Niki treasures “unreal” day at Buckingham Palace in recognition of mental health advocacy work

An ICB colleague has been reflecting on the “unreal” experience of attending a garden party at Buckingham Palace in recognition of her work to improve the accessibility of public transport across the country.

Service Lead for Mental Health Together, Niki Glazier, was nominated to attend the event for her work as part of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) – an independent, statutory body which advises the government on transport needs of disabled people, advocating for the promotion of an accessible transport system for all.

Following many years of dedicated work with the DPTAC, colleagues in the Department for Transport recognised Niki’s contributions by submitting a nomination for her to attend the event, citing the “meaningful difference” she has made to the experiences of passengers across England.

In total, Niki spent nine years working for the Committee, with her term coming to an end in September 2025. During this time, she championed and campaigned for adjustments to be made to transport to suit the needs of those with non-visible disabilities, such as mental health conditions and autism.

Niki and husband Lee in the gardens of Buckingham Palace

Niki explained: “Back in 2008, I was working with the Derbyshire-based Mental Health Action Group when the national concessionary bus pass was introduced for older people and people with disabilities.

“While this was a fantastic initiative, I couldn’t help but notice it was more focussed on physical disabilities, so I was passionate about ensure parity and equity for those living with mental health conditions too.

“Public transport, like buses, trains, trams, and other ways of getting around that most of us take for granted like taxis, can pose so many challenges and barriers for this community. We as the DPTAC are committed and determined to make these services more accessible for all, and ensuring those operating those services have a deeper understanding of the needs of people living with mental health conditions.”

In 2012, Niki led the Mental Health Action Group in producing a report into the experiences of people from across the country which shone a light onto the barriers that people living with mental health conditions face when using public transport.

In a moment that Niki believes was a ‘breakthrough’, she organised the first Mental Health and Transport Summit, which was sponsored by the Department for Transport, in 2016. The event was attended by two Ministers of State and keynote speakers, including Alastair Campbell, who spoke candidly about his mental health and from here, Niki feels the momentum really started to build and shift towards building a more inclusive, accessible transport network across England.

She said: “It felt like a really big success to get all those people together in a room, and it felt like a point where people really began to start realising there was a whole community of people we weren’t supporting well to do something as simple as catch a bus or a train.

“The ripple effects of this are huge, as if these people are not able to drive, but also don’t feel comfortable or able to use public transport, we’re excluding them from so many parts of society. Even things like attending healthcare appointments can become a difficulty, and that isn’t equitable and can help to further create inequalities in our health and care system.”

Niki with other attendees at the Buckingham Palace garden party

From this point, Niki says she has seen huge forward strides in the accessibility of transport, with a particular success coming at a local level.

It was shortly after this in 2017 that Niki joined the DPTAC and continued her advocacy work.

In the years that followed, Niki and DPTAC colleagues worked with Derbyshire bus company, Trent Barton, to develop a training programme for bus drivers to improve their understanding of non-visible disabilities – something which Niki is proud of and that had benefits for all involved.

Niki continued: “The training with Trent Barton was really amazing. Everyone was so willing to understand and make small changes that made a big difference. A lot of the time, the drivers simply didn’t realise some of the things that were having such an impact on disabled passengers, which is why raising awareness of these non-visible disabilities is so important.

“It’s been great to see this acknowledgement becoming more common-place in recent years, and I believe it’s one of the good things we learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ever since then, the positive change and awareness of conditions has really risen, which I’m so pleased to see.”

Niki’s years of dedication were recognised when she was nominated to attend the garden party at Buckingham Palace on Friday 8 May. The event is one of many annual events held at the Palace each year since, dating all the way back to the reign of Queen Victoria.

In attendance were His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, and Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales, along with the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones, and Zara Tindall.

Prince William in the gardens at Buckingham Palace

Reflecting on the day, Niki said: “It felt like a big, warm thank you – and a big warm hug.

“It felt a little unreal, but very real at the same time. It was just amazing and you get that lovely, shared feeling of a very special experience. Everyone I spoke to was so friendly, and there are people that I met at the event that I’m still speaking to now.

“It was humbling to be in the company of a range of such amazing people who are doing great things in their communities.”

While Niki has now stepped down from her role in the DPTAC, she feels hopeful about the future, and believes the Committee will continue to bring about more positive change.

She said: “There is a lot of representation from people with lived experience on the Committee now, and that is far broader than when I first joined. That feels really positive.

“While I will no longer be directly involved, I will remain active in mental health advocacy and will continue to support other initiatives.”

The secretariat for the DPTAC said: “Since joining the Committee in 2017, Niki has been an active and valued member, contributing to work on concessionary travel eligibility and helping to ensure the Committee’s advice reflects the experiences of people with non-visible disabilities.

“Her work has helped strengthen how accessibility is considered in transport policy and has made a meaningful difference to the experiences of disabled passengers.”