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!

​Our recent Women's Walk and Talk in People's Park transformed into a powerful forum for discussing resilience, resulting in an unfolding narrative of personal triumphs and lived experiences. 

Our conversation centred around resilience, a poignant topic as we were preparing for upcoming workshops in the community. Here's a glimpse into the inspiring thoughts and tips our incredible women shared during our meaningful discussion:

This year has seen the successful re-launch of our Healthy Minds Forum: a dedicated space for the voices of those with lived experience of distress to be heard by our organisation, as well as developing understanding of structural causes of poor mental health, and more importantly - what we can do about it as a community!

​We've been reflecting on the past year and what an impact the Forum has had so far. 

As the weather gets chilly, our allotment community remains in full bloom, proving that even the coldest months can't dampen our gardening spirits!

We wanted to take time out to share a few of our highlights this winter season...

A snapshot of this winter wonderland was captured by one of our dedicated allotment volunteers, revealing the Pye Nest allotment adorned with a delicate sprinkle of snow. It truly is a beautiful sight!

Our Volunteer of the Year!  

We are thrilled to announce that Ameen Yousaf, a volunteer with Healthy Minds for seven fabulous years, was the joint-winner of the Volunteer of the Year at this year’s CFFC Community Spirit Awards, held on Nov 23rd. You can watch the highlights from the ceremony here.

Ameen has been an incredible volunteer for Healthy Minds. He joined us following mental health issues related to worsening issues with his eyesight because of meningitis. Ameen now co-facilitates our Self-Management Group, our Elland Anxiety and Depression Group, as well as telephone befriending, while in the past he has also been involved with a men’s group with our Roshani project. 

Yesterday members of the Healthy Minds Forum collaborated with Accessible Calderdale at their ‘Meet and Eat’ to tackle issues around transport accessibility issues and the impact these have on mental health.

We opened up the conversation asking, 'What would you change about Calderdale transport?’ and it was soon clear that many people experience daily struggles to get from A to B, ranging from buses lacking capacity for wheelchair users, to people becoming unable to take public transport because of overwhelming crowding, causing anxiety and feeling unsafe. 

We are inviting our whole community - service users, staff, volunteers, trustees and friends to join us for a festive gathering. This will be a safe and welcoming space for people to be together during the festive season. Buffet and refreshments provided!

We'll enjoy a delightful evening filled with music, bingo, raffles, fantastic food, and even more festive fun.

Mytholmroyd Community & Leisure Centre, Mytholmroyd HX7 5DY
30th November

We welcome you to arrive from 5:30 pm. A buffet will be served from 6-7 pm, followed by entertainment. The event will close at 9 pm.
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From Halifax - it's 22 min in a car, 40 mins on a bus and 29 mins on the train.
Please get in touch with any questions: [email protected]

​We will be holding the Healthy Minds Annual General Meeting (AGM) from 2.30pm until 4.30pm on Wednesday 1st November at the Maurice Jagger Centre on Lister St, HX1 1UZ.

All are welcome to attend to hear more about how our charity operated in the year April 2022 - March 2023.

Our AGM this year will include a special consultation on the proposal of a new membership scheme for our organisation. This is a vital opportunity for you to have your say on our future as an organisation!

If you'd like to attend the event, please complete the short form below so that we can get an idea of numbers.

We look forward to seeing you there!

On Sunday 1st October, all three pools in Calderdale opened their doors for Healthy Minds and our first-ever Big Swim event - a sponsored swim.

Across the three pools, Brighouse, Sowerby Bridge and Todmorden, our amazing Big Swim participants took to the water and swam their own distance challenges, from 400 metres to 2 miles. They all achieved their goal and we couldn’t be more proud!