REAL SUPPORT.REALCONVERSATIONS.
A nonprofit lived-experience mental health and recovery movement. No script. No jargon. Just someone who has been there, walking with you.
Rob Prior wins the New Volunteer Award
Sidekick Initiative founder Rob Prior won the New Volunteer Award on 6 October 2026, seven months into this chapter of building Sidekick. His children were there to see him win.
The work continues: real conversations, recovery mentoring, community walks and building more support in the north of Portsmouth.
Read the award newsLived experience
Every session, every talk, every walk is delivered by people who have been through it, not read about it.
Structure, not slogans
SOS: Aim, Intention, Method. A simple, practical way to think clearly and take the next step.
Reach that lands
We meet people other services miss. Schools, prisons, gyms, cafés and on the doorstep.
Five ways in. One honest approach.
Wherever we go, schools, prisons, workplaces or community rooms, we bring the same thing: honesty, structure, and someone who actually cares.
Recovery Mentoring
One-to-one and group mentoring for people affected by addiction, mental health struggles and rebuilding after crisis.
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Schools & Youth
Workshops and resilience talks for young people. AIM & MAP frameworks. Real conversations, not lectures.
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Prisons & Probation
Recovery mentoring, resilience and re-integration support inside prisons and across probation services.
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Workshops & Talks
Mental health talks and mindset sessions for organisations, emergency services and community groups.
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For Organisations
Partnerships with services and workplaces that want lived experience delivered with structure and care.
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Sofa to Summit
A guided pathway from someone's first walk to their first summit. Movement as a way back in.
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Rob Prior started this because nobody was talking the way he needed to hear it.
Lived experience of prison, PTSD and CPTSD, and years of mental health struggle, turned into a way of showing up for other people. Direct when it needs to be direct, human all the way through.
Rob PriorNot testimonials. Turning points.
People have shared what Sidekick Initiative meant to them, in their own words. Some of those stories describe suicide, self-harm and bereavement, so we keep them on one page you can choose to open.
The Sidekick 90, 90 challenges, one mission.
National Trails, mountains, ridges and endurance missions across England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, every step used to keep the conversation moving and to reach the people who don't normally ask for help.
- Completed so far
- 6
- Miles logged
- 174
- Progress
- 6 challenges done, 174 miles logged. The journey keeps going, with the rest already mapped out.
SOS, Aim, Intention, Method.
A simple structure to slow down, think clearly and take one honest next step.
Aim
What do I want?
Intent
Why does it matter?
Move
What do I do next?
Be part of the walks, mentoring and community work.
Sidekick Initiative is a non-profit community organisation. Our challenges raise awareness, not money. Volunteer, follow the challenges, share the page or get in touch.
- Community walks
- Mentoring
- Schools
- Prisons & probation
- Workshops
- Awareness challenges