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.

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.

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.

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).

Coverage of our December event

Stories about our December event are now up on the websites of both local papers -
 

Redditch Standard

 

Redditch Advertiser

If you'd like to volunteer for an hour or so during the event please let us know, alternatively if you'd like some information about services and support over the Christmas period, we'll be in the Church Green area from 10am to 3pm on Saturday, December 14th, and Sunday, December 15th.

MHAG, the story so far:

The idea of MHAG was first discussed by chair Harriet and vice-chair Rebecca towards the end of 2012. We had been working alongside the Make A Difference group for a few months with the aim of getting action taken on the Bromsgrove Highway bridge where two men had tragically lost their lives that summer, sadly already a location where others had previously taken their lives. We both felt, whilst we wanted to continue supporting Make A Difference, there was also a huge need in the borough for a focus on mental health as a whole. We decided to host a meeting at the end of May 2013 and invite along members of the public, as well as organisations with an interest.

To our delight we had many more people there than we expected, all of whom had their own story to tell which they were more than happy to do in such an open forum. It felt like a real step forward in terms of the stigma surrounding mental health, something we are determined to do our bit to erode. Everyone had something to say about how they felt services should be organised, where they felt there were gaps in provision and how mental health had affected their life - which made us all the more certain a group needed to be formed in order to be a voice for people with mental health issues who are some of the most vulnerable in our town.

Since then we have held monthly meetings focusing on aspects of mental health our members tell us are most important to them - for example concerns were raised about the police having to deal with those in crisis unable to access other sources of help so we invited Insp Ian Joseph from West Mercia Police to one of our meetings to answer members' questions. Through the meetings and visits to various organisations we are starting to build up a picture of what support is out there and not only where there may be gaps in services but also what could potentially be done to fill those gaps.

It is equally as important to us to get mental health at the forefront of people's minds and talked about on an equal basis to physical health. The first major event we organised was the town's first Wellbeing Week in October to coincide with World Mental Health Day. We hosted a two day Advice Shop in the Kingfisher Centre where residents could find out more about more than 25 organisations, a quiz on WMHD itself and a Feel Good Revolution event focused on the benefits of exercise and healthy living, as well as a 12-hour fund-raising bikeathon. Sandycroft Centre, SureStart, Bromford Support and Your Ideas hosted events in conjunction with Wellbeing Week and YMCA and Birchensale Middle School also got on board with creating displays for the week.

At our very first meeting it was suggested a support group should be put in place to ensure people had a place to go if they needed some help and a chat with those in similar situations. One of our members Mary agreed to run this group, which has been going since June and meets weekly.

We are now looking to progress the organisation by formalising our constitution and expanding throughout 2014, with a number of fund-raising and awareness raising events on the horizon in the very near future.

Redditch MHAG