Let's get quizzical

Some of the teams hard at work at our last quiz!

Our last quiz back in October 2013 was great fun and raise some much-appreciated pennies for MHAG! People have been asking when we'll be doing another so we're very excited to announce we'll be hosting a quiz on Friday, March 6. Details are as follows!

Redditch Rugby Club, Bromsgrove Road.

7pm for a 7.30pm start.

Bar open and nibbles available.

Kindly hosted by mayor Pat Witherspoon.

£2 a person and up to six a team.

Prizes for winners, losers and best team name.

Raffle in the interval.

All money will go to MHAG.

Hope to see you there! Let us know you're coming on Facebook here.

Funding for mental health

 Before Christmas, Rethink Mental Illness ran a campaign to stop Monitor (the watchdog for health funding) with its plan to cut mental health budgets next year. A total of 6,703 people including MHAG signed before the consultation ended at midnight on Christmas Eve so a response is imminent. In good news, due to the campaigning of Rethink and others NHS England has now told local health commissioners they need to increase in real terms the amount they spend next year on mental health.

Redditch and Bromsgrove Clinical Commissioning Group have decided to cut their spending on mental health from eight per cent of the budget to just seven per cent by the next financial year (2015/16), whilst because of their overall increase in budget this means around an extra £500,000 will go to mental health. But if they had kept it at eight per cent, there would have been a £1.5million increase so really we're losing out on £1million! In total £14million is spent on mental health while the rest of their £187.2million goes towards physical health. You can read more about this in a story I wrote for the Redditch Standard here.

It is hugely important for us all to fight for better funding for mental health - we all know everything is being squeezed from all aspects of the public sector and there is simply less money to go round. But it is well documented times of austerity breed mental health issues so there are now more people than ever struggling, so we simply cannot let them go without. The link between physical and mental health has also been proven so effectively, putting money into mental health can only help with the pressure on the entire system.

Visit Rethink's website here.

Functioning with a mental health illness

The more I get into the world of mental health the more I become convinced most people broadly fit into one of two categories: non-functioning or functioning.

The first group is the one which probably receives the most attention and there is the most awareness around - it's the group who may not be able to work because of their mental health issues, they may be unable to hold down a relationship or any regular commitment such as volunteering, they withdraw almost completely from society due to the impact of their illness. 

But there is also another huge group of people who are what I've come to term 'functioning' because far from withdrawing, they seem to become more involved the more impact their health has on them. I have definitely always been in this bracket and I think that makes it much harder for others to see there is a mental health issue present or to understand it once it does emerge.

When your life's so full anyway and then you take on more and more in an attempt to mask your illness, it becomes your way of living that you pile more and more into your schedule and limit the amount of time you actually have to sit down on your own and confront the fact you're poorly.

People kept telling me 'you'll make yourself ill with all this work' but they didn't realise I was actually already ill and using that to mask it. When I was eventually admitted on to the ward, it was almost a relief to grind to a complete stop and do nothing. It was also a shock to the system to do a complete 180.

I feel whilst any stigma-reducing or awareness-increasing around mental health is valuable, we need to start thinking more about both groups of people. Yes it's important to look at the 'non-functioning' group and how to get them more involved in society but we also need to be aware of the huge numbers of people who from the outside might look alright - with a job, home, stable relationships etc - but in reality are struggling under the huge weight of the burden of mental illness.

Pride of Redditch

Last night I was thrilled to receive a Pride of Redditch award for the second year running. The reason I'm sharing this with you is I feel each of our MHAG members deserve a little piece of this too, so whilst I'm not going to start snapping them into little pieces and throwing them into the audience like Cady in Mean Girls I do want to thank each and every person who's ever supported my little charity group.

It started out as a discussion in a pub between myself and Beccy. We wondered if we could get some like-minded people together to talk about mental health. Less than two years later and I now have two shiny certificates to symbolise how far the group has come.

But more than that, I have an amazing set of new friends who I love dearly, MHAG is recognised in the county by most of the statutory services and is supported heavily by the voluntary sector. People are starting to know the group's name, who we are and what we do. People are starting to know they can turn to us if they need help. We are making a real difference.

All of this means the world to me. I can never put into words how important MHAG is to me and how proud I am to be associated with all the amazing people the group has attracted.

So thank you MHAG - these are for you!

Christmas with MHAG

Just a quick reminder of all we have going in the coming week:

Saturday and Sunday (13th and 14th): Christmas support information sessions

Redditch town centre - 10.30am to 2.30pm both days.

Monday (15th):

Redditch Round Table

Brockhill - 5pm onwards.

Why not join us for the evening helping the Round Table collect for extremely worthwhile charities across the town? Email redditchmhag@gmail.com or call 07788 379389 to get involved.

Thursday (18th):

MHAG Christmas event

Town Hall - 7pm.

Mince pie and mental health combine as we look back over 2014, look ahead to next year and enjoy some refreshments.

Hope to see as many of you as possible during our last three events of 2014!

'Cheer up' and other ridiculous things people say

 

 

One of the main reasons we set up MHAG was to encourage residents in Redditch to talk about their mental health. However, that very much comes with the caveat these must be educated and informed discussions to further the cause, reducing stigma and closing the gap between mental and physical health. So for those who perhaps need a little gentle reminder, here's a (by no means comprehensive) list of some things it's just not helpful to tell someone with mental health issues *warning: may contain doses of sarcasm*:

 

You look okay: Well of course I do, I have a 'mental' health issue - the clue is very much in the name!

 

You should be grateful for all the good things you have in life: Mental health is not about gratitude, in fact the people I meet who are affected are often acutely aware of just how much their friends/family have supported them. There is already a lot of guilt associated with having a mental illness so piling that on just isn't helpful. Also it implies the person is choosing to be unwell.

 

You don't look like the type: What exactly is the type? One in four people are affected so next time you're in a room with three others look around and decide which one does look like the type?!

 

Does that mean you want to rip people's faces off all the time?: I was genuinely asked this by someone (who I respect and like a lot and who was definitely not trying to be hurtful) when I revealed I had a mental health issue. Despite films/television etc somewhat glamorising the issue and in the main only showing the severe end of the scale, most of us have no aggressive tendencies (except when asked questions like this!).

 

It could be worse: I read a brilliant quote once which went along the lines of 'telling someone they can't be sad because it could be worse is like telling someone they can't be happy because it could be better'.

 

Yeah I feel a bit sad today too: Clearly much work needs to go into educating people about the difference between 'low mood' and 'clinical depression' or 'feeling anxious' and 'anxiety' as this one is all too common.

 

It's just attention seeking: Many people with mental health issues entirely or partially conceal their illness and, even if you're close to them, you will probably not know how bad they truly feel. If we were attention seeking, we'd do something comical or outrageous, we wouldn't sit at home on our own feeling terrible.

 

Why are you sad when you're so lucky?: Yes, having a job/friends/family/a nice home etc does make you lucky. It doesn't stop you getting unwell. A tip for people who use this line - next time you see someone who's had a heart attack/stroke/cancer, go up to them and ask them why they feel ill when they are 'so lucky'. See how that one goes down!

 

Cheer up: Gee thanks, you've magically cured me!

 

I'll stop there as I could go on all day! Feel free to leave your pet 'mental health reaction' peeves in the comments though.

 

Harriet

(This post explains what people's reactions are like in an entertaining but insightful way!)

Tumblr

Find our Tumblr here!

A couple of weeks ago we took the plunge and launched our Tumblr page - a place for us to share our own photos as well as promoting other pictures relating to mental health. Here's a snapshot of some of the pictures we've particularly liked this week:

What makes me happy?

A few days back I posted the results of an artwork project with Birchensale Middle School where the children were asked what made them happy. Going back through the art created by the children last year made me think a little more about what makes me happy (something I thought a lot about over the summer while recovering from what the health professionals dub a 'depressive episode'). I thought if you'd allow me to indulge myself - and perhaps make you think about it too! - I'd share some of my thoughts:

My support network:
How often do we hear those words banded about? Especially when talking about mental health. But really and truly, having friends and family around me is something I valued more than anything else when I was poorly and they got me through some pretty bad days. It's horrible to think some people don't have that love there surrounding them (or perhaps just can't see it because of their illness). I guess that was part of the reason for being involved in a charitable organisation - if attending an MHAG meeting, getting to know our members, reading stuff we write on various social media outlets or being able to access some services through MHAG helps people feel they have a support network there then we've done what we set out to do!

Writing:
As many people know, I'm a journalist by trade so writing is something I do every single day. When I was younger I wrote copious amounts of short stories, poems, letters etc - filling up numerous notebooks or typing away on the computer for hours. Over the years as the pressures of being an adult with all the associated responsibilities grew, I lost that desire to sit down and write somewhere along the way (having time to do it is always an issue too!). On the first day I went into Hillcrest I decided my recovery project would be to complete a journal for 100 days. I took this as an opportunity not only to document what life was like on a mental health ward and immediately after being discharged, but also to delve back into my life and the important episodes - good and bad - which had shaped it. I would whole-heartedly recommend this to anyone! Or if you're not a fan of writing, perhaps something else creative which you can take some time out of the daily grind of life to complete?

Learning how to relax:
Many people, myself included, are guilty of living at 100mph - constantly rushing around and doing something. I know especially when I'm unwell I'm prone to cover up any signs of the illness by taking on more and more and making myself busy all the time. When I first knew I was becoming more unwell, I was in the midst of planning our first Wellbeing Week while launching a new paper at work and training for the Birmingham Half Marathon. Most people would have got to the end of that hectic period and sat down for a little rest - not me. I kept on at that pace for months before my mind (and my body) was screaming at me to stop and essentially gradually I shut down bit by bit until I wasn't functioning at all.
The first day in Hillcrest was probably the first time I'd sat and done absolutely nothing (except for some sudoku, reading and writing) for about a year. When I got out I found some Youtube videos about muscle relaxation and guided meditation and used those to get back on track with my sleeping. It's not easy and I'm by no means an expert but I definitely try and carve out a little time for myself each week - whether it's just to scroll absentmindedly through Twitter for a while or have an early night. Sometimes if you're so busy rushing through it and forget to stop and look around you, you miss all the good things which are actually happening!

MHAG:
Myself and vice-chair Beccy often joke MHAG is our baby but being involved in it since its inception - from those very early chats between the two of us wondering if we could get some interested people together to talk about mental health, to today when I get to meet with all sorts of people and chat about the issue and help organise fund-raisers and awareness-raising events - is without doubt one of the most rewarding things I've ever done.
Many people tell me trying to run MHAG alongside holding down a full-time job is too stressful and I should consider giving it up but I truly believe I wouldn't be as happy without it. It gives me a huge sense of pride to look at how it's grown and a feeling of excitement thinking about where we could take it in the future. Every single meeting, I still marvel at the fact people have come together to talk about mental health and there are so many motivated, intelligent, compassionate, creative, wonderful people who call themselves MHAG members!
So a little thank you from me to everyone here. Without getting too gushy (I have a real tendency to!) I truly admire every single person who's had the courage to come and share their experiences with us, I truly respect all of the members who give up their free time to make MHAG happen and I truly have made friends with some of the most fantastic people you could hope to meet through this little organisation which has come so far in the last two years.

Thank you,
Harriet.

Pledging to do better

I was absolutely delighted when Ian Dipple, the editor of the Redditch Standard (where I work alongside running MHAG), came to me and told me his idea about doing some extensive coverage of mental health to mark World Mental Health Day. As well as telling my own story, we managed to get mayor Pat Witherspoon, council chief exec Kevin Dicks, Dr Tim Lee and various others involved to speak up about the topic. It makes me very proud to work for the paper and to live in the town to see people supporting mental health! As part of the edition, we launched a pledge - we're asking residents and organisations to sign it. One voice is not often heard but if we can get enough voices (and names) then maybe together we can affect the change which is so desperately needed.

To take part, I can e-mail you a copy of the pledge (call me on 07788 379389 or e-mail redditchmhag@gmail.com) or simply save the copy below and send it back to me c/o Redditch Standard, Webb House, Church Green East, Redditch, B98 8RA.

Harriet

Rhyming for a good reason

This week saw us host our second ever Wellbeing Week in Redditch, something we're keen to do every October to mark World Mental Health Day. The first event was a poetry evening at the Redi Centre - we wanted to demonstrate how getting creative can boost your mental health and also show how much talent we have in this town!

 

 

A huge ten people were lined up on the bill to share either their own poems or someone else's - some were on the theme of mental health and some weren't, but the majority were actually written by a Redditch resident. Thanks to our readers: Mark, Rebecca, Ismat, Vanessa, Lyn, Andy, Natalie, Shayan and Pat (the tenth was myself in case you're keeping count!)

 

 

A few extra thanks to Pat Witherspoon, the mayor, for her support of the event, Ray and Margaret for agreeing to host the event in their building, Jan and Andy for their help with organising (Jan and Margaret also made the most delicious cakes which everyone enjoyed), Boon for compering for us, Sally for playing the dulcimer and anyone else who helped in any way.

 

 

It was a hugely enjoyable night, we had at least half a dozen extra readers in the open mic part of the evening and hopefully everyone went away as content and full of cake as I did! We also raised £150 which will go towards mental health projects in the borough.

 

Keep an eye out on Facebook/Twitter in the coming weeks as I'll be posting up some of the poems.

 

Harriet.

What we've done and what's coming up!

Fear not, things with MHAG have been carrying on with our monthly meetings continuing and many great chats about mental health. This blog however I have let slide a little due to not being very well and a brief stay in hospital. I am back on track now and more focused than ever to push MHAG as far as we can and affect change in Redditch. It is desperately needed and wanted!

So some of the things which have been going on:
- We were made the mayor's charity! Pat Witherspoon picked MHAG and Redditch Friends Together as her two charities to help highlight mental health and dementia within the town. Thanks Pat! She's in office until May so plenty of exciting events will be coming up.
- We laughed! Pat hosted a comedy night called Ship Of Fools which was absolutely brilliant. There were five comedians plus compere Ant Hill (thanks to Ant for all his work to make it a success!). Lots of money raised and lots of laughs too.
- We talked! We've spoken to Dr Tim Lee, who's the lead for mental health on Redditch and Bromsgrove Clinical Commissioning Group's governing body, about their plans for the future as well as Helen Broughton from the strategic partnership about the work their mental health committee is doing and Homestart about their services to help people with postnatal depression.
- We visited! We went to events including the Bandstand Festival and Astwood Bank Carnival. It's great to bring mental health to the masses at places like that.

Wellbeing Week:
- Our first event is a poetry evening next Tuesday (October 7) at 7.30pm at the Redi Centre. We're hoping to highlight how getting creative and either reading or creating poetry can help with your mental health. Come along and join us - it's free but donations are welcome!

- Advice shop. As with last year we'll be hosting a two-day advice shop in the Kingfisher Centre. We're outside Primark (by the escalators) all day next Friday and Saturday (October 10 and 11) and we've got plenty of activities, crafts, puzzles, food making etc! Do pop along.

There are also lots of exciting projects in the pipeline and next week with the help of the Redditch Standard (my day job!) we'll be marking World Mental Health Day with the launch of a new pledge for the town.

Harriet.

MHAG is turning one!

You are invited to join us as we celebrate a year of the Redditch Mental Health Action Group.
The meeting on May 29 at 7pm will include the formal AGM where we will elect a chair and vice-chair for the upcoming year but then we want to celebrate all we've achieved so far and look forward to what we can aim to have done by May 2015. Please share this post and invite anyone with an interest in mental health to the meeting.

Update from the chair: February 2014

February has been a fairly busy month for MHAG, starting off on the 1st with some of the group attending the LGBT event at Redditch Library - having a table at events like this is something we are very keen to do as it enables us to speak to people who either may need to access mental health services but need pointing in the right direction or to those who might be interested in getting on board with MHAG and campaigning for better services. All in all, it was a great networking opportunity for us.

The following week we met with representatives from Redditch Borough Council and the Redditch Community Amateur Boxing Club - the former was to find out more about the events they are hosting throughout the summer. We should have a packed schedule with these events plus our own we are hoping to organise. The latter was to hear more about a new project they're hoping to launch and we have a representative coming to our meeting tomorrow to share some more information about that.

On the 7th, we held our Valentine's Ball which was a great event and saw us raising nearly £500 to add to the funds we started gathering last year. We're really hoping to hit our £5,000 target soon and hopefully the combined efforts of these fund-raising events and our Three Peaks challenge will get us much nearer that total!

We've also met with Jestaminute who have some great ideas about Wellbeing Week (to be revealed at our March MHAG) and some of our members have been busy putting together proposals for a mentoring project - the pilot of which should be ready to launch soon.

To round the month off, we have a representative of the Redditch and Bromsgrove Clinical Commissioning Group coming to talk to us tomorrow at our monthly meeting which will be followed by a talk from some people who've completed the Three Peaks challenge who'll be sharing some top tips.

Harriet.

2014 so far

This year is shaping up to be a busy one for MHAG with the potential launch of a mentoring project to provide ongoing support for residents who have already accessed more short-term help from other services (more on that soon), as well as our Valentine's Ball this Friday at Studley Castle, preparations underway for this October's Wellbeing Week and plenty of other events in between. Last year we touched on the link between wellbeing and physical exercise and some of our members will be truly testing that out when we take on the Three Peaks challenge this August. As well as providing a challenge for those climbing three mountains (Scafell Pike in England, Snowdon in Wales and Ben Nevis in Scotland) in 24 hours, it will hopefully be well supported by the public and help boost our fund-raising for the year. If you'd like to get involved in the challenge it'll be on August 1 and 2 with the option of just climbing Snowdon on the Sunday - there will be a practice of Snowdon on March 9 for those unsure about signing up or wanting to get some mountain-walking hours in early on. Join in by e-mailing redditchmhag@gmail.com or calling Harriet on 07788 379389. Our next meeting will be on Thursday, February 27, at 7pm at Redditch Town Hall when we'll be joined by a representative from the NHS Redditch and Bromsgrove Clinical Commissioning Group to talk about commissioning mental health services in the borough.

2013 review

We spend most of our time looking forward - to the next MHAG event, making plans, sending e-mails about future meetings - but the end of the year provides a welcome opportunity to look back and see the achievements this fairly small group of committed volunteers have already got under their belt just seven months since the formation of the Mental Health Action Group.

If we roll back time to a full year ago, MHAG was simply an idea - a feeling that something more could be done to promote mental health and to help the thousands of people in Redditch alone who need support and may not be able to access it, may not know where to look or may be simply falling through the gaps.

Fast forward to May and we nervously waited at the Town Hall to see whether anyone felt the same as we did. Our first meeting exceeded all expectations, with a good number of both residents and representatives of organisations coming along to share their views - many of whom have remained dedicated MHAG members, getting involved in preparing and volunteering at events, regularly attending meetings to talk about the issues and highlighting key priorities for us going forward.

Very quickly, the need for a support group where people could go regularly to talk to people in a similar situation was highlighted - something taken up by Mary, a public governor for Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Trust who has taken the group forward and seen it grow into weekly meetings (now held at The Space in Winyates) with good attendance. It is heartening to hear so many of the attendees having had positive experiences, both in the meetings and outside for example by beginning to volunteer.

In October, we held Redditch's first ever Wellbeing Week which saw hundreds of residents take part in various events, from a quiz, two day Advice Shop in the Kingfisher Centre and health and fitness day at the Abbey Stadium to those hosted by organisations including SureStart, Sandycroft, Bromford Support and Your Ideas. To have so many people engaging with us and so many organisations (more than 25) involved in promoting the need for conversations and action surrounding mental health was fantastic and it's something we're very keen to repeat (and improve on) in 2014.

The end of December saw us spend two days over a weekend before Christmas handing out a total of 900 leaflets to shoppers which contained information about mental health, family life, debt and various other support sources which hopefully will have proved helpful to residents struggling over the festive period. It is great to start 2014 having had such a successful 2013 and we already have a number of events in the pipeline which will enable us to have more conversations about mental health, reach more people and to hopefully improve the lives of those suffering with various issues in the borough.

This is a good time to say a heartfelt thank you to every single person involved in MHAG throughout 2013 - those people who have attended our events and engaged with what we have to say, those who have come along to our monthly meetings and those who have taken time out of their busy schedules to talk to us about what their organisation does. A huge thank you goes to our working group who attend extra meetings each month, always come with ideas to help improve MHAG and go above and beyond to keep it going.

I have said before that the main benefit in my eyes of MHAG is the willingness and ability of our members to talk openly about mental health - an issue so often swept under the carpet, stigmatised or simply overlooked. There is a long way to go until mental health is considered on the same level as physical health but by talking about it as openly as we would talk about any other ailment, illness or condition, we can help break down those barriers and make Redditch a place which doesn't discriminate against or turn its back on those who are often the most vulnerable in society. It is idealistic to think we can change the world but if we can make a difference in our town then it is more than worth it.

Thank you,
Harriet.

Christmas and New Year support and services

Early Help

Families with children under 19 can call 0800 085 8106 free for help and advice. There will be an answering machine on the number from December 24th to 27th but on any other weekday the phone will be manned from 9am to 4pm.

Children's Centres opening times:

Cherry Trees, Batchley First school (01527 592675) - 23rd 1pm to 3pm SALT, 27th 9am to 1pm antenatal, 30th 1pm to 3.30pm My Time, 31st 9am to 1pm antenatal, 2nd 9am to 1pm antenatal.

Holly Trees, St Stephen's First School (01527 61360) - 23rd 9am to 1pm paediatric clinic 1pm to 4.30pm antenatal, 30th 9am to 1pm antenatal, 31st 9am to 1pm My Time, 2nd 9am to 1pm antenatal, 3rd 12.30pm to 2.30pm quit smoking drop-in.

Maple Trees, Roman Way First School (01527 503200) - 24th 9am to 1pm antenatal, 31st 9am to 1pm antenatal, 2nd 1pm to 3pm My Time.

Oak Trees, Oak Hill First School (01527 517185) - 23rd 9am to 1pm antenatal, 30th morning baby bistro and antenatal clinic, 2nd morning My Time.

Willow Trees, Church Hill Community Centre (01527 65668) - 23rd 12.30pm to 2.30pm quit smoking drop-in, 30th 12.30pm to 2.30pm quit smoking drop-in, 31st afternoon My Time, 2nd 10am to 12pm CHC, 1pm to 5pm antenatal.

Woodlands at Woodrow First School (01527 517935) - 23rd 9am to 1pm antenatal 11am to 1pm contact 1.30pm to 3pm CHC, 31st 9am to 12.30pm antenatal, 9am to 11pm My Time, 1.30 to 3 CHC, 2nd 9am to 2pm antenatal, 3rd afternoon quit smoking drop-in.

Headgym

The festive season can be a challenging time. If you are suffering with anxiety, stress, depression, addiction issues, weight problems, relationship difficulties, low self esteem or lacking in confidence, call 07768 920752 or e-mail info@headgym.co.uk for a free consultation 24hr call back.

Headgym use up to date NLP and hypnotherapy techniques to help you overcome issues and make the changes you want.

Nightstop

Nightstop and Churches Together in Redditch will be offering a daytime shelter to those in our community who are lonely and isolated, have no family of their own and no one to share Christmas with. We will offer a welcoming place where they will receive warmth and kindness, recreation and refreshment, care and compassion. We would like to stress that those eligible to attend the day centre need to be clients who ‘are most in need’ – those that are alone and isolated at a time when other services close down.

The provision is for individual adults only and we do not have any facilities for families with children. Any individual under the age of 18 who might turn up at the day centre will be referred to children’s services. The day centre will be located at The Ecumenical Centre, 6 Evesham Walk, Redditch B97 4EX and will open at 10 am on Monday 23rd December through to and including Thursday 2nd January 2014.

The centre will operate from 10 am to 6 pm and will provide guests with refreshments throughout the day, a hot lunch and activities to participate in. The centre will be managed by a day centre manager with the support of a team of volunteers. For more information please contact Ben on 0788 7777 692.

Oasis Christian Centre

Redditch Food Bank will be open at Oasis Christian Centre on Monday 23rd 10am to 2pm, Friday 27th 1pm to 4pm and Monday 30th 10am to 2pm.

Redditch Borough Council

Redditch Town Hall is open on the 23rd and 30th and then back open as normal (9am to 5pm) from January 2nd.

Batchley, Woodrow and Winyates One Stop Shops are closed from 5pm on the 23rd and reopen on the 2nd.

For emergency action including homelessness, call 01527 67666.

Redditch MHAG

Christmas meeting – Thursday 19^th December

7pm Redditch Town Hall

Come along and find out more about the group, our plans for 2014 and meet organisations who support residents in the borough.

Redditch Mental Health Action Group is a voluntary group made up of residents with personal experiences of mental health issues and organisations which support residents within the borough. We meet on the last Thursday of each month at Redditch Town Hall at 7pm.

We are planning to host a number of fund-raising and awareness raising activities during 2014 including the town's second ever Wellbeing Week following on from the success of the first held in October this year.

Samaritans 

08457 909090
jo@samaritans.org

Sandycroft

Sandycroft will be holding their mental health support group from 12pm to 2pm on Friday, December 27th. All are welcome.

Support Group

Mary Jones is available to speak to residents needing support over the holidays - call 07989 154258.

Two Pennies

Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust

Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust is the main provider of NHS mental health services within the county. In order to meet the needs of those people with mental health difficulties in Worcestershire, the trust provides a range of services from inpatient care and intensive home support to primary care mental health services working closely with GPs and, where appropriate, helps people back into employment. Services are available for both adults and children, mainly via referral from a GP. Visit www.hacw.nhs.uk for more information about the trust and the services it provides.

Sharing information about services and support

Our event over the weekend saw us handing out 900 leaflets to shoppers in Redditch town centre to let them know about a whole host of services and support available to them over the festive period. As ever, it was concerning to hear there are people suffering who don't know what support is out there - and that's something we're hoping to rectify in 2014 as we plan even more events and hopefully reach out to as many residents as possible.

Thank you to all of the people who took the time to stop and speak to us - especially those who told us they came into the town centre just to find out about us. And a massive thank you as ever to all of our volunteers - including a total of seven helpers from Redditch Early Help over the two days, Rob and Sue from Samaritans, support group leader Mary, Neil from Headgym and Brian and Rhiannon Warwick.

 Don't forget, our last meeting of the year starts art 7pm on Thursday (December 19) at the Town Hall. All are welcome.

We'll be sharing the information about services and support on here in the next couple of days so do look out for it or e-mail us on redditchmhag@gmail.com for more information.

Busy times ahead of Christmas

Here at MHAG we're not quite ready to wind down for Christmas yet and instead have a very busy week ahead raising funds and awareness. Our own event runs from 10am to 3pm on Saturday and Sunday (December 14th and 15th) where we'll have information and representatives of borough organisations on hand in the town centre (Church Green area) to let people know about what services and support are available over Christmas. If you'd like any more information and are around in the town centre at the weekend make sure to pop over and have a chat - we'll be wearing our new MHAG t-shirts for the first time so we should be easy to spot!

Our final MHAG meeting of the year will take place on Thursday, December 19th. It'll be much more light-hearted than our normal meetings and we'll be using it as an opportunity to look back over the year's events and enjoy a mince pie or two. Existing and potential members are all invited to join us at the Town Hall at 7pm.

Update from the chair: November 2013.

November may have looked very quiet compared to the buzz surrounding October and Wellbeing Week in particular, but rest assured we have been very busy behind the scenes progressing MHAG and trying to ensure we start 2014 in the best possible position to further the aims of the group.

One of the things we're increasingly keen to do is formalise the group's structure, which would see us have a constitution and eventually applying to become a charitable organisation. We think that will put us in a much stronger position in terms of being able to fund-raise for projects in the town and also as a pressure group. So lots of the work this month has been about researching what the best way forward would be, thinking about how we can raise the money required to take on charity status and putting together a constitution.

However, we want to keep taking action whilst all that work is ongoing - MHAG definitely isn't about sitting round discussing options and never getting anything done - so we've been putting together an event in December which will see us going out into the town centre letting residents know what extra support is available to them if they encounter issues over Christmas. It's one of the key times of the year where people can feel especially vulnerable so hopefully we will be able to point a few people in the direction of a service they might need. Myself and vice-chair Rebecca did a similar thing last December with Samaritans which was well received so hopefully this year with a whole host of organisations on board it will be even more of a positive event. If you'd like to volunteer to help us out for an hour or so on either Saturday 14th or Sunday 15th please do let us know.

There's also lots of planning going on for our 2014 events, we're keeping them under wraps at the moment while the details are decided on but we should be able to start letting you know soon! It's exciting to know we have nearly a whole year of events before we even get to Wellbeing Week 2014 - we've got a range of things going on so there should be something for everyone, fingers crossed!

Key dates for December:
14th and 15th - Town centre leaflet hand out, highlighting services available for residents over Christmas.
19th - Our last MHAG meeting of the year, this will be an informal one so mince pies, a chat and a chance to reflect on 2013 and look forward to 2014!

Harriet.

Reminder: our November meeting

Our November meeting will take place at the same time and place as usual (7pm at Redditch Town Hall) this Thursday (November 28). We welcome members old and new - anyone can come along, whether they're an individual with an interest in mental health or someone who works or volunteers for an organisation which supports residents. We mainly focus on identifying services and potential gaps within those services, tackling stigma and fund-raising ideas.

If you're someone who's struggling with your mental health who would like a relaxed, welcoming environment to spend a couple of hours in each week, the support group runs every Thursday at 11am.

Details for both the action group and the support group are available here. (Click here for more about the support group or here for more about the action group).