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Arsenal Academy Manager, Per Mertesacker, joined staff and service users in Islington to celebrate the opening of North London Mental Health Partnership’s (NLMHP) new, state-of-the-art integrated community mental health centre on Thursday (18 April).

The new centre, at 1 Lowther Road, provides a modern, welcoming space in the heart of the community offering integrated mental and physical health services and   an enhanced working environment for staff.   A community café on the ground floor will make Lowther Road a place which everyone can use and enjoy.

NLMHP’s Islington team already has close links with the Arsenal in the Community project which  delivers sport, social and education programmes to over 5,000 individuals each week including many with mental health diagnoses.  The opening of the new community centre at Lowther Road – less than a mile from the Emirates Stadium – will further strengthen those bonds and enable even more effective community working.

Community is deep-rooted within Arsenal, with the club offering safe and positive environments for local people and using the power of sport for good, offering wider opportunities linking to education, accredited courses and employment. Declaring the centre open, Per Mertesacker expressed his pride: “This is an issue that is close to my heart. As a young man in Germany, I spent a year working in a mental health hospital, and the experience was both humbling and life shaping.

“Our mental wellbeing is just as important as our physical wellbeing. That’s something we work on every day at our club, whether that’s giving our young Gunners in the Academy the tools and confidence they need to learn and grow, or whether it’s our Community team, who are providing essential support and care to some of the most vulnerable people in our area.

“I’m proud I can share in this moment to deliver a first-class facility right in the heart of our community, that will play a major role in to supporting both patients and staff for years to come.”

Per has previously been involved with Arsenal’s mental health football programme at The Arsenal Hub – with the project providing an inspiring, supportive network for local people with mental health diagnoses.

1 Lowther Road will be the home for the majority of NLMHP’s Islington Community Services including  Complex Depression Anxiety and Trauma, Personality Disorder Service, Community Rehabilitation and the Islington Clozapine and Depot Clinic.   It is the latest building to open as part of the St Pancras Transformation Programme, which also includes Highgate East, a brand-new inpatient facility.

Jinjer Kandola MBE, NLMHP Chief Executive said: “We are delighted to welcome Per to Lowther Road to celebrate the opening of this fantastic new facility.  The Partnership is committed to improving the outcomes for all our service users and the quality of the care we provide.  Through our St Pancras Transformation Programme, we are delivering new leading-edge therapeutic environments for service users and carers and improved working environments for our staff. 

“The cutting-edge design of Lowther Road was developed with input from service users, carers, our staff, and the local community, and can be adapted as our needs change over time.”

Johnny Valavanis, who participated in the design of Lowther Road through the Patients’ Council, said: “As a person with lived experience of mental health, I had the privilege of taking part in multiple elements of the design for this new Lowther Road site.  The centre will be invaluable to any person who needs mental health support and will hopefully help to provide early intervention to avoid the need for someone to be admitted to hospital.  It will also be a valuable place for those in the community whose lives are impacted by mental health challenges and need extra support to help them live independently.

Ruby, who has participated in Arsenal in the Community’s mental health football sessions, said: “I love coming to the football group at the Arsenal hub. Whatever else is going on in my life it’s a great chance to run around, let off steam and socialise! I can improve my football skills in a supportive environment.”