Hackney People
Janette Hynes
The wall of Janette Hynes’ Shacklewell office tells the story of a woman on a mission.
Packed with photos of the occupational therapist meeting the likes of Princess Anne, Esther Rantzen and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, it shows just how determined she has been to raise the profile of a unique football league – Positive Mental Attitude (PMA).
It now comprises 18 teams from across London, with players who all have, or are recovering from, mental health problems.
Janette always had a passion for football, and a keen belief in fighting injustice. At 13, she started playing for Middlesborough FC Ladies. After gaining a BA in Art from Liverpool University, she began a career in animation, working for Steven Spielberg, and on such films as Space Jam and Fievel Goes West.
A move to London rekindled Janette’s passion for football and she played for Fulham Ladies for seven years as one of the UK’s first professional female footballers. However, it was the illness and death of her father that inspired her to look at how the needs of patients could be met more creatively.
Janette, who was employed as a personal trainer in her spare time, started to work with patients who were suffering from mental health problems, she said: “I realised you need to stimulate people with what they want, that way they gain confidence. There was no choice for many of these people and I wanted to create that choice.”
After training as an occupational therapist, she started working for Hackney’s East London NHS Foundation Trust in 2002. In the same year, Hackney FC was formed – the first football team made up entirely of people with mental heath problems.
The PMA league was officially set up in 2005. More than 350 people have participated to date, with some of them managing teams and refereeing matches.
And 75 per cent have since taken up employment or education, with many acting as mentors for other people with similar conditions or undertaking outreach work in schools.
Albert, captain of the Hackney FC reserve team and community volunteer, was hospitalised six times before joining the league. He said: “The team has helped me move away from paranoia, given me confidence, self-belief, happiness and motivation. Before Hackney FC, I wanted to die. Now it’s nice to be alive.”
Janette’s dedication to the PMA has led to numerous awards including the Leadership for Improvement category in this year’s Health and Social Care Awards and next month she will be visiting Buckingham Palace to pick up her MBE from the Queen.
This year saw the PMA recognised as a community interest company which will allow it to fundraise and develop even further.
So, what’s next? Janette’s plans are ambitious. She would like to see mental health teams competing in the 2012 Paralympic Games and is campaigning to run an equivalent of the FA Cup where teams from similar leagues across the country can compete.
She is forging strong links with the Hackney community, including a new scheme to get mental health service users involved with music which will be run out of studios in Stoke Newington.
“I want to strengthen links within the community and break down the barriers that service users encounter,” she said. And what does she think of Hackney? “It’s is a great place, I love working here and it has a very positive feeling. I am allowed to be creative and it is the birthplace of the league.”
Curriculum Vitae
- 1966 Born in Middlesborough
- 1979 Scored her first goal for Middlesborough Football Club Ladies team
- 1984 Started Art College in Liverpool
- 2000 Moved to London and trained as an occupational therapist
- 2002 Started working in Hackney
- 2003 Began Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) football league
- 2008 Awarded MBE
More information
Call Jeanette on: 07961 522 730; email: janette.hynes@eastlondon.nhs.uk; or visit: www.leaguewebsite.co.uk/pmafl.
Page updated: 15 Jun 2010
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