On Tuesday 19 September, four members of the Healthy Minds Forum travelled to the LIFE Centre in Bradford to have their voices heard by key West Yorkshire NHS decision-makers. Link participant Paul and Healthy Minds Volunteer Suzanne bravely shared their personal experiences, presenting to members of the West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (WYICB) at the mental health engagement session that preceded the WYICB AGM and board meeting. Supported by Georgia (Membership & Engagement Coordinator) and Claire (Healthy Minds Forum Volunteer), Paul and Suzanne were able to take a stand and reveal their lived realities to people in power. We want to celebrate and congratulate Paul and Suzanne for this incredible achievement. It takes huge strength to journey to a different place, be confronted with a busy venue filled with strangers, and present to people in positions of power about deeply personal experiences. As Paul put it in his speech: “If anyone had told me that I would be stood in front of such an influential group of people making a speech, I would have said that they’re totally mad!”
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Swappers are invited to make a donation for entry, and funds are also raised from sales of extra items taken away (other than the ones they have swapped).
This year's event was their most successful yet, with an incredible £723.78 raised for Healthy Minds! Organisers of the swap also send a huge thank to all the Healthy Minds staff and volunteers who went along on Saturday and put in a lot of effort to help make the event run smoothly. Click below to view the gallery ---
Drop-in to help us create our lanterns any time from 5:30pm, but please make sure you arrive before 7pm to allow for an interruption-free lighting and reflection time.
Please note parking at Dean Clough is free after 5pm. We will also lead a walking party from our offices - get in touch with Georgia if you'd like to join - [email protected] Please note this is a completely FREE event, but donations are welcome. Your contributions help us continue to be there for those that need us most, and make a difference for mental health in Calderdale. We caught up with Jenna from the Safespace team to find out more about her role, how they are working to improve mental health for people across Calderdale, and why Safespace is so important.
Huge thanks to everyone who participated in this year's census! Your responses are a vital compass guiding us to enhance our efforts and bring about impactful transformations. Here's a glimpse of our initial findings:
Mapping Our Reach: Our census garnered 77 responses, representing 16% of those connected with Healthy Minds (excluding Safespace and Time Out). We had a fairly good reach across the borough, but we're committed to extending our reach to areas like Sowerby (Bridge), Ryburn Valley, and mid-Calder Valley. Diversity and Inclusivity: We noted that around 75% of people in touch with Healthy Minds are female, whilst Calderdale’s population is 51.2% female. We need to do more to understand why fewer men are in touch with Healthy Minds. Our demographics are generally in line with Calderdale Council data, indicating that we are achieving a good level of diversity in race and ethnicity relative to the population. However, we are dedicated to addressing the complex issues that create health inequalities around mental health, and have made this a priority in Healthy Minds’ strategy for 2022-25.
Kiah Hamilton-Adams has been involved with Healthy Minds since 2017, when she first began volunteering with us. She has been instrumental to the success of many different projects and has brought enthusiasm and drive to our team. We'll be saying goodbye to Kiah this week as she embarks on a new chapter. But first, we asked her to reflect on her journey with us and what volunteering at Healthy Minds has meant in her life.
We want to send out a huge thank you to our staff, volunteers and the Calderdale community for helping us spread the message this Mental Health Awareness Week and joining us to #UnwindYourMind.
With your help, we've been able to reach more people than ever before. We've opened up a space for more conversations about anxiety and mental health, and let people know that we're there for them every step of the way. Check out our gallery of photos, highlighting some of our favourite spaces and moments in the Healthy Minds garden at The Piece Hall! It's not just about taking time out for yourself. Reading can actually be beneficial for your mental health! When you read, you can recreate a feeling of social engagement, including identifying with people and finding common ground with others.
So whether you choose a story to get lost in, or prefer self-help - check out this handy book suggestion list with recommendations from The Book Corner in The Piece Hall. Thanks to Sarah and Georgie for the recommendations! |
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