A TIRELESS mental health worker from Braintree has been named one of the country's 100 happiest people.
Trina Whittaker, 63, of Boscawen Gardens, woke up to a cascade of congratulatory e-mails last Sunday morning unaware she had been named in the Independent on Sunday Happy List 2014.
The mother of two says she owes her happiness to helping people, including her 40-year-old schizophrenic son.
"We've had our ups and downs but my son is my inspiration because I worked hard to bring him into this world and I will never give up on him," said Mrs Whittaker, who has cared for her son for the last 23 years.
Mrs Whittaker turned to a support group at Rethink Mental Illness 16 years ago, after her son was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
She has gone on to become a Rethink activist, regional committee member and co-ordinator of Braintree Rethink Carers Support and Braintree Rethink Self-help Art Group.
It was two carers from the support group team who nominated Trina, praising the difference she has made to so many lives.
She said: "My happiness comes from helping people, and not just my son, many people in my group don't have anyone to turn to.
"They call me 'Trina Hugs' because I am always at the end of the phone for every one of them."
The newspaper's Happy List serves as an "antidote to all those rich lists and celebrity lists" and invites all shortlisted to a party in their honour.
Mrs Whittaker is named alongside teacher Ray Coe, who donated his kidney to a pupil, and 19-year-old charity fundraiser Stephen Sutton, who died last month from bowel cancer after raising £3.2 million for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
"I cried when I realised that I had made the Happy List. It felt as if this was all happening to someone else, not to me," said Mrs Whittaker.
"I woke up early on Sunday morning because I couldn't sleep and decided to browse my e-mails.
"At first I didn't know what had happened because there were so many messages it took me a while to work out what was going on."
Rethink challenges assumptions and preconceptions about mental illness while Time to Change aims to end discrimination faced by people with mental health problems.
Mrs Whittaker said: "People are too quick to judge mental illness.
"They hear the term and they get scared. If people took the time to find out more and to show a little understanding there would not be such stigma attached to mental illness."
