Almost 300 guests attended a special ceremony held in The Gallery at Manchester Central on the evening of the first day of June’s Design in Mental Health 2025 event to witness the presentation to the winners of DiMH awards for 2025, as well as a number of Highly Commendeds. The awards recognised excellence in everything from the design of new buildings to the best outside space, plus innovative and imaginative product design, as The Network’s editor, Jonathan Baillie, reports.
The awards began with drinks in The Gallery — a multi-purpose space that connects Central Hall and the Charter Suite at Manchester Central. During drinks, guests were entertained by talented saxophonist, Josh Phillips, and had a chance to catch up with colleagues and industry counterparts. The event presenter, 'The Voice of Old Trafford', Alan Keegan, then welcomed all to the event, and introduced the DiMHN's new CEO, Charlotte Burrows, to give a short welcome, after which Vicki Dutton, Income Generation manager at the evening's chosen charity, Papyrus Prevention of Young Suicide, presented on the organisation's work, explaining that it is dedicated to the prevention of suicide, and the promotion of positive mental health and emotional wellbeing, in young people. After she had spoken, Alan Keegan thanked her, and encouraged guests to donate to the charity.
The evening's host next explained that in all 12 awards would be presented (from the 13 in total; one winning team could not attend), along with a number of Highly Commendeds. He thanked the judges for their work, the Drinks Reception Sponsor, Light Years Ahead, and category sponsors, Kingsway Group, Troup Bywaters + Anders, and Building Better Healthcare, before asking DiMHN Chair, Philip Ross, and Vice-Chair, Cath Lake, to join him to help present the awards.
The first, for Art Installation of the Year, went to White Arkitekter — for The Reuben Young People's Centre — a 26-bedded paediatric and adolescent unit at London's Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, re-opened in late 2024 following 'an extensive transformation'. Led by the practice in collaboration with the CW+ Arts in Health Team, the re-design aimed to create a welcoming, calm, and therapeutic environment for young people. The entry said: "Research highlights the crucial role of well-designed hospital environments in aiding recovery, particularly for children and young people who may feel anxious or overwhelmed. Recent studies have also identified the need to improve physical spaces in acute paediatric wards to better support young patients with mental health needs. This project addressed these challenges through thoughtful design."
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