On the finish of 2023, we launched a marketing campaign to Save The Psychological Elf. For those who missed the weblog submit again then, right here’s what we stated:
“My enterprise companion Douglas Badenoch and I’ve beforehand labored for the NHS and at Oxford College. In 2002 we arrange a firm and we began working with charities, universities and the well being service. This enterprise remains to be going immediately, however like many small companies we now have discovered the previous few years actually laborious.
We’ve funded The Psychological Elf for the final 12 years out of our personal pockets. It’s vital to us that The Psychological Elf stays an impartial, trusted model, but it surely prices about £50k a 12 months to maintain the location operating, and proper now, on the finish of 2023, we’re actually struggling to make ends meet. We want your assist.”
Thanks to your kindness and assist
We had an incredible response to this name for assist. Over 150 individuals donated to our fundraising marketing campaign, which raised over £4k and was important in holding the web site going by the winter months. We additionally had tons of of messages of assist from individuals who advised us how vital the Psychological Elf is to them and the way a lot they might miss us if we disappeared.
An enormous due to everybody who donated or despatched form messages to maintain us going. Your assist and assist actually means quite a bit!
We stated in our weblog submit again in December: “We hope that we are able to look again on this time in years to return, because the second when our neighborhood of bloggers, supporters and followers, all got here collectively to avoid wasting The Psychological Elf and hold it on-line.” In the present day we now have some thrilling information!
Securing the way forward for The Psychological Elf
Similtaneously attempting to lift funds from our neighborhood, we additionally had numerous conversations with key individuals and organisations in psychological well being science. We spoke to psychological well being analysis funders, to universities and charities; exploring the totally different choices out there to us as we attempt to make the way forward for our platform sustainable. Thanks very a lot to everybody who provided recommendation and gave up their time so generously to assist steer our considering. who you’re!
We’re delighted to announce immediately that the Psychological Elf has acquired a 3-year discretionary award from the Wellcome Belief, which is able to make it potential for us to proceed operating the web site as we now have been doing for the previous few years. We’re extraordinarily grateful to Wellcome for this present of assist, which is very vital for us because it permits us to retain our independence. Wellcome have been clear from the very begin of our conversations that they do not need any involvement in how the platform is run, the matters we select to cowl, the papers we choose to weblog, or the individuals we ask to jot down blogs. They merely need to make sure that we stay trusted and revered.
The Psychological Elf performs a singular position within the psychological well being neighborhood, with its ideas of clear communication, inclusivity, and mental rigour. Wellcome is delighted to supply assist for its persevering with work as a valued impartial voice within the subject.
– Niall Boyce, Head of Subject Constructing – Psychological Well being, Wellcome Belief
Rising up and reaching out
The Psychological Elf has simply turned 13 and so we now have a rollercoaster of adolescent years forward of us. With this core funding in place we are actually in a position to get our core staff again as much as full power (see right here if you wish to change into a contract Elf Coordinator) and we now have the headspace to plan how we wish to develop this platform over the following few years. We’ve some thrilling concepts within the pipeline that we’ll be asserting quickly, so watch this area for information.
Within the meantime, if there are methods that we are able to assist your work, please ask for some #ElfHelp. It’s possible you’ll be engaged on a analysis challenge that wants assist constructing a web-based presence or disseminating findings, you might want some coaching in social media or important appraisal, you might want movies, podcasts or graphics to assist get your message on the market, or you will have an occasion that you really want us to amplify. No matter you want, for those who work in psychological well being, you’ll be able to fee our Psychological Elf staff to work alongside you.
