James Ledward was immensely supportive of mental health, he cared about all the health inequalities facing LGBTQ people, and understood how important mental health is. MindOut would not be where it is today without James’s support, foresight and help.
James gave us space in Gscene to write about mental health. Fifteen years ago it was a radical step to devote monthly space to such an ‘unpopular’ topic, and James and I were surprised by how well the MindOut column and then page, went down with the readership. We used to badger him from time to time to put us on the cover of Gscene, mostly it was a no, but he did relent – five times!
He recognised that MindOut’s work is something special, that we are very fortunate to have a dedicated mental health service. He also recognised the passion and commitment of the individuals who make up MindOut. He gave special awards to Rose Hall, Arthur Law and Helen Jones.
James had a massive heart, he was tireless in building community, helpful and knowledgeable, inspirational and kind. He left a massive legacy to all of us, especially to MindOut. We are very lucky to have had his support, we are very grateful to have known him.
By Helen Jones, CEO
James Ledward was a champion of LGBTQ mental health and was very supportive of our work at MindOut. Not least was the voice he gave to people who experience mental health issues through the Gscene articles. One of his aims was to get people in bars, in the community, to talk about mental health and he achieved that.
We are so grateful to have known him and so very sad to hear of his death. He did so much for our communities, a wonderful man.
Love from all at MindOut