Islington Council is providing mental health training at a local church in response to rising rates of mental illness in Junction Ward.
The minister of Archway Methodist Church, Reverend Lola Brown, is passionate about helping those with mental health issues and pleased to be supported by the local council.
“We’ve done mental health first-aid training… The highest percentage of people who come here are those with mental health issues… We’ve also got people with drug addictions,” she said.
Junction Ward appears affluent, yet parts face high levels of deprivation. Community issues, such as inadequate housing, the cost of living, and drug addiction, are contributing towards the increase in mental health conditions in the area.
According to the Council’s Suicide Prevention Strategy, around 18,000 people in Islington are diagnosed with depression and related disorders, with 3,750 suffering from serious mental illness. 15 lives are lost every year to suicide in the borough and rates have increased between 2023 and 2025.
Rev Brown said that many local people struggling were turning towards churches for support, Archway being one of many providing a warm space for those who are lonely or unable to heat their homes.
“We’ve had people who’ve come here who are quite ill and veering towards death by suicide,” said Rev Brown, who explained that some of the training was for suicide awareness.
Improving mental health awareness and resilience is central to Islington Council’s Suicide Prevention Strategy, which aims to bring people and agencies together to prevent suicide. Community and religious participation are listed as protective factors for preventing suicide.
Islington Council was approached for comment but did not reply.
Sam is an MA Newspaper Journalism student, news blogger, and freelance writer who has previously written for Spiked.