TERRY HAMMOND
Terry hammond has had a distinguished career in mental health . In 2006 he received the Marsh Award in recognition of his mental health and campaigning work. He helped to pioneer an award winning housing scheme in Southampton, for people with mental illness. He has also been at the forefront of a number of national campaigns, which have helped to substantially improve societies approach to mental illness. Terry Hammond is also a published playwright and author.
During the 1980’s Terry Hammond worked with the award-winning Sunday Times journalist Marjorie Wallace CBE and founder of SANE, to expose the plight of people with schizophrenia living in the community. It has been acknowledged that this campaign helped to influence the government to introduce new ‘Community Care legislation in the 80’s and 90’s.
In the mid 80’s, he ran a Southampton based charity, working with the homeless people with mental health problems. In 1987, Terry Hammond joined the mental health charity Rethink as Regional Director. He went on to develop numerous community mental health schemes, aimed at the recovery of people with severe and enduring mental health problems.
In 1999 his son was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, following excessive exposure to cannabis. This lead Terry Hammond to focus his energies on highlighting the dangers of Cannabis and the need to support families. He worked with the national media and contributed to many articles, radio and TV programmes.
Since 2006, Terry Hammond has been working freelance, focusing on mental health stigma, including the governments ‘Shift’ campaign and working with Time To Change. He also worked with the Department of Health on their ‘Frank’ Cannabis Awareness Campaign”.
He is still involved in mental health issues as well as writing plays and campaigning against local and National injustice. Terry Hammond and his wife continue to help their son back on the road to recovery from cannabis induced schizophrenia.