Meet Claire, a dedicated individual whose passion for mental health advocacy and fitness intertwines with her deep-rooted connection to the local community. Having joined Healthy Minds in 2017, she has not only brought her professional background to the forefront, but also lived experience with anxiety and depression. Over the years, she's contributed to a range of projects, from Timeout to Walk Leading, and is now a crucial part of relaunching the Healthy Minds forum—a platform empowering the voices of Calderdale residents to inspire better mental health services.

Here's what Claire has to say:

On Thursday 6th June, as part of Volunteer's Week, we held a wee party to celebrate the enormous rays of sunshine our volunteers bring to our organisation, our staff and, most important of all, our participants!

Healthy Minds staff were delighted to deliver and share a wonderful evening with so many of our volunteers, filled with laughter, celebration, quizzing, scrumptious pies and beautiful cake!  Those that couldn't make it were truly missed.

To all of our volunteers, we can't thank you enough for choosing to share your experience, wisdom, humour and warmth with us - we are so lucky to have you!

If you've been thinking about volunteering with Healthy Minds, please check out our current vacancies. We're always looking for more rays of sunshine to join our team!

For Mental Health Awareness Week this year, we explored the vital connection between movement and mental wellbeing with the theme, #MomentsforMovement. For us, this was all about recognising the importance of incorporating regular physical activity into our daily lives to support our physical and mental health.

The Power of Movement
Research shows that regular movement can have profound effects on mental health. It reduces stress, anxiety, and depression while boosting mood, energy levels, and overall cognitive function. Despite these benefits, many of us struggle to stay active due to various barriers such as busy schedules, lack of motivation, or limited access to suitable activities.

Meet Lee, a former IT and payroll consultant who traded the rat race for a fulfilling life centered around his passion for vinyl records. 

​Despite his busy schedule, Lee finds time to volunteer with Healthy Minds, drawing from his own experiences with depression to support others. After attending the Allotment group for several years, we invited him to become a formal volunteer. He was already doing many of the things we expect of our volunteers - welcoming others into the space and taking care of practical duties. Lee is a thoughtful and kind presence at the allotment, and we're lucky to have him!

Read on to learn more about Lee and his experience at Healthy Minds!

Meg has been volunteering for Healthy Minds for about 6 – 7 years now and along with others facilitates a volunteer led drop-in in Todmorden each Wednesday. She leads a meditation each week at the drop-in, in which there is a core group of about 8 people who attend regularly, but it is open to anyone who wishes to participate.

She first became involved with Healthy Minds by joining a course for people with chronic pain and health conditions as a participant, as she suffers from Spinal Stenosis which causes chronic back and leg pain, and neuropathy. She has also participated in several workshops and mental health peer support groups. As her interest grew, she wanted to share with others in the community the benefits and support she had gained from Health Minds.

Click to read more about Meg, and how she became involved with leading meditation at the drop-in!