History

The history

of Step Ahead Trust

Step Ahead’s history began in 1983 when it was just a pilot project supported by the Schizophrenia Fellowship. Based in the Christchurch Arts Centre, the project was established as an activities-based programme and was formalised after membership began to increase.

In 1986, Step Ahead became an independent organisation.

Step Ahead continued to grow in the 1990s, becoming a charitable trust and electing a board of trustees, and soon after purchasing and moving into our current Stanmore Road premises. Around this time, members began to apply for open positions on the staff, and they continue to do so successfully today. 

By 1996, Step Ahead had 180 members.

The need for our services and popularity of our activities continued to grow, so the Rural Programme was established in Kaiapoi in March 2000, followed by the part-time Riccarton  Programme in 2002. In 2010, membership reached 280 members 

When the Canterbury earthquakes struck, the Stanmore Road building suffered significant cosmetic damage, yet the organisation continued to offer support, consistency, and encouragement during the city’s challenging times. Repairs to the building were eventually completed in 2012.

In February 2019 Step Ahead opened a new facility at 9 Puriri Street wholly owned by the Trust. This new facility was opened by Pauline Woodward and Dean Rangihuna. As with Stanmore Road it runs a full programme of activities.  Attendance has been growing and members love coming to the modern, warm and welcoming environment. 

Today, Step Ahead has approximately 365 members across our bases, and we’re excited to continue to offer a wonderful community service and see what the future will bring.

40th Anniversary

2023 sees the 40th Anniversary of Step Ahead. A memorable milestone for the Trust. A party to celebrate this event was held in February.

While different treatments of mental health come and go the values that were originally decided on by the team that set up Step Ahead in 1983  have stood the test of time. By providing activities that are creative, active, promote independence, improve confidence, stimulate connectedness and resilience, Step Ahead has helped many many peoples lives.

Step Ahead believes that this approach has long been underrated and as a 40th year project has requested the assistance of researchers at the Canterbury University to  provide some evidence based data on the Step Ahead model.  Watch this space!