Your April Newsletter from Healthy Minds!
Dear Supporter,
Spring is officially here!
A time of new beginnings and fast growth, our teams have been working hard to bring the people of Calderdale quality mental health support.
Our Recovery & Support team have launched their new April - June programme, our brand new Community Wellbeing workers have started to form relationships with their local areas, and we are busy developing our Calderdale Cares 4 Us project into a longer term, sustainable model of wellbeing provision for workplaces!
Plus: WE ARE RECRUITING! We have urgent vacancies available within our Safespace service, find out more and apply here.
This month we also remember a special person to us at Healthy Minds. We were deeply saddened to hear of one of our long standing volunteers Sheila Coll. Staff at Healthy Minds remember her life and invaluable contribution to our organisation, read their thoughts here.
Read on for all the latest...
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YOUR CHANCE to Complete the 2022 Virtual London Marathon!
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HELLO runners and walkers! We're looking for 12 people in Calderdale to represent Healthy Minds in the 2022 virtual TCS London Marathon.
Could this be you? Or someone you know?
Walk, jog or run, do it your way.
Visit our website today to find out more and apply now!
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Nimra Flies High for Healthy Minds!
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Need some inspiration for your next fundraiser? Look no further!
Our very own Community Wellbeing worker Nimra braved a skydive for Healthy Minds and we're truly grateful to her and all her donors for raising an amazing £200.
"I used to imagine what it will feel like to fly high, like a free bird in this immense sky!"
Nimra realised her dream yesterday. A beautiful and very special moment for her.
This was her skydive and she funded it herself but thoughtfully chose to include us and support Healthy Minds along the way.
You can read her heartwarming story, and why she chose to skydive, on her Justgiving page. It's a truly beautiful read.
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Community Wellbeing Team Visit The Piece Hall
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This week Central Halifax workers Nimra and Yasser from our new Community Wellbeing Team visited the Piece hall for Iftar.
"It was a magnificent Iftar event at Piece Hall, where hundreds of people came and opened their fast together. It was an amazing opportunity to share about Healthy Minds' services with wider communities."
-Nimra
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Safespace Now Open For Young People!
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We have exciting news from Safespace - our service that provides out-of-hours support every evening for people in emotional distress.
Safespace have expanded to now be able to provide listening support to anyone aged 16 or over!
16-19 year olds can sometimes get lost between which services they can use being too old to access children's services but not old enough for some adults services.
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Safespace are here for you - to listen, support you, and help to signpost you to other services that might be helpful for your situation.
Please help us spread the word about the new age range, and encourage young people to know they can turn to Safespace for non-judgemental support if they need.
Find out how the service works below:
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Safespace is available every evening from 6.30 – 10.30pm. The last call taken will be at 10pm.
Call us on 01422 345154
Text us on 07388 990227
Message us on Facebook (@SafespaceCalderdale)
Or email safespace@healthymindscalderdale.co.uk
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Mental Health Awareness Week Events
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A Celebration of Wellbeing and Mental Health
Join us at the Minster for 'A Celebration of Wellbeing and Mental Health'
Wednesday 11th May (during Mental Health Awareness Week)
10am - 2.30pm at The Halifax Minster
Expect a FREE Vegetarian Lunch, various workshops from local voluntary organisations and a Drama Presentation.
The conference is open to everyone, especially the faith communities and mental health agencies.
Key note speakers will be Jim McManus Director of Public Health Hertfordshire & our very own Healthy Minds Chief Officer Jonny Richardson Glenn!
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Time for a brew at Morissons Elland
Healthy Minds and Morrisons Elland encourage shoppers to take time out for a brew, take time for you!
Morrisons Elland is teaming up with Healthy Minds for Mental Health Awareness Week!
"Pop in on Tuesday 10th or Thursday 11th May and you’ll see our lovely volunteers serving up kindness with a small gift of a tea and biscuits.
We’re hoping to spread the word that taking time out for a cuppa and a chat is always a good idea!
And finally, Katrina, the lovely Community Champion at Morrisons Elland is helping Morrisons shoppers to help us by allowing our donation buckets on all tills from Monday to Thursday. Thanks Katrina, all donations will be gratefully received and very, very much appreciated.
Hope to see you there!" - Vicky, Community Fundraising Officer
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New Recovery & Support April - June Offer!
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Community Kindness at our Upper Valley Allotment
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We know that 'kindness' isn't just a word in Todmorden but a real community ethos, and our neighbours at our Upper Valley allotment have really demonstrated their incredible kindness this month!
Jack from the Longfield Road Community Orchard Group has been working hard to give our polytunnel a much-needed makeover.
He and his friend Ben spent hours cleaning the polytunnel and have used their skills and know-how to re-configure the space so it can be used to its full potential - they are even building us special shelving to help us grow more veggies we can use in our cooking sessions!
We can't wait to see the space when it's finished and look forward to updating you about this project soon.
If you’d like to join our weekly Allotment Group in Todmorden please get in touch with Sam: samantha@healthymindscalderdale.co.uk or 07845 014 928.
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Healthier Cooking on a Budget
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In response to the rising cost of living and the anxiety this has caused for many people we work with, our Upper Valley team have been delivering Forage, Cook and Eat sessions at Tod College.
In these sessions the group learn to make low-cost meals from scratch using affordable ingredients and free fresh produce from the wonderful Incredible Edible plots.
Participants have said the sessions "really bring people together over a common interest" and that they "Really enjoyed the group. Feel they are beneficial. Help to know how to cook a meal with very good fresh food very cheaply and excellent to know how to do this especially as food and bills are getting higher."
At our last session we learnt how to make our own pizzas from scratch, which are a fraction of the price of a pizza from your local takeaway plus far tastier and healthier!
Everyone got involved in the preparation of the pizzas, including a new group member who had never cooked before, and we were so impressed with the finished product!
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Getting-Together in Rastrick
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In partnership with Staying Well and Focus for Hope, our 2nd Community Get-together at the St. John the Divine Church in Rastrick was a HUGE success!
Hosted in the heart of our community, the 'get-togethers' provide a chance for people to come together and connect at a local level, find out what's going on and tell us what's missing in your community that helps us to keep well. It was a privilege to meet and talk with people from the local area.
It was great to work with existing network organisations and establish new connections. The food provided by Focus for Hope and Alex from Crust and Crumb was delicious, and the gentle relaxation exercises facilitated by Tai Tigers was a lovely way to end the day.
- Nicola, Halifax Recovery & Support
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People who attended said:
"I have a dual diagnosis and I constantly keep getting passed from service to service, and I don't know what mental health support I can access, neither does my G.P. It's good to see a service like Healthy Minds exists"
"I can't believe this is on my door step, I literally live around the corner and never knew HM existed... it's important and I need it"
"This is the first thing I've been locally and I've enjoyed it"
"I am lonely and a survivor, I would like a local support group, travelling to another town is a barrier for me, I've never been involved in a support group and would really like a space to be open and connect with others".
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Healthy Minds staff were saddened to hear of the passing of volunteer and long-standing supporter of Healthy Minds Sheila Coll. Read their reflections of Sheila and everything she brought to Healthy Minds in her life here.
"I know creativity was her great passion. She understood and believed in the true value of art, in its power to tell stories, to bring us together, to express our pain, to heal and inspire. And she knew that from her personal experience. She was an artist and a poet, and we will miss her."
- Dianne Darby
"Sheila was a warm, gentle, and a very creative woman. She was skilled at supporting people on the phone and warmly welcomed everybody who visited."
"When we co-supported Safespace visitors; her non-judgemental acceptance and quiet support helped to calm everyone who came through the door. Sheila brought such warmth and care to Safespace from the very start. She will be greatly missed."
- Christine Spice
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Job Vacancies - Safespace Relief Workers
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Do you have experience of supporting people in mental distress?
Are you a compassionate and communicative individual committed to helping others?
We are looking for Relief Project Workers to support our current Safespace team and to provide a point of access for adults who are experiencing emotional distress.
Safespace is an ‘out-of-hours’ service and is, therefore, open outside normal office hours. Relief Project Workers will be offered shifts to cover staff absences, as required and must be available to work evening shifts 5.30-11.30pm (including weekend work)
Rate of pay: £13.46 per hour/£80.76 per 6-hour shift
If you would like to chat to someone about this role, please get in touch with Kath: kath@healthymindscalderdale.co.uk to arrange a call. Or call us on 01422 345154
Deadline for applications: 5pm, Friday 13 May. Interviews held w/c 16 May.
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Latest News From Time Out...
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Nikki's round up of the Easter holidays at Time Out!
"An eggcellent week of activities was had by all 🍳 We made our 1st trip to the Imaginarium @ HFX Library which really did bring out the imagination and creativity in us all 🤩
Then we hopped over to the Orangebox for an energetic day of dance and games 🐰 Young people were BURSTING with ideas of happiness which they transformed into a dance! Some joined forces, some went solo, the atmosphere was tense as routines were prepared then we were treated to an eggstravagant ensemble 💃 🕺"
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"Our fun day at the Outback Community Garden and Kitchen was immense as always, the weather was sound, the eggs were found, the biscuits were immense, the hat competition was tense (to say the least - stronger glue needed next time 🙈)
Big thanks to our Healthy Minds Judges - Kiah & Amy - who debated hard - luckily, everyone was a winner!"
And our Underlands showcase at Hebden Bridge Arts Festival's 'Land Marks' exhibition was a huge success, it was so great to see the kids who had taken part in the workshops see their final art pieces displayed in a proper exhibition!
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