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Having helped people with their mental health across the world, it's no wonder that Lucy has a few ideas on how to improve the wellbeing of the whole island.
Before coming to Jersey in 2016, Lucy worked within community mental health services in the UK and participated overseas in an organisation in Asia.
Born and raised in London, Lucy is now living locally, and manages LINC, which is a part of the LV Care Group that offers support islanders with their mental health.
While predominantly focused on caring for others, in her spare time Lucy looks after her own wellbeing through enjoyable walks with her dog, Bailey, planning road trips with friends, and enjoying Jersey’s delicious local produce.
Inspired by her experiences, she shared five ideas with Express for making Jersey a better place...
With the recent Scrutiny report and media coverage, it’s no secret that our mental health system needs to improve to meet islanders’ needs.
Pictured: improving mental health in Jersey will be a good impact on our local community
More investment and greater resources are obvious solutions, but I think there’s also work to do in changing attitudes, embracing innovation and ensuring we involve people with lived experience of mental health difficulties in a more meaningful way.
It seems we’re all becoming more aware of ways we can help look after our environment.
Pictured: Waste in our environment is a big problem, Lucy feels, and therefore would like to see more done to tackle this.
Our beautiful beaches and outdoor spaces are some of Jersey’s finest assets and it would be wonderful to see a greater commitment to protecting them by reducing waste, increasing recycling capacity and looking at alternatives to single use plastic.
Time at the beach with a furry friend is one of the many pleasures to be enjoyed with spring around the corner. As a dog owner, I’d love to see the laws around dogs being kept on leads in the summer months relaxed on some beaches.
Pictured: Our canines deserve to gallop on the beach in Summer too, according to Lucy.
There are several that aren’t used much by tourists and families, so offering a year-round sandy space to go with four-legged family members would be very welcomed.
Affordable housing needs to be a priority. The latest annual increase of the Jersey House Price Index was the highest for 10 years.
Pictured: Lucy says affordable housing will benefit many in Jersey.
Not only does this impact local people, but high rental costs also contribute to some of the difficulties we face attracting key workers to the island, our current vacancy rates and the costly use of agency staff to fill gaps.
We have some fantastic services providing care and support to islanders, however at times I think we could do better at working together, particularly in the community.
Pictured: Putting each other first will make us a stronger community, the mental health nurse says.
As a small island, we should be well placed to provide a more joined up approach across sectors and ensure we put people first.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and not those of Bailiwick Express.
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