The University of Nottingham

Journalist and broadcaster Alastair Campbell was guest speaker at the High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire’s fundraising dinner and helped raise more than £17,000 for mental health research carried out at The University of Nottingham.

Campbell was joined at the University event on 12 January, by George Hugh-Jones QC, a barrister specialising in clinical negligence and professional disciplinary work at the General Medical Council and General Dental Council.

The money raised at the event will support research funded by Mental Health Research UK (MHRUK) and carried out at The University of Nottingham’s Institute of Mental Health, which was set up, in partnership with Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, in 2006 as a national centre of excellence to transform our understanding and treatment of
mental illness.

High Sheriff Amanda Farr, who has worked in the field of mental health for many years, said: “I am particularly keen on fighting stigma related to mental illness and supporting research. The burden of mental illness is widely underestimated and despite the huge impact of mental ill health on individuals and the economy, mental health research receives only a fraction of the funding that supports research into other long-term chronic diseases.”

MHRUK was set up by, among others, Professor Clair Chilvers (Medicine 1995), formerly Chair of Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS and former Director of the Mental Health Research and Development Portfolio at the Department of Health. The charity’s aim is to promote excellence in mental health research and it works with other charities and bodies to fund research into the underlying causes of, and treatments for, mental health problems.

For a video and an interview with Alastair Campbell, visit: http://tiny.cc/Alastair.