10 Oct 2025
As World Mental Health Day returns, St Albans charity It’s OK To Say marks seven years of breaking silence, saving lives, and widening access to support.
Every year, World Mental Health Day falls on October 10 and for It’s OK To Say, it’s always an extra special date. That’s because it’s also their birthday and this year, they’re celebrating their seventh anniversary.
Seven years ago, It’s OK To Say began with a simple but powerful belief: that nobody should have to face mental health challenges alone or in silence. What started as a small community initiative in St Albans has grown into a well recognised charity still raising awareness, while supporting
individuals, families, schools, and professionals across Hertfordshire and beyond.
This year’s World Mental Health Day theme “Access to services: mental health in catastrophes and emergencies” feels particularly relevant. In a world marked by uncertainty and instability, ensuring that everyone can access mental health support when they need it has never been more
important.
It’s OK To Say has spent the past seven years working to make that a reality, creating compassionate, community-based routes to support, and building connections that make help feel accessible, human, and hopeful.
“Access shouldn’t depend on waiting lists, finances or knowing where to turn,” says charity founder and CEO Stacey Turner.
“We’ve spent seven years building bridges making sure people can reach help in a way that feels inclusive, respectful, and personal, and we are continuing to evolve and develop new ways.”
Post-Covid: Expanding Access and Strengthening Support
The years since the pandemic have reshaped the mental health landscape. Isolation, loss, and uncertainty have left lasting marks on individuals and families, but they’ve also sparked an even greater collective recognition of how vital emotional wellbeing really is.
In response, It’s OK To Say has expanded considerably since the pandemic, growing its services, partnerships, and reach to meet rising demand.
They’ve introduced:
• Wellbeing programmes, helping people understand and manage anxiety and depression.
• Workshops, providing practical tools to support families’ mental health.
• Community-based sessions, offering accessible, stigma-free spaces for people to talk and connect.
• Collaborations with professionals and health partners, inspired by pioneering models, which recognises the importance of managing anxiety as part of holistic wellbeing.
Each initiative reflects their belief that mental-health support should be proactive, preventative,
and tailored to the needs of real people, not bound by rigid systems.
Their Roots in Suicide Prevention
Did you know that It’s OK To Say is classed as a suicide-prevention charity?
While they are best known as a mental health care and wellbeing charity, suicide prevention sits at the heart of everything they do, not only through crisis response, but through the various modes of support they offer every day.
From early intervention and education to advocacy, therapeutic guidance, and community outreach, every strand of their work is designed to reduce risk, build resilience, and create spaces where people feel seen, supported, and safe enough to speak.
That commitment is both professional and deeply personal.
Many years ago, while writing for the regional media and appearing on TV, their founder Stacey shared publicly that she lost her father to suicide when she was 13.
What she’s come to understand since is that she lost his true self long before that. He grew up in difficult circumstances and struggled silently with his mental health for many years.
On a trip back to Australia several years ago, her father’s uncle – her great uncle – told her stories she had never heard before. Though they hadn’t seen each other since she was a child, he spoke of her father’s kindness, creativity, and humour. He also spoke about how, in those days, mental health simply wasn’t something people could talk about.
When they reunited, he ran up to her and hugged her tightly, unable to control his emotions.
He confided to Stacey that her father had once come to him for help, but he didn’t know what to do. He shared that he had carried that regret ever since. Seeing her in that moment with her two daughters, his nephew’s granddaughters – was, for him, a heartbreaking moment of realisation of everything his nephew has missed out on.
That meeting stayed with her. It reminded her that silence can be just as damaging as the struggle itself — and that its effects can be generational. Stacey shared that she was never prepared to deal with her daughters’ grief, morning the loss of their grandfather. The pain and loss ripple through families and time, but change begins with conversations.
And that’s why she chose to utilise some of her father’s inheritance to help others. She remembered from her childhood that he had been a well known figure in his own community setting up the local St John Ambulance response unit in his area. He invested heavily in helping others and believed in the power of community.
She wanted to carry that legacy forward to build something that would serve others just as he had, but this time focused on mental health and wellbeing.
Since its founding in 2018, It’s OK To Say has responded to countless critical situations, utilising their emergency protocols to ensure safety and support during moments of crisis.
Stacey explains: “We’ve instigated immediate help, seen patients into beds in A&E, liaised directly with consultants and on call psychologists, become part of care teams and more. Each time, we’ve worked to make sure that a person in crisis is not left waiting or feeling alone.”
Their advocacy has also helped shape immediate help and support in various ways from influencing referral processes and hospital responses to improving how professionals collaborate across sectors. By bridging the gap between people and services, It’s OK To Say has helped ensure that those in crisis receive compassionate, timely, and joined up care.
And as Stacey’s work increasingly spans between countries, It’s OK To Say’s global links are strengthening. Exposure to international approaches and partnerships has allowed the charity to see how different systems handle crises and, encouragingly, to witness significant improvements in how situations are managed.
These global connections not only inspire new ways of working, but also reaffirm that mental health is a shared human concern that transcends borders.
These experiences have not only led to positive outcomes for those in immediate distress, but have also shaped the charity’s wider approach embedding collaboration, compassion, and urgency at the heart of everything they do.
That’s why It’s OK To Say exists: to make space for openness, understanding, and action, so that no one feels unseen or unsupported the way Stacey’s father once did.
Seven Years of “It’s OK To Say”
As they celebrate their seventh birthday, the team behind It’s OK To Say are reflecting on how far the charity has come, from a grassroots idea to a trusted voice in mental health advocacy.
They’ve learned that mental health isn’t something you fix; it’s something you nurture.
It’s built on conversation, empathy, and the belief that small acts of understanding can make a life- changing difference.
“Every conversation matters,” says Stacey. “Seven years have shown us that people don’t always need perfection, they need presence, and to know that someone cares.”
Looking Ahead
This year’s World Mental Health Day theme – mental health in catastrophes and emergencies – reminds us that while crises may be inevitable, community support can be the lifeline that carries people through.
As It’s OK To Say moves into its eighth year, they remain committed to expanding access, strengthening local and global partnerships, and ensuring that no one faces life’s challenges alone.
Because wherever you are, whatever you’re facing, and however hard it feels — It’s OK To Say.
About It’s OK To Say
It’s OK To Say is a St Albans based mental-health care, well being and suicide-prevention charity dedicated to promoting emotional wellbeing, reducing stigma, and improving access to support.
Since its founding in 2018, the charity has grown from a small community initiative to a vital local service, helping children, families, and individuals across Hertfordshire and increasingly across borders to manage anxiety, build resilience, and access the right help at the right time.
For more information, to get involved, or to donate, email support@itsoktosay.org.uk
- 58 St Peter’s Street, St Albans, AL1 3HG
- www.itsoktosay.org.uk
- 01727 482457
