2026 Finalist – Milly Peel
It began with a rainbow umbrella and a park bench.
Sometimes the most powerful movements begin with the simplest acts of kindness. For Milly Peel, that moment came during the pandemic when she sat on a bench in Moor Park, Knutsford, holding a rainbow umbrella as a quiet invitation for anyone struggling to come and talk. On that very first morning, eleven people joined her. What began as a small gesture of compassion soon grew into something extraordinary.
Today, that moment has evolved into Stable Minds CIC, one of Cheshire East’s most trusted community mental health organisations. Since formally launching in 2023, Stable Minds has supported more than 2,600 children, young people and adults, offering compassionate, trauma-informed mental health care to individuals who might otherwise struggle to access support.
Milly founded Stable Minds with a vision shaped by both professional expertise and lived experience.
As a psychotherapist who has navigated trauma herself, she recognised that many traditional systems were failing those who needed help most. Long waiting lists, inaccessible services and rigid models often left people feeling unheard and unsupported. Milly believed mental health care should work differently that support should wrap around the person, not the other way around.
What began as a single conversation in a park has grown into a vibrant, community-led organisation offering a wide range of services.
Stable Minds provides one-to-one counselling, creative therapies, sensory support, trauma-informed outreach, school partnerships, hospital support, community groups and crisis-aware interventions. Importantly, the organisation supports individuals from the age of three through to adulthood, ensuring families can access consistent care during life’s most challenging moments.
At the heart of Stable Minds are the welcoming spaces Milly has helped create. The Children and Young People’s Centre is a vibrant, co-designed environment featuring sensory areas, sand-tray rooms, art and music stations and even a two-storey playhouse. Young people helped shape every aspect of the space, ensuring it feels safe, supportive and empowering.
The Adult Centre reflects the same values of dignity and compassion, providing counselling, therapeutic groups and community connection for people experiencing anxiety, trauma, grief or depression. Many visitors describe the centres as places where they feel welcomed rather than assessed – a reflection of the culture Amelia has created.
Yet Amelia’s vision extends far beyond the walls of these centres.
Stable Minds also delivers school outreach programmes, hospital support, community wellbeing events and a Sensory Safe Space outreach service, bringing mental health support directly to people who might otherwise never access it.
Accessibility is central to Amelia’s mission. Stable Minds operates as a means-tested, low-cost or fully funded service, ensuring that financial barriers never determine whether someone receives help. For many families who once felt excluded from traditional services, Stable Minds has become a place of hope and belonging.
Milly will be sharing her story at the 34th annual Inspiring Women Awards on 15th May 2026 at The Lowry Hotel. More details here