Remembering Tim Bird
Tim Bird will be remembered as a dedicated mental health advocate whose work helped shape service user involvement across West Sussex. He passed away on 1st January, leaving behind a legacy of commitment within the local mental health community.
Tim first became involved in advocacy during the 1990s through local service user groups connected with Graylingwell Hospital. At a time when lived experience was only just beginning to be recognised as an essential voice in shaping services, Tim was among those leading change. He is believed to have been the first service user to offer peer support on the wards at Graylingwell – an important step towards embedding peer involvement within clinical settings.
His passion for improving services and ensuring that people were heard led him to become closely involved with what would become CAPITAL. Tim was part of the early Users as Trainers project, which later evolved into CAPITAL. The initiative equipped people with lived experience to deliver training to mental health professionals, placing service users at the heart of workforce development. Tim helped deliver some of the very first sessions to clinical staff, establishing a standard of thoughtful, informed and constructive dialogue that would become central to CAPITAL’s ethos.
Over the years, Tim played a pivotal role in shaping CAPITAL’s direction and stability. He served as chairman or vice chairman for 14 years and remained actively involved for many more, contributing a total of 26 years of service. He was instrumental in formalising CAPITAL’s status as a company and registered charity, signing the legal papers in 2001 and helping to secure its long-term future.
Tim’s contribution went far beyond governance. He attended meetings across the county, spoke eloquently about mental health policy and practice, and ensured that the service user perspective was always represented with intelligence and care. He supported successive chief executives and trustees, offering insight, historical knowledge and measured advice. His steady presence helped build the strong foundations that CAPITAL continues to stand on today.
Tim was very much part of the history of CAPITAL and of the wider service user movement in West Sussex. His commitment to co-production, peer support and meaningful involvement leaves a lasting legacy.
Since Tim passed, Simon Bird has kindly donated £500 in his memory, and we are very grateful for this generous contribution and the thought behind it.
Tim’s work with CAPITAL, made a real and lasting difference. He will be remembered with appreciation and respect by all who worked alongside him.