of its new strategy, A Call to Act: Fighting for Prevention in Mental Health.
Accompanied by a six-foot bottle of SPF sunblock bearing the message ‘SPF: Support Prevention First’, the charity has made its mark outside the Houses of Parliament with the eye-catching prop. The charity is using its giant sunscreen bottle to prompt the question, ‘We protect our skin before damage appears. Why not our mental health?’
The Foundation is also calling on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to demonstrate leadership in his first 100 days as PM to prioritise prevention of poor mental health. This call is backed by 15 other mental health charities and organisations, including Mind, the Samaritans, and the Centre for Mental Health. To make this message inescapable, the Foundation have also sent Andy Burnham a postcard featuring the mental health SPF bottle.
Naqi Azizi, an MHF Supporter, Mental Health First Aider, and Young Leader who attended the launch, said:
“The government should prioritise prevention because focusing on the crisis and just referring people to services when they’ve hit the absolute lowest isn’t working any more.
“Prevention should therefore be prioritised in the navigation of poor mental health. Giving young people effective tools and signposting resources to support themselves but also empower those around them, otherwise they’ll be left feeling even more lost.”
The stunt is part of a wider movement to change the national conversation from managing mental ill health to preventing it. It comes as the charity, which is the home of Mental Health Awareness Week, seeks to put a greater focus on publicly campaigning in its activities as part of its 2026-2031 strategy. This involves moving the charity to focus more on its public affairs, policy, and research expertise, with a much greater focus on campaigns.
The charity says there is no better way to make its prevention message heard than by taking an unavoidably large tube of SPF right outside Parliament, where the message to Support Prevention First cannot be missed.
Alexa Knight, Director of Policy & Influencing at the Mental Health Foundation, said:
“This is an exciting day for the Mental Health Foundation as we begin the first campaign of our 2026 strategy. Now, more than ever, we need the message to be loud and clear. Prevention works. Poor mental health isn’t inevitable with the right prevention support in place.
“Mental health charities stand at a pivotal moment. Mental health problems have risen steeply across the UK over the last decade. The most significant increases have been for children and young people. Meanwhile, the national response remains overstretched and is struggling to address rising distress. Now is the time for the government to shift from crisis management to prevention.
“By bringing together supporters, we will show the UK government the widespread support for prevention. We know that the public want to see poor mental health reduced, and less people suffering. Getting the UK government to SPF – Support Prevention First – is the only way we will achieve this.
“We’re delighted our first campaign moment is backed by fifteen other organisations across the mental health sector. Only by working closely together and making calls like ours heard will we be able to achieve the scale of change we need to see.”
