Mental health organisation www.mentalhealthy.co.uk and national charities SANE, The Mental Health Foundation, The centre for Mental Health and Emergence, have recognised the fantastic achievements of CoolTan Arts, arts and mental health charity based in Southwark, London.

Created by Mental Healthy founder Charlotte Fantelli, the Mental Health Hero awards celebrate the incredible achievements of those heroes making a real difference in the lives of those with mental illness.

Categories include ‘Community Hero’,  ‘Professional Hero’, ‘Business Hero’ and ‘Creative Hero’ and the shortlist highlights some incredible local, national and even global organisations and individuals. Shortlisted nominees include local organisations and carers, heroes in the field of academia and research, and the list even recognises corporates like Virgin and Lloyds TSB, and celebrities such as Tulisa Constantavlos, Ruby Wax and Stephen Fry.

Judges of the awards include some big names in the world of mental health including Dr Andrew McCulloch, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation, Marjorie Wallace, CBE, founder and chief executive of SANE and Kath Lovell founder of Emergence.

The business awards, which recognise the achievements of businesses who champion mental health are judged by Andy Bell, Deputy CEO of The Centre for Mental Health and Mental Healthy’s very own co-founder and entrepreneur of the year Simon Dolan.

It was announced this week that CoolTan Arts has been shortlisted for the Creative Hero Group award. CoolTan Arts started as a volunteer led organisation 21 years ago. The charity works with over 700 people face to face each year and is run by and for people with experience of mental distress. CoolTan Arts believes that mental wellbeing is enhanced by the power of creativity. We run an art gallery and workshops exhibiting and making public all the participants work.

Charlotte Fantelli said “The humbling work individuals and organisations are doing across the globe takes my breath away. Every single shortlisted candidate has done something extraordinary in an area that is not glitzy or glamorous and that takes great strength and human kindness, every one of them is a hero that deserves recognition.”

The award winners will be announced April 2^nd 2012.

For information on the awards, visit: www.mentalhealthy.co.uk/mental-health-awards