Where did Mayday Trust begin?

Formed in 1976 by Probation Officer Michael Varah and Probation Volunteer Jim Higgins.

Mayday Trust is a forward-thinking organisation working alongside people going through some of the toughest life transitions,  including people experiencing homelessness, leaving care, coming out of prison, or experiencing emotional distress.

As an organisation Mayday has undergone a transformation from being a conventional service provider in the Social Care sector to a pioneer in challenging the systems available to people experiencing tough times.

This was far from an overnight change, it required years of listening to people we work with, a total change to our Mission and Vision, prototyping, and much reflection. The learning from this period led to the publication of the first of two Wisdoms, Wisdom from the Street, which captured the voices of the people we spoke to, the development of the Person-led, Transitional and Strength-based Response (PTS), and the creation of the PTS Partnership.

What we do

Today, Mayday provides direct support through the PTS, which works alongside people going through tough times, providing person-led, transitional, and strength-based support.

Learning from its transformation and developing the PTS has led Mayday to believe that the systems people encounter when they experience a tough time are not working, meaning that people face unnecessary barriers, become trapped in services, and are often forced to sacrifice their dignity in order to survive. For this reason, the Mayday team is constantly striving to create a paradigm shift to a person-led response, which puts people back in control of their tough time and their future.

We never get complacent and always reflect on our work and people’s experience so that we adapt, improve, and provide better individual services for people. If you have something you would like us to know then please get in touch.