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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! 
The Healthy Minds Board of trustees met on Wednesday evening, 22nd February 2023, with seven trustees present, and Chief Officer, Operations Manager, Business Sustainability Manager, Community Health and Wellbeing Service Manager and Project Worker (presentation on the Community Health and Wellbeing service) and Admin Support (notes), also in attendance.
The Healthy Minds Community Health and Wellbeing Service Manager and one of the Project Workers, provided an excellent presentation on this innovative service. The service is piloting the “Brazilian Model” for health care, along with Westminster, Warrington, and a few other places in the country. Healthy Minds is unique in using this model with a mental health and wellbeing focus. With around 12 staff, the service provides access for local people to mental health and wellbeing services, through its proactive approach, and building local relationships. The feedback has been very positive. The service will be independently evaluated, and we intend to build a case for the service to be continued for many years. The Board welcomed the relaunch of the Forum, and looks forward to considering coproduced options for maintaining, building and developing membership arrangements. We hope to consider options and make any necessary changes and decisions, in the middle of 2023. The Board was pleased to approve a budget for 2023-24, which provides assurance for the funding of all current services and the supporting core team, for the coming financial year. The Board agreed its reserves for the coming year – its minimum requirement to manage risk, its maximum limit to ensure that our focus is on the funding and development of services. The Board also received and discussed the Chief Officer’s operational report, agreed a new Finance Policy, agreed Adult and Children Safeguarding Policies, agreed Board Forward Plan and dates for 2023-24, reviewed Finance SubCommittee notes, and reviewed Management Accounts as at the end of Quarter 3. Paul Hunt Chair of Trustees, 9th May 2023
 Healthy Minds has been working in collaboration with Rethink Mental Illness to tackle mental health inequalities in Calderdale and to shine a spotlight on the organisations which work with those who do not usually access services. We awarded grants to various organisations across Calderdale to support their work and good practice.
Each month, we'll be highlighting one of the recipients of our Spotlight Development Grants. This month, we got in touch with Accessible Calderdale to learn more about the organisation and how they're improving inclusion and wellbeing for people with disabilities and access needs across the borough. Read what Director & Co-Founder Katie Clarke had to say about the social enterprise:  Community Health and Wellbeing Team worker Ian recently attended the Accessible Calderdale conference at Shay Stadium, hosted by Calderdale Council and Visits Unlimited, which aims to improve access and work towards a barrier-free world for disabled people.
Here's what Ian had to say about his experience: |
