BDLD CIC | First Floor | 85 Great Portland Street | London W1W 7LT | Registered Company Number 11120713
About the Dogs
First up, why “Big Dog Little Dog”?
The
BDLD
metaphor
represents
our
service
offer
-
the
“big
dog”
approach
is
a
dynamic
set
of
services
aimed
to
grab
the
attention
-
from
single
presentations
at
conferences
to
the
delivery
of
highly
relevant,
effective
staff
training
such
as
Mental
Health
First
Aid
and
The
Art
of
Disclosure.
These
services
operate
best
when
highly
visible
and
attention
grabbing,
just
like
a
big
dog.
They
aim
to
raise
awareness
around
mental
ill
health,
its
links
with
unemployment,
the
stigma
associated
with
mental
health
disorders
and
the
widespread
discrimination that exists in the workplace, and in society in general.
The
“little
dog”
service
offer
is
built
around
quietly
and
calmly
helping
organisations
to
develop
the
way
in
which
they
operate,
from
advice
on
delivery
models
and
service
integration
to
the
review,
development
and
roll-out
of
quality
systems
and
working
practices.
This
includes
areas
such
as
embedding
psycho-education
in
employment
support,
working
with
clinical
services
and
ensuring
that
good
practice
is
learnt
from,
shared
and
implemented.
The
little
dog
lets
the
big
dog
get
all
of
the
attention,
always
knowing that each is as effective as the other.
But
equally,
the
BDLD
metaphor
comes
from
the
company’s
two
founders
-
men
with
many
shared thoughts, values and passions but with a very obvious physical difference…..!
Standing
an
imposing
6’8”
tall
and
weighing
in
at
an
eye-watering
23
stone,
Kevin’s
not
called
the
big
one
without
reason!
Some
of
his
earliest
memories
relate
to
serious
mental
health
disorders,
when
he
used
to
visit
his
mother’s
workplace
-
the
“Leybourne
Grange
Hospital
for
the
Mentally
Deficient”.
This
gave
him
early
exposure
to
the
most
complex
of
needs, and an admiration for those who live with such challenges.
Fast
forward
to
the
present,
and
the
boy
became
a
man.
A
man
who
became
an
electronic
engineer,
a
police
officer,
a
security
specialist
and
a
publican.
And
running
one
of
those
pubs
led
to
Kevin
having
a
“nervous
breakdown”
in
1995.
Following
a
diagnosis
and
treatment
for
severe
depression,
Kevin
went
on
to
return
to
work
via
the
employability
sector,
leading
to
him
supporting
others
with
poor
mental
health
to
put
their
lives
back
together.
In
the
29
years
that
have
passed
since
then,
Kevin
has
delivered
services,
managed
them
and
run
his
own
businesses,
culminating
in
the
formation
of
BDLD
with
Bob
in
December
2017.
Known
for
his
bombastic
delivery
style
and
(what
he
thinks
is
a)
portfolio
of
funny
wisecracks, Kevin has a passion for delivery, technology and innovation.
Where
Kevin
comes
at
the
subject
of
mental
health
from
a
lived
experience
angle,
Bob
has
30 years’ experience of delivering rehabilitation services.
Starting
his
journey
in
Lincolnshire,
Bob
specialised
in
multicultural
support,
including
a
spell
in
Zimbabwe.
This
had
a
profound
effect
on
him,
allowing
him
to
better
appreciate
many
of
the
stigmas
surrounding
mental
illness
within,
and
aimed
towards,
minority
ethnic
groups.
On
his
return
to
Blighty,
Bob
started
working
for
a
small
local
authority
service,
supporting
people
with
severe
and
enduring
disorders
to
find,
and
stay
in,
employment.
The
service
became a charity in its own right, and Bob went on to become Chief Executive.
That
organisation,
now
known
as
Twining
Enterprise,
is
still
thriving
today,
working
across
multiple
London
boroughs.
Bob’s
finest
achievement
there
was
leading
Twining
to
become
the first non-NHS service in London to be awarded IPS Centre of Excellence status.
These
days,
he
splits
his
time
between
delivering
training
and
taking
his
beloved
motorbike
out for cruises down long and winding roads.