South Staffordshire Network for Mental Health 01543 301139 www.ssnmentalhealth.co.uk

facebook.com/ssnmentalhealth twitter:@ssnmentalhealth

P.11 Social inclusion and recovery service WEST

P.12 Keeping well in winter

P.13 Keeping well in Winter

P.14 Keeping well in Winter

P.15 SURF

P.16 Work 4 you

P.17 Seeds of Hope

P.18 Service member corner

P.19 Information Directory

P.20 Notices

INSIDE THIS EDITION... P.2 Keri’s Mumblings

P.2 Lyn Blurb

P.3 Life On The Open Road - Gemma Giles

P.4 Volunteers

P.5 Crisis prevention advert

P.6 Direct Payment Summary

P.7 Care Person Planning Workshop information

P.8 Toolbox Update

P.8 Big Lottery Funded Toolbox Project

P. 10 Social Inclusion & Recovery Service EAST

N E T W O R K N E W S

Issue 61 Winter 2016

News for people with an interest in

mental health across South Staffordshire

2

In this edition I've added a ‘keeping well in winter’

section, please go check it out and let us know if

you tried any.

Its been a busy few months here at the Network and

we hope you like the new look of the Network news,

we have listened to your ideas and requests then

tried to build it around what you wanted and

hopefully it has paid off. If you do like the new

look please let us know. Kind regards from the

temporary editor.

Gemma Merry Christmas from the staff, volunteers and trustees here at the Network.

Welcome to our festive edition of Network News. We

have taken on board your feedback received regarding

our Network News and hope that you like the new

layout. If you would like to submit an article or ideas,

please send them to us at:

editor@ssnmentalhealth.co.uk

As you all are aware Keri has now left SSNMH and is

enjoying pastures new. I hope you all agree that we

wish him all the best for his future endeavours. Under

the new Social Inclusion and Recovery Services is the

Recovery Hub, a consortium of services in the West

(Please see P11). In the East we have Together for

Mental Wellbeing (Please see 10) both services have

been in place since 1st November 2016. Please do give

us feedback on the new services; as they really do want

to hear your voice to implement change. You can do this

by talking to our team by completing an Improving

Customer Service (ICE), or a Care And

Recovery Evaluations (CARE) or we can

provide Mediation, if needed. Our Big Lottery

Fund Toolbox service was launched on World

Mental Health day 10.10.16 in conjunction with SSNMH

Recovery Conference “Your Voice” and Stafford

Council. Over 70 delegates attended this event at

Oddfellows Hall in Stafford. There was a practical

demonstration in completing a Toolbox assessment

utilising lived experiences or case studies for all those

who wished to take part. The Toolbox team were on

hand to help and assist where needed. The feedback

obtained was that individuals found the event beneficial

as they learnt more about The Big Lottery Funded

Toolbox Service, what this could offer to people and

how user friendly it is. Also there was the opportunity

to network. Check out page 8 for further information

about our Toolbox Service. Take care, Lyn

Well... in the last Network News, I reported

that it would be my last Mumblings as I move

to the Business Manager role... That feels like a

long time ago. With heavy heart I inform you that I have

taken up a position with another charity in a similar role

in Burton On Trent.

I have been a member of staff with SSNMH for

over seven years, as Development Worker,

Project Coordinator and as Operations

Manager. In that time, I have seen some

amazing success stories, and seen a good

number achieve nothing short of miracles

regarding their mental health. I include my own

recovery in saying this. I do truly wish all of our

members all the very best for the future. Keep hope

Keris Goodbye

Lyn’s Blurb Lyn Gould, Operations Manager

lynette.gould@ssnmentalhealth.co.uk

Our new Business Manager Keith will be starting on January 3

rd 2017. We are all

very excited for the New Year and looking forward to Keith becoming part of the Network family.

Hello to Keith

3

Life On The Open Road Gemma Giles, Participation Worker

gemma.giles@ssnmentalhealth.co.uk, 07967 043865

Following the successful publication of Tracey Hackett ’s Equalities Project Report (EQ1) in February 2016, the Trust commissioned SSNMH to undertake further research into equity of service provision. This research began during the latter part of the summer and was initial ly undertaken by Tracey, who used her expertise to get the second Equalities Project (EQ2) underway. However, following Tracey ’s recent appointment as Toolbox Worker, responsibi l ity for bringing EQ2 to completion has been passed to me. With the help of Trust staff, Support Staffordshire, Age UK, the YMCA and

various service user groups, I ’ve been able to gain the views of service users. I ’m now midway through collating and analysing all collected data in order to produce a final report. Undertaking this work has taken me further on my own learning journey, which began with my Social Work Practice placement with SSNMH, organised as part of my MA study with the University of Derby.

Nicola Timmis

Equalities Project Worker

Equality Project Nicola Timmis

As many of you are aware a lot of change has come the Networks way with Keri leaving, new staff and projects arriving and the social inclusion contracts starting on November 1st so I’ve been very busy in the Network office. I am not the greatest when it comes to change as it takes me a while to adjust, but I do enjoy a challenge, so I’ve took that approach and am trying to move forward with new ideas. One of the ideas was designing the annual report as a whiteboard animation (They are often used as a fantastic way to tell stories and communicate messages, as they make images come to life through the action of drawing. This type of video helps viewers better understand and retain the message, idea or concept because it captivates their attention and makes it hard to look away). We showed the video to all who attended our AGM in November and have received brilliant feedback. If you’re curious please go on to our Facebook page and follow the YouTube link. We also

made a mannequin challenge video (YouTube craze) which you can also view following the link on our Facebook page. This time of the year can be quite tough on so many people so we wanted to fill this edition with lots of ideas tips, and life hacks around keeping well in winter, so please take a look and hopefully you find things helpful. Personally I found when researching tips and life hacks that I learnt so much and will be trying many of them myself. So to all of you over this winter period please keep well and safe and use the services if you are struggling and remember you are not alone.

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Volunteers Mike Wetson, Volunteer Representative to the Board of Trustees. Since the last issue of the Network News I have continued to be the ICE Survey Organiser. I have written submissions for this edition of the Newsletter. I have re-joined the Network Nuggets podcast team. I attended the NHS Recovery College launch on behalf of the Network. I have sat on an interview panel at the Network. I have worked in the office doing Office Support on a regular basis. I have collected a cheque for over £400 from Waitrose on behalf of the Network. I also received a cheque for £500 from the Lillie Johnson Charitable Trust. I have been busy collecting raffle prizes including a lovely hamper from Messrs Nestles for our Quiz night which was in November. In the New Year I am looking forward to becoming the CARES Survey Organiser. I have arranged a Christmas lunchtime meal for the Network in December. I also interview Network members checking details on their Participation plans. I also regularly chair the volunteer Network meetings.

Trudy Jones, Involvement Champion

I have been helping in the office updating the volunteer activity logs onto the database. I have also looked at the new Your Voice leaflets which should be coming out shortly. I have been helping Naila with Toolbox promotion. I am also your YOUR VOICE member representative.

Lucie Marson, TOOLBOX volunteer

Over the last couple of months I've been getting to grips with the Toolbox project, I'm looking at the best way to promote it around Lichfield to reach as many people the service would benefit and how to do this effectively. I look forward to the new year when I'm hoping after promoting the project to be confident enough to do the appointments.

AGM and Volunteer Awards

On the 22nd November 2016 we held our Annual

General Meeting where the members re-elected Bob

Attwood as Chair , Maureen Turfrey as Vice Chair and

Tony Guest as Treasurer for another year.

This year we wanted to celebrate our volunteers as they

work incredibly hard to empower you, our members. All

our volunteers received an “Empowering the

Community” certificate for their dedication. Mike

Wetson, Shaun Cartwright and Trudy Jones received

special awards, Mike received an award for “Inspiring

Recovery and Achievements”. This award not only

recognised his personal journey but his journey with the

Network. Shaun received an award for “Going Above

and Beyond” and we recognised with his work in the

Toolbox project and always being a big help to Sian.

Trudy received the award for her work on the “Safe

Space” project. Trudy chairs the meetings attended by

“professionals” and controls the room brilliantly.

Well done to all our volunteers who give us

their time and dedication.

You can find the AGM report on our website.

FOOD BANKS

At this time of the year many struggle to feed their

families and the food banks run out of essential

things . If you are able to help please donate to any of

the foodbank containers found in any Tesco, CO-OP

and One-Stop. Please find below the list of all items

they are in need of.

Tinned vegetables

Sponge pudding

Tinned meat (pies)

Baby wipes

Baby formula

Biscuits

Coffee

If you are finding it difficult this winter please get in

touch with your local food bank.

5

6

Thank you to all who promoted this survey and to all our members who filled it in and sent it back to us.

I’m now in the process of building the report and wanted to update you all with a summary of my results.

In October I ran a small direct payments focus group to try and

capture what people are finding difficult when it comes to not only

understanding direct payments but also applying for them and the

process this involves.

I found people within the focus group had the same issues as what

I was identifying within the completed surveys. The main concern I

could see was the process taking months, all who completed the survey had experiences of delays over 12

weeks minimum.

I will be moving forward with the following recommendations Better communication through jargon free guides and leaflets.

A clear pathway guide so people can see what stage they are at throughout the

long process.

Direct Payment Summary Report by Gemma Giles

“IVE BEEN WAITING 7 MONTHS

ALREADY!! AND NO ONE TELLS YOU ANYTHING? IT’S SO STRESS-

FUL”

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8

Mike Wetson

Safe Space Stand

Toolbox Project Worker – Naila Ahmed

This quarter I have been out and about

meeting and networking with lots of

organisations in and around Burton on

Trent, Uttoxeter, Tamworth and

Cannock. I have attended meetings with

Managers, and have been invited to

attend many team meetings to talk

about our exciting Toolbox project and

the ways in which I can work with other

organisations in the area to support

services users better. Thank you so

much for all the organisations that have

invited me to talk about and promote

our project. I am looking forward to

working with you all in the New Year.

In September I was invited to attend and

have a display at the Health and

Wellbeing Information Event at Anglesey

Primary School in Burton on Trent. In

November I have attended the Helping

Hands Networking Event in Rugeley, and

ran bite size Toolbox workshops in

Burton on Trent at the Building Resilient

Families and Communities

Understanding Mental Health Event.

I am really looking forward to any new

referrals – so if you know anyone who

may benefit from the Toolbox Service,

or if you would just like to try it and find

out what it is about, please get in touch

with our team on the number below.

I am also looking to recruit local

volunteers and use their expertise to

promote Toolbox and to deliver one to

one Toolbox sessions in the following

areas: Tamworth District, Cannock

Chase and East Staffordshire. If you are

interested in volunteering for Toolbox or

know anyone who is, please get in

touch.

Toolbox Referrals:

toolboxreferral@ssnmentalhealth.co.uk

or you can email me directly for further

information on:

naila.ahmed@ssnmentalhealth.co.uk

Office Telephone: 01543 301139

Toolbox Project Worker– Sian West

I’m really enjoying being part of the

Toolbox team and meeting with people

out and about in the community. My

patches are Stafford District and the

Northern end of South Staffs District and

it is extremely rewarding to see first-

hand how Toolbox is having such a

significant impact in people’s lives.

This impact is three-fold: Immediately, during the Toolbox appointment, as people discover improved self-awareness of their own well-being, support network and services in their community; At three weeks to have time to reflect on how the Toolbox appointment has positively impacted on their day to day well-being; At 3 months when the self-help techniques, use of helplines and other services have enabled the positive impact of Toolbox to prove keeping emotionally well sustainable.

In a nutshell - Toolbox works and can be life-changing for those who are willing to embrace its self-empowering way of working.

I’m also really enjoying working in partnership with Shaun, who’s a fantastic Toolbox volunteer. Since coming to the Network in June, Shaun has gone from stationary to motoring in a very short period of time and is now out and about confidently delivering Toolbox in the Stafford area. Shaun has just received a trophy at the Network’s volunteer awards for ‘’Going above and beyond’’, which sums up his work as a Toolbox volunteer beautifully. I’m also looking forward to working with Mandy who is currently going through the volunteer Induction programme and will be actively working as a Stafford Toolbox volunteer in the New Year.

If you’re interested in volunteering for the Network, in any one of the roles available, please get in touch as we’d

love to hear from you.

SSNMH Office: 01543 301139, myself:

07494 273175 or

sian.west@ssnmentalhealth.co.uk

Toolbox Project Worker—Tracey

Hi everyone! I can’t believe how quickly

the time is flying! I’m absolutely loving

the Toolbox project and I really feel that

the project is building and word is

getting ‘out’ about this fantastic service.

Donna is doing a brilliant job and seeing

clients around once a week in Lichfield

District and now Lucie will be promoting

it in the District. She will be visiting G.P

surgeries, community centres etc and

telling everyone about it. Hopefully, we

will then be inundated with clients

wanting appointments and Lucie will

start taking appointments too.

I’m relatively new to the South of the

district and I have now had 3 Toolbox

appointments which is a great start but

I’m keen to build on this and see lots

more people. I have attended a meeting

with all of the GP’s and practice

managers that cover the south to

promote the service and have started

making some great links with other

agencies. Look out for us on the

Staffordshire Cares and The Goodlife

website and please give us a call or send

us an email if you would like an

appointment. I’m thrilled to say we

have Sarah coming back to volunteer for

us and she will be completing Toolboxes

in the South so things are really going

well. Welcome back Sarah!

I really am so incredibly grateful to our

volunteers for everything they do and to

say we would struggle without them is

an understatement!

tracey.hackett@ssnmentalhealth.co.uk

or call me on 07494 273179

9

The Staffordshire Mental Health Helpline, a free and confidential telephone service that offers support to people who have concerns about their mental health, will be open for longer over Christmas.

The Helpline provides a listening service 365 days a year, where you can talk through concerns safely and confidentially, exploring options available and offering emotional support where needed.

During the Christmas period the Helpline will be

open Monday to Friday 7pm-2am, and Saturday

and Sunday 2pm-2am with extended opening

hours on the two bank

holiday Mondays over the Christmas period, Monday 26th December and Monday 2nd January, open from 2pm-2am (weekend opening hours) to provide extra support over the festive period.

The service operates evenings and weekends when most other mainstream mental health services are closed. It is free to contact the Helpline from landlines, call boxes and mobile networks, and there is no set limit to call duration. Customers can contact the helpline during opening hours by phone, text, email or instant messaging through Brighter Futures

website:www.brighter-futures.org.uk

The Helpline also operates a ‘Ring-Out’ service from Friday to Sunday inclusive (professional referral required), where the Helpline calls you. This service is suitable for anyone who feels they would benefit from further or long term support.

A ‘Support Call’ service is also

available from the Helpline. This

is a one week at a time service ,

offering a call each evening for

up to a week for someone who

is experiencing difficulties,

stresses or worries at present. A

referral from a healthcare

professional is required for this

service.

Mental Health Helpline

10

Social Inclusion and Recovery Services From November 2016

.

New mental health service opens doors in Tamworth, Lichfield and East

Staffordshire

A new mental health support service is now available to people living in Tamworth,

Lichfield and East Staffordshire. Mental health charity Together for Mental Wellbeing is

offering a range of support and activities via the new service, which uses its Your Way

model of flexible, person-centred community support.

The service will work alongside people to improve their mental wellbeing by tackling

things like loneliness, debt, getting active and contributing to the local community. It will

offer one-to-one support, activity groups and peer support, where people use their own

experiences of mental health problems to help others.

Your Way puts particular emphasis on making sure people choose how they are support-

ed and what goals they want to work towards. Peer support is a central part of what the

service offers and Together provides extensive training and support for its Peer Support-

ers.

Together has 12 Your Way services across England and each works alongside people to

identify and achieve goals that are important to them, and help them become more in-

dependent. The charity also makes sure there are opportunities for people using the ser-

vices to shape and influence how they are run.

Emma Edwards of Together for Mental Wellbeing said: “Your Way has had a huge

amount of success supporting people to build the confidence, skills and networks they

need to stay well. We look forward to working with people in Staffordshire to improve

their wellbeing and support them to live the life they want to lead.”

For more information, call 01543 309 770 or email staffordshire-yourway@together-

uk.org.

11

The Recovery Hub covers

Cannock, Stafford,

Rugeley and South

Staffordshire area.

How can we help? Living

with a mental health condition

can be overwhelming at times.

The Recovery Hub is here to help

you break down the barriers

preventing you from living a

fulfilled and independent life.

Once you access The Recovery

Hub we will create a recovery star

to help us to understand where

you are now and where you wish

to be. From this we will explore

your short and long term goals

and work together to develop a

personalised recovery plan. Our

recovery workers and volunteers

will then work with you to

achieve your goals and

aspirations. Support is provided in

community venues as and when

you need us. We provide One

to one support No one should

face mental illness alone. We

believe it is important to be

around people who understand

what you are going through,

which is why your mental health

recovery worker will be with you

every step of the way, providing

one to one support throughout

your recovery.

Peer support groups We

believe recovering from a mental

health condition is much easier

when you have people you can

rely on for encouragement. We

will provide you with

opportunities to develop

friendships and hobbies through

peer led activities such as:

walking groups, allotment

associations, cinema groups, arts

and much more.

Safe space sessions Safe

space sessions are the perfect

place to meet others in a similar

situation to you. They are drop in

sessions where we will provide

you with emotional support,

advice and information as well as

signpost you to the support you

need. There will also be sessions

running to help you tackle the

most common barriers to success,

including: anxiety, low self-

esteem and leant behaviours.

Safe space sessions will also

include programmes aimed at

addressing: • anxiety

• poor self confidence

• low self esteem

• poor sleep patterns

• poor motivation

• learnt institutional, or ritualistic

behaviours

• improving social skills

• identifying and using “safe”

locations in the community

• employment support

……………………………………………………

Support Helpline The support

helpline is a 24/7 telephone

support service open 365 days of

the year for service users and

carers accessing The Recovery

Hub. Trained counsellors offer

non-judgemental emotional,

psychological and motivational

support, signposting and practical

advice and guidance by means of

telephone, text, online chat and/

or email. The helpline offers each

person a 20 minute phone call

everyday and is a free phone

number from both landline and

mobiles. The helpline covers

Stafford, Cannock and South

Staffordshire. Telephone

number: 0800 0130 626

How do I access the service?

You can self-refer to the service

or you can be referred by your

GP, local Job Centre Plus or oth-

er supporting agencies T 01785

887 813

TheRecovery.HubStaffordshire

@makingspace.co.uk

12

Keeping well in Winter

WINTER LIFE HACKS Water bottles can be very handy not only to warm up your bed but try putting your PJ’s on top

of the water bottle to warm them up before you put them on.

When you finish cooking, open the oven door to take as much advantage of the heat as possi-

ble.

Electric blankets use very little energy. If you plan to stay in one place for a while, curl up with

one to save energy.

Use tin foil behind your radiator, space heater, or heating vents to reflect heat back into the

house.

Remember if you have curtains, tuck them behind your radiator not hang them in front to keep

the heat in the room not escape behind the curtain.

Have you cooked a whole chicken lately? Don’t toss the bones! Instead, add them to a pot of

boiling water with some vegetable scraps and let them boil themselves into oblivion (basically).

At the end, you’ll have one really, really tasty (and cheap!) chicken stock or broth!

We all have old Christmas cards lying around that we never sent or that we received. Why

not cut out the pretty parts and use them to make homemade gift tags? You’ll save money by

not having to buy them and you’ll be re-purposing an old item for a new use!

Light bulbs - Replace your old-fashioned with more energy

efficient alternatives. This could save the average household

around £35 per year on their bulbs.

Washing machine & dryer - Rather than just

washing a few items at a time, put a full load on,

and when possible use a more energy efficient

setting of 40°C or even 30°C.

A little message from our Toolbox volunteer Lucie around keeping well at Christmas

Don't get hung up on what Christmas is supposed to be like and how you’re supposed to feel. Put less

pressure on it to be "perfect" give yourself a gift by being in the "present" and making memories. I can

sometimes get "wrapped" up into making sure everyone has a good time and forget about myself....

13

Keep in the warm…

Draft excluders are a great

way to retain heat in a

room, and they are easy to

make if you don’t want to

buy one.

Do you have an old long

sleeve top? Cut off the arms

sew up the one end, fill with

rice then sew up the open-

ing and there you have your

very own draft excluder.

HELPFUL WEBSITES

FREECYCLE.ORG

Vouchercodes.com

Homediscount.co.uk

Energysavingtrust.org.uk

Moneysavingexpert.co.uk

Heating - Try turning down your thermostat by 1 degree. Do you really notice the difference? It can be a big money saver.

Keeping well in Winter

General appliances - Now this is one many of us are

guilty of - leaving appliances on standby. When you

leave the house, or before you go to bed, turn off TV’s,

Stereo’s, computers, and any other items that don’t

need to stay on. This could save around £30 a year.

Distraction techniques

Listen to some music that you find relaxing or mood

lifting.

Trying writing your own song or a

poem.

Doodle, draw or colour pictures.

Try a self portrait or a cartoon portrait.

Colour in an adult colouring book or

design your own colouring book.

Have a relaxing bubble bath.

Read a book.

Try a bit of meditation or yoga.

Write down how you are feeling then screw the paper up

and throw it away.

14

A little message from our Toolbox Worker

Tracey about keeping well at Christmas.

If feeling blue try listening to happy music

and watching films, getting involved in

something to help others and

remembering, it’s just one day.

Keeping well in Winter

Muffin Pizzas recipe

Slice muffins in half.

Top each one with a couple of spoons of tomato

sauce or chopped tomatoes and a handful of grat-

ed cheese with other toppings of your choice.

This could be chopped onion, spring onion, sliced

cooked sausage, ham, bacon, salami, mushrooms-

anything you might have on a pizza.

Sprinkle with oregano or a few mixed herbs- fresh

or dried.

Bake for about 20mins at 180 degrees or Gas mark

4 until the cheese is melted and golden brown.

This recipe is good for using up leftovers – the odd

rasher of bacon or cooked sausage, ends of cheese,

half an onion etc.!

Thankyou to

WELLIES for the

recipe

CHICKEN SOUP RECIPE Carcass and bones from one 4- to 5-pound roast chicken. 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth 2 medium carrots, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds 2 celery stalks, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices 1 medium onion, chopped 1 bay leaf 1/2 cup white rice 2 tablespoons chopped parsley Salt Put the bones and carcass from a

leftover chicken (they can be in pieces) in a large pot. Cover with the broth and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, re-duce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Skim any foam or fat from the broth with a ladle as necessary.

Remove the bones and carcass with tongs or a slotted spoon; set aside to cool. Add the carrots, celery, on-ion and bay leaf to the broth, bring back to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are about half cooked (they will still have resistance when tested with a knife but be somewhat pliable when bent), about 10 minutes. Stir in the rice (to keep it from sticking to the bottom), and cook until the grains are just al dente, 10 to 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, when the carcass and bones are cool enough to handle, pick off the meat, and shred it into bite-size pieces.

When the rice is done, add the meat to the broth and simmer until warmed through, about 1 minute. Stir in the parsley, and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste. Serve hot.

15

The Team

16

Keri & Julie

Making Space Work4You IPS Employment Service

Making Space Work4You employment service

covers Staffordshire (excluding Stoke on Trent) to

enable individuals who have or have had a mental

health diagnosis, to gain and retain the type of paid

work they choose to have. Paid work can build your

self-esteem, give you independence and make a

real difference to your wellbeing – all things which

help you to enjoy everyday life. For many reasons,

people with mental health issues find it difficult to

engage in employment opportunities.Work4You

service aims to address these problems so, if you

would like to have paid work, full time, part time or

help setting up your own business, we can help

you to gain the type of work you would like.

You will have a named Mental Health Employment

Advisor who will arrange to meet you at a location

in your local community. We will work in

partnership with you and tailor

our service to suit your needs.

Good news I now have my dream job “I was referred to the Work 4 You service by my

CPN whom I have been working closely with since

I had to leave work due to stress and anxiety. This

was an extremely difficult period in my life.

I then met with my Mental Health Employment

Advisor and he listened to me and my story and

showed me a huge amount of empathy and

understanding in my concerns about returning to

work. My advisor asked what my dream job was.

My answer was quite simple “Where I am the

happiest is when I’m around animals.” My advisor

then asked me what type of animals? My reply

was “dogs.” We then targeted my CV and

included the current evening course I was doing

which was Dog Grooming. My advisor helped me

apply for a vacancy in a dog grooming parlour.

After going through the whole interview process,

and with the close support from my advisor giving

me the confidence to believe in myself again I am

now very proud to say my job role is “Stylist

Assistant” within the dog grooming parlour”.

“I was referred to the Work4You service by my

support worker at Talent Match. I felt quite

nervous about meeting with my advisor but he

soon made me feel at ease and so my journey

began. We immediately started talking about

work and more importantly the type of job I am

going to be happy in. I would be really happy

being a Home Shopper for a supermarket. We

job searched for the role and sure enough a

position was advertised. My CV was sent and

about a week later I was invited to the first stage

of the interview process which I completed

successfully and again with the second stage. I

was offered the job and started on the following

Sunday. I am so pleased to now be in work doing

the job of my choice and what makes all the

difference is that I am still getting all the ‘in work’

support I need from my Work4You advisor”.

‘I am doing the work of

my choice’

17

Beaudesert Care Farm CIC formed in December 2015 to carry on the work of the Seeds of Hope Programme from the GrowWell/ Beaudesert Park Farm partnership.

We provide eco-therapy on a care farm in Longdon, utilising therapeutic community principles. Seeds of Hope has continued on a fortnightly basis to support people with a mental health diagnosis to gain confidence, skills and with support, enabling them to move forward into vocational activities.

We have added a fortnightly walking group in partnership with Chase Fit, Walking for Health, where our members enjoy a walk at Chase water, with our group of past and present members of Seeds of Hope. We will be continuing all of this in the New Year with the help of Support Staffordshire and hope to run more programmes in the future.

We are currently taking new referrals for the Tuesday sessions. Please contact Lorraine on 07724591568 for further information.

Seeds Of Hope

SSNMH FUNDRAISING UPDATE

Mike Wetson and I have been working raising the pro-

file of the Network since November 2015 when I hand-

ed over the reins of the Network to Bob Attwood,

Chair of the Trustee Board. He wished us to put the

‘FUN’ back into ‘FUNDRAISING’ and this we have

attempted to do.

In fact our first attempt at Fundraising didn’t take

place until June of 2016 – so we are delighted to re-

port that between June and November of this year an

amount of £2,193 has been raised to benefit our mem-

bers & people in South Staffordshire with an interest in

mental health.

This was raised as follows:-

June 2016 - A quiz was held at Curborough Community

Centre on Saturday 29th June raising £270 – not bad for

a first attempt.

August 2016 - Soroptimist International of Lichfield

held an event ‘Tea in the Orchard’ on 16th August & we

received £500 from their fundraising efforts. Addition-

ally in August the Waitrose store in Lichfield selected

the Network to be one of three organisations to bene-

fit from a pot of £1,000 – the shoppers in store voted

& we received £410.

September 2016 - On 23rd September our own Gemma

Giles, did a sponsored Fun Run at Himley Hall, King-

swinford & nominated the Network to benefit from

her efforts & this added a further £103 to the kitty.

October & November 2016 – A donation of £500 was

received from the Lillie Johnson Charitable Trust; a

personal donation of £20; and a quiz, again at

Curborough Community Centre on Saturday 26 No-

vember raised a further £390.

Many raffle prizes have been received from various

sources & our thanks go to the following for their as-

sistance in raising monies for SSNMH – J C Bamford;

Tescos; Cental England Co-operative Society; Regency

Hair Salon; Max Spielmann; Arthur Price; Nestle & pri-

vate individuals.

A massive ‘Thank You’ to all of the above - & please

look out for news about forthcoming events - in the

pipeline for 2017 are further quizzes – dates to be con-

firmed.

Pauline Wright – Trustee

Mike Wetson - Volunteer

18

Your Voice Member Corner

Money is not everything

Money is not everything

Just to coin a phrase

But at the present moment

We are going through Black Days

Bargains to be had

There is no time to sleep

With so much to get

We now have to dig deep

Debt and Credit cards are flashed

Across the reader machines

Do we truly see the value?

And what Christmas really means

Mike Wetson

22nd November 2016

Bottom of the pit

At the bottom of the pit with no ladder to get out

Feeling so negative and full of doubt

A big effort required to get up in the morning

This big black cloud arrives without warning

Thoughts of doom and despair in my head

As all the worries lie with me in bed

No solution seems possible that comes to mind

As happiness disappears and words hard to find

Depression can grip the young or the old

And when it bites you feel left out in the cold

No words of comfort can lift my mood

Without any appetite for life or for food

Medication can help but that’s not all

It’s the love and support that prevents the fall

Why we get it no one knows

But some life events are hard and it shows

By Mike Wetson

Picture painted beautifully by Iris Brazier

19

I

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Organisation

Website

Telephone

South Staffordshire Network for Mental Health - Your Voice and Toolbox Hub

www.ssnmentalhealth.co.uk 01543 301 139

The Recovery Hub http://www.makingspace.co.uk/our-services/the-recovery-hub/

01785 887813

Together for Mental Wellbeing

www.together-uk.org Burton - 01283 500 650

Lichfield - 01543 309 770

Carers Association South Staffordshire

www.carersinformation.org.uk 01785 606 675

People Plus Carers Hub carershub@peopleplus.co.uk 0330 123 1937

Brighter Futures Mental Health Helpline

www.brighter-futures.org.uk Tel:0808 800 2234 Text: 07860 022 821

Making Space Work 4 You

www.makingspace.co.uk 01785 887 813

Healthwatch Staffordshire and Community Advocacy

www.healthwatchstaffordshire.co.uk 0800 051 8371

POhWER WWW.pohwer.

Patient and Liaison Advice Service (PALS)

www.sssft.nhs.uk 01785 783 026 Freephone 0800 318 850

Richmond Fellowship Brendan House

www.richmondfellowship.org.uk 01543 899 465

Samaritans Helpline 24hrs

www.samaritans.org 01785 243 333 08457 909 090

Grow Well and Seeds of Hope

www.seedsofhopestaffs.co.uk Support and Referrals 07724 591 568

Cruse Bereavement Helpline

www.cruse.org.uk 08444 779 400

Samaritans Helpline 24hrs www.samaritans.org 01785 243 333 08457 909 090

Prohealth UK www.prohealthuk.org 01543 481036

Starfish Project Tamworth

www.starfishtamworth.org 07947957155

Open Door of Hope Lichfield

Peter: 07971 113 505

Bipolar Groups

www.facebook.com/lichfieldbipolargroup

Lichfield 0845 434 9907 Burton 0845 434 9945 Freephone 0333 3233885

Hugwarts—Wellbeing Arts Stafford, pottery group starting mid October 2016

Email: hugwarts@outlook.com 07487 532777

Directories Brighter Futures Mental Health Directory

www.staffordshirementalhealth.info

Staffordshire Marketplace www.staffordshiremarketplace.co.uk 0300 111 8014

20

NOTICES

Comments, Compliments & Complaints

We are always trying to improve on our great work here at

SSNMH. If you think we can improve on what we do in any

way, this could be regarding the Network News, our visits to

services, the way in which we capture your views or

feedback, or whatever! We would very much welcome your

thoughts.

South Staffordshire Network for Mental Health

Mansell House, 22 Bore Street, Lichfield Staffordshire WS13 6LL

01543 301139

sunetwork@ssnmentalhealth.co.uk

www.ssnmentalhealth.co.uk

Registered Charity: 1097461

Company Ltd by Guarantee: 4693666

Network News is published by SSNMH. The views expressed by

contributors do not necessarily reflect the policies of SSNMH or the

views of the current Board of Trustees. We have gone to lengths to

check the accuracy of contributions and, as far as we know, details

are correct at the time of going to press. Whilst every effort has

been made to check the content of websites mentioned in this

publication, no responsibility can or will be taken by SSNMH for

their content or that of any external links and we reserve the right

to amend contributions for clarity, objectivity and length.

@ssnmentalhealth www.facebook.com/ssnmentalhealth

. Thank you to the team who have helped

with this edition for making Network

News so special!

Contributions for the next issue of Network

News must be received by:

March 2017

The Board of Trustees for SSNMH as of December 2016 Bob Attwood - Chair of the Board of Trustees

Maureen Turfrey - Vice Chair

Tony Guest - Treasurer

Avril Sellick

Pauline Wright

Shelagh McKiernan

Kay Clayton

Christopher Wardle

John McKiernan

The Board of Trustees act as company directors and volunteer their time and skills to:

Contribute to the strategic aims of the organisation.

Make key decisions affecting the financial position of the organisation.

Ensure that the organisational policies and procedures are relevant and comply with all current legislation.

Provide human resource support and lead on all relevant recruitment.

Ensure insurance and legal requirements are met.

Our Website: www.ssnmentalhealth.co.uk

Office Email: sunetwork@ssnmentalhealth.co.uk

Online Surveys:

www.ssnmentalhealth.btck.co.uk/OnlineSurveys

Easy Fundraising: www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/ssnmentalhealth Givey Donation Website: www.givey.com/ssnmentalhealth

You can write to us at:

South Staffordshire Network for Mental Health,

FREEPOST MID 23594, Lichfield, Staffordshire WS13 6LL