A 40-year old mental-health charity has changed its name and left the Mind Federation, as it plans to expand its services across London.
West Central London Mind, which will now be known as Allkind, said that leaving the federation, with effect from today, will afford it greater freedom and autonomy.
The charity is a combination of four London borough-based charities – in Brent, Kensington and Chelsea, Wandsworth and Westminster – that came together in a series of mergers over 10 years.
But the charity said as a local Mind, it was constricted by the Mind Federation agreement to operate within these four boroughs.
A spokesperson said: “Within the NHS, our main commissioner, they are often looking for organisations to run contracts across regions, and we were sometimes unable to tender for these due to the geographical constraints mentioned.
“This exit gives us the freedom and autonomy to grow […] and go for contracts without constraint.”
As Allkind, the charity will explore possibilities for expanding its community-based services beyond its current boroughs.
“We are a very strong organisation with a great track record and we want to be able to help more people across London,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said the charity’s new name was chosen for its inclusivity, showing it offers “all kinds of services for all kinds of people, always delivered with kindness.
The charity, which has about 150 staff, has launched a new visual brand to accompany its name change, including a tagline that reads: “Putting kindness at the heart of mental health support.”
The spokesperson said the new brand is “vibrant, colourful and highly inclusive”, adding that its new logo represents a community circle of people, also resembling an upside down letter ‘A’ for Allkind.
The charity carried out extensive consultation, including in-person sessions, with staff, service users and partners, which fed its new values, mission, vision and brand personality.
Allkind worked with the B-corp agency Nice & Serious on the new branding.
The charity declined to comment on the cost of the rebrand.
Simon Thompson, chief executive of Allkind, said: “Right now, with mental-health services being stretched, the demand for support has never been higher.
“We feel this is the right time for the organisation to spread our wings and fly alone, allowing us complete autonomy and greater freedom over our destiny.
“Looking ahead, we aspire to expand beyond the boroughs we currently work within and become a leading London-wide provider of mental-health and wellbeing support.”