Solent Mind is our Charity of the Year 2026

Southampton Science Park is delighted to reveal that its chosen charity for 2026 is Solent Mind.

The mental health charity for Southern Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Solent Mind is part of the National Mind Federation. In the workplace, its teams help businesses to develop the necessary skills to enhance and maintain organisational wellbeing and resilience.

In 2023-24:

• Over 48,000 interventions happened across Solent Mind services.
• Solent Mind Crisis Centres were there during more than 4,000 crisis episodes.
• A further 4,000 people were helped in the charity’s Wellbeing Centres across Hampshire.
• 1,700 people were helped to sustain, secure or move closer to employment.

Sally Arscott, CEO Solent Mind, said, “We are delighted to be partnering with Southampton Science Park over 2026, and that Solent Mind has been selected as its Charity of the Year.  We know poor mental health can affect any one of us, and we are pleased to be working together to raise both awareness and funds to enable more people get the support they need.”

Lucinda Lamont, Business Development Director at the Science Park, added, “We are delighted to be dedicating our fundraising efforts in 2026 towards Solent Mind. The Science Park team’s efforts will, I know, be generosity amplified by the always enthusiastic participation of our resident community through events such as our summer BBQ and sports day. We have also set up a Just Giving page to make it easy for anyone to donate at any time.”

The announcement follows a fantastic response to Robin Chave’s CEO Breakfast in October, when Solent Mind CEO Sally Arscott spoke about the need for today’s business leaders to prioritise wellbeing at work, as employees increasingly experience social isolation, financial pressure and the stress of juggling careers with caregiving.

Businesses gain competitive advantage by adopting a proactive approach to managing mental health at work. Research by Deloitte suggests that poor mental health costs employers £51bn each year due to absenteeism and reduced productivity, innovation and engagement among staff.

Mental health concerns now affect one in four people at any one time. Find out more about how the charity can support someone you know.