Daniel Bowman wins the Janey Antoniou Award for Campaigning
We are delighted to announce that Daniel Bowman has been awarded the Janey Antoniou Award for making an exceptional difference to the lives of those living with severe mental illness. Daniel was commended for being the standout candidate for his passion, breadth of work and the clear impact of his campaigning on mental health policy.
Danny launched his campaign in 2014 with the charity Fixers UK to raise awareness of his experience with body dysmorphic disorder. Danny’s campaign subsequently went viral, and he has spoken openly and honestly about his experiences with the disorder around world, contributing to pieces in Time Magazine, as well as TV pieces for Good Morning Britain, Channel Four News, Five News, BBC News, This Morning and The One Show. Since then, Danny has continued his work on mental health policy as a Director for Mental Health at the Parliament Street think tank, writing numerous reports on eating disorder waiting times, policing and crisis, children and adolescent provisions, and school support.
He has so raised a considerable amount of money for mental health charities by taking part in events such as the Great North Run and soon to complete the Manchester Marathon 2024 for Young Minds. He is currently studying a PhD in the Department of Politics, examining the causes of the increased salience of mental health among representative elites and how this has influenced policy outcomes. He continues to work with MPs of all political parties to try and improve policy around mental health, attending round tables in Number 10, Holyrood (and other devolved administrations). Indeed, he has affected government policy by working with figures in the UK Government (including former Prime Minister, Boris Johnson). He has also engaged with political figures such as Kate Parminter, John McDonnell and Lord Lingfield in increasing awareness of eating disorders and advocating better community-care.
Danny has reached out to all communities across the UK with the aim of increasing awareness and improving outcomes for those with mental health problems, particularly males experiencing body dysmorphic disorder. Those living with these conditions had little or no recognition of their personal struggles, without an outlet to talk about their unique experiences, or groups to provide essential support. Danny provides that. He has worked with the BDD Foundation, Altruist Enterprises, the BeenThere Charity, Sane Charity, and Rethink Mental Illness amongst other to highlight the struggles faced by this excluded group in society.
Succinctly, the main difference Danny has made is bring male body image issues into mainstream discussions whilst simultaneously raising money for charities that provide vital services to this often-ignored group of people. In the immediate term, Danny is set to convene an important conference at the University of Liverpool on January 15th, which will look at mental health policy across both in the UK and internationally. If you would like to attend or contribute to the conference, please email Danny directly at d.bowman@liverpool.ac.uk.