Liberal Democrat candidate Onyx Rist outlines his role following yesterday’s by-election outside Britton House Mental Health Services in Medway, Gillingham.
The 31-year-old diversity champion emphasises the importance of connecting with all communities across Medway, including the LGBT community, ethnic minorities, and various faiths.
Rist, who has Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), shared that The Brenchley Unit in Maidstone, a therapeutic community for people with severe or complex personality difficulties, was “incredibly helpful” for him.
He added:
“I used to have a lot of suicide attempts and things like that, and I haven’t had that for the last two or three years.”
Rist pointed out that mental health services have been underfunded for over 25 years, and he believes this is an issue that transcends party politics.
“I think it would be good for every party to get sort of like a mental health focus group together and talk to people who have actually experienced it.”
The former Labour Party member expressed that the values of the Liberal Democrats align more closely with his own, stating that he did not feel comfortable standing as a candidate with the Labour Party.
Patrick Barry reports.