Diane Marsh is a member for Singlewell Ward at Gravesham Borough Council.
Diane was born in South East London and lived in Gravesham for over 30 years where she has raised her family and worked in and around the Borough. In her career she has worked as a mental health nurse, trained as a holistic therapist and owned a pharmaceutical wholesalers!
She was a Gravesham Borough councillor from 2007 to 2011 and served on charitable boards as a trustee. Diane also enjoyed the challenges of being a local member on several council committees. She is passionate about supporting people back into work and spent a number of years developing social enterprises in high areas of unemployment.
Diane volunteers for the Sanctuary homeless project in Gravesend. She also serves as a Rotarian for Gravesend and Meopham where she teams up with others, volunteering time to local charities and events.
Diane’s work in mental health
Recently she has returned to practice as a Registered mental health nurse and strongly believes in raising awareness around the stigma of mental health, by helping others to talk about their issues rather than repress them.
“The mental health rhetoric is a key priority for many services including Kent’s Police Crime Commissioner Mathew Scott and our Prime Minister Theresa May. Mental health is everyone’s business and I hope that by raising awareness and helping people talk more openly about our mental health we can reduce the stigma and support people more positively”
“One in four of us will experience a mental illness at some point in their lives and we are all either directly or indirectly affected. My real passion is to reduce the suicide rates and that’s because my father committed suicide when I was 19, it leaves a legacy like no other.”
