History of Middle Street Resource Centre

The Centre was built in 1972 as a psychiatric day service and in 1989 it began to embrace user participation, namely involving users in meaningful decision making. Service users began to volunteer to run the Centre and to build links with the community, embracing social inclusion.

At this time, the Centre had strong links with the Nottingham Advocacy Group, one the earliest mental health service user groups to be formed in England. This was a time when user participation in mental health services was not yet recognised or supported by professionals or policymakers. In the ensuing decades, the ethos of user involvement continued to be implemented through the formation of self-organising and mutual aid groups. 

In 2005, the local council implemented the national policy of personalisation, which gave rise to personal budgets and self-directed support for people in need of continuing social care. This new form of individualised care was viewed more favourably than running a day service, calling into question the future of the Centre. From 2010 onwards, the Centre was threatened with closure several times, but it was saved by a 3-year campaign mounted by service users and their allies. 

Today the Centre runs independently, following a co-production model. This means that people who use it, including those with lived experience of mental health problems and their allies, are included as equal partners in the decision-making processes. It is the only day centre in Nottingham to cater for the rehabilitation needs of people with enduring mental ill health during an era in which there has been little investment in mental health community services. It offers access to a variety of mental health support groups, therapeutic one-to-one support and volunteering opportunities.

illustration of friends

The illustrations reproduced here are based on memories of the Centre users, staff and volunteers.