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ABOUT BLURT
WE ARE A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE DEDICATED TO HELPING THOSE AFFECTED BY DEPRESSION.
THE KNOWING NOD
Think of us as the knowing nod. You’ve seen it – a slight bob of the head, often accompanied by a smile. A little movement that says, “I understand”, “I’m listening” and “I’m here for you”. That’s us.
We really understand how devastating depression can be. Jobs come to an end, relationships break down and lives can be lost, all through the effect of depression. That’s why the work we do here at Blurt is so important – it not only changes lives, but saves them.
Let’s talk about it
It is difficult, but talking about depression is really important. We think people who’ve experienced it know best, so we’re passionate about peer support – connecting those who have been through depression with those who are currently struggling, to provide reassurance and comfort during a very scary time. It’s that knowing nod thing again.
Mental health is just as important as physical health, and we’re working hard to get that message out there. We raise awareness, provide tools and knowledge to help proactive recovery and challenge the stigma that prevents people reaching out for help. We work closely with medical practitioners, employers, schools and companies to help them understand depression, what it means and how they can support those affected by it.
Our Challenge
Blurt exists to make a difference to anyone affected by depression. Being diagnosed can be overwhelming – there’s a lot to learn and plenty of prejudice to battle. Telling people is tough, and not everyone will understand. That’s why we’re here for you, whenever you need us, for anything at all.
We’ll help you understand depression and what it means for you. We’ll support you, listen to you and introduce you to people who’ve been where you are. We’ll help you break down barriers and broach the subject with those closest to you. We’ll help you help yourself, with a little knowing nod.
OUR STRUCTURE
We’re a Social Enterprise which means that we’re dedicated to creating positive social change. We operate similarly to a business but are regulated by the CIC Regulator to ensure that our profits are ploughed back into the community we have chosen to serve: those affected by depression. We’re structured in such a way too, that means nobody will be receiving large dividends, nor bonuses – our priority, and passion, is to make a difference to those affected by depression.
The Future
The stuff we do here at Blurt is vitally important, and we want to carry on doing it. Here are our strategic priorities:
- Increase awareness and understanding of depression
- Develop additional peer support networks
- Collaborate with partners to facilitate learning and innovation
- Strengthen revenue streams to create a more planned and sustainable future
The Blurt Team
We’re a small but mighty team with a couple of awards under our belt – we won the TalkTalk Digital Hero Award in 2012 and were shortlisted for the Mind Mark Hansen Digital Media Award in 2013. We’ve got a real desire to change the conversation around depression and without these amazing people, we wouldn’t be able to do that.
Jayne Hardy
Founder
Jayne Hardy, Blurt’s Founder and Chief Executive, lost most of her twenties to depression. At the height of her illness she was unable to work, leave the house or even undertake the most basic acts of self-care – she lost a tooth because she didn’t feel worthy enough to clean them.
During this dark time, one of the things Jayne struggled with most was the feeling of isolation. She had cut herself off socially for fear of being a burden, and found it extremely difficult to talk to loved ones about her depression because of the great deal of shame she felt. With long waiting lists for counselling, and face-to-face support groups too daunting to attend, Jayne was left to cope with her condition alone.
When Jayne founded Blurt in 2011, her chief goal was to prevent others from feeling such isolation. Having experienced first-hand the powerful connections that could be fostered via social media, Jayne deliberately focused Blurt’s activities online – providing interim support for those struggling with depression and challenging the stigma around mental health.
Jayne’s innovative use of the Internet to bring about positive social change was recognised from the off. She won the TalkTalk Digital Hero Award in 2011, and last year was included in Marketing Magazine’s list of Top 10 Digital Mavericks. A proud mum to two-year old Peggy, Jayne was also shortlisted as Most Inspiring Business Parent in the mumandworking 2015 Awards. Most recently, Jayne has been mentioned as one of 19 inspirational women leading the way in mental health by Rethink as part of their International Women’s Day celebrations and has spoken at TEDxBrum about her experiences.
I’m passionate about connecting people with other people who have shared similar experiences but also in raising awareness and understanding of depression.
I truly believe that starting conversations about depression, not only empowers and educates, but it saves lives.
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OUR PARTNERS
Little Moons
It’s with huge amounts of thank yous to the generosity and support of Little Moons that our education programme is currently supporting almost 200 schools, equipping young people with essential tools to ultimately achieve happier, healthier, and fulfilled lives. Not only are their Mochi absolutely diddly-umptious, Little Moons are a company which cares greatly about improving lives, sustainability, and doing what they can to help their growing community.
Find Little Moons: Website | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Twitter
Rigorous Digital
The wonderfully kind, talented and helpful team at Rigorous Digital have been supporting all of our website support and development on a pro bono basis since 2019. They’re whizzes with WordPress (have kept our website stable, functional and optimised) and aces at explaining somewhat complex stuff in layman’s terms. They also donate 10% of all WordPress Support Packages to us, to support the work we do.
Find Rigorous Digital: Website | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter
Coffee + Kin
The absolutely loveliest of people at Coffee + Kin, Ruth and Mark, have been generously supporting our work since 2018 by donating 1p per capsule, 10p per bag of coffee beans and £1 of every Coffee & Chocolate Box. They sell delectable coffee which is 100% plastic free, wanting to help you to recreate the coffee shop experience at home but, importantly, in a sustainable, conscious and intentional way. They also have a Coffee and Chocolate Club.
Heart and Soul Digital
Heart and Soul Digital was founded by absolute trailblazer and lionheart, Lea Rice, and created to take care of digital marketers; to support, celebrate and collaborate. £2 from each Content Planner sold, is donated to us here at Blurt. Not only is Lea a talented and compassionate soul, she played a huge part in our viral What You Don’t See campaign in 2016 and is an absolute joy to work with.
Find Heart and Soul Digital: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
