Minds Matter Mental Health and Wellbeing Event

Please note the date – Saturday 4^th September 2010 in the Piazza from 10am until 4 pm. Organised by PIPS (Plymouth Involvement and Participation Service), this event will promote positive attitudes towards mental health.  LINk representatives will be present. Plymouth and District Mind will have two stalls at this event. We would be grateful for volunteers to help us run our stalls.  If you can help, please contact Annette Fisher.

False letters

We have been informed by Jobcentre Plus, Plymouth, that a number of false letters inviting people, in receipt of incapacity related benefits, to an appointment about returning to work have been sent out. If you have received such a letter, please take it to a member of staff to check that it is genuine.

Oasis Centre

Please note that the Oasis Centre will be closed on the August Bank Holiday, Monday 30^th August. It will reopen at 10.00 a.m. on Tuesday 31^st August.

Oasis Developments

A lot more great things are happening in our Peer Support Volunteer led day centre. Mick Mullarkey gave another really encouraging report to the Executive Committee at its meeting on 19^th August. The main points were:

• Camping – a second trip was organised in August. This time nine members stayed overnight. Two other members joined the group for the day on Saturday.

• Fresh food! You will not get fresher food than home grown fruit or vegetables. Well done to everyone who is looking after the vegetable patch. Lorna Avery, our cook, is now using some of the produce in meals served in Oasis!

• Ø The PSV’s have volunteered to organise future events. Look out for information about Christmas lunch and future Oasis social dates. More information should be available by October.

• Two of our PSVs are working on a Members’ Charter. Further details should be available next month.

More help needed!

Well done to everyone who is helping out with the running of the Oasis Centre.

Further Peer Support Volunteer training will be planned shortly. If you are interested in becoming a Peer Support Volunteer, please contact Mick Mullarkey or any of the other Peer Support Volunteers. To keep the service user led day centre operating, we need a group of committed PSVs to take their place on a rota.

Annual membership

40 people have now paid an annual membership fee of £5 that was introduced on 1^st August. The revenue raised will go to the Members’ Fund. Membership is entitles members to a small discount on the price of meals served in the Oasis Centre. If you wish to become a member, please complete our simple application form from our Peer Support Volunteer office.  If you have an email address, please note that on the application form. We will send copies of all newsletters to you.

Lorna’s sandwiches

Lorna is now providing a sandwich making service for members. Each sandwich costs £1.50 and will be made to order. Please see Steve Pellet to place your order. There is no members’ discount for this service.

Annual General Meeting

Please note this important date in your diary. This year it will be held on Thursday 4^th November 2010 at 6.00 p.m. in the day room at 8 Woodside.

A buffet will be provided. Further details will follow in the next few weeks.

Can you help?

Mick Mullarkey has joined executive committee recently and is making a valuable contribution to its work. We are keen to encourage other service users to join us. If you can help out, or if you want to know more about these tasks, please speak to Mick Mullarkey or Richard Wakerell.

New telephone numbers

If you want to book lunch or speak to a Peer Support Volunteer, please call 01752 512284.  For general information, please call 01752 229962. For Advice and Information, please call 01752 264960.

New Peer Support Volunteers

We are delighted to report that another seven people have become Peer Support Volunteers having completed their training on 22^nd July 2010. The group comprises Steve Scott, Jenny Czerwinski, Danielle Jackson, Glen King, Sue Ramsey, Andrew Rickard and Beth Bromley.

Oasis Developments

Some really great things are happening in our Peer Support Volunteer led day centre. Mick Mullarkey gave an upbeat and encouraging report to the Executive Committee at its meeting on 22^nd July.

• Camping – some members went away for their first camping trip in mid July to Maker Heights near Rame Head.  Another trip is being organised shortly. Mick reported that discounted rates may be obtained from the site owner if members are willing to provide a little help working around the site.

• A greenhouse has been donated which will be erected near the vegetable patch in the next few weeks.

• The vegetable patch is growing well, the products of which will be used in the kitchen for the meals and sandwiches.

• The Oasis Centre opens two full days (Monday and Fridays) and two half days (Tuesdays and Wednesdays) each week.  Since becoming service user led in March, the centre has only been unable to open as planned on one half day.

Well done to everyone who is helping out with the running of the Oasis Centre.

Further Peer Support Volunteer training will be planned shortly. If you are interested in becoming a Peer Support Volunteer, please contact Mick Mullarkey or any of the other Peer Support Volunteers.

Meal price increase

From Monday 2^nd August 2010, the cost of meals served in the Oasis Centre will be increased.

Small meal Old price £1.50     New price £2.50   New price (members) £2.25

Large meal Old price £2.00    New price £3.00   New price (members) £2.75

Dessert Old price £0.50    New price £0.75   New price (members) £0.70

While it is recognised that price increases are never good news, we believe that even at these new prices, the high quality, nutritious food served by our excellent cook, Lorna, represents excellent value. Members attending the Oasis Centre regularly may be able to reduce the price of a meal by paying an annual membership fee of £5.

Annual membership

From 1^st August 2010, all people using the services of Plymouth and District Mind will be invited to pay an annual membership fee £5. The revenue raised will go to the Members’ Fund. A bonus of annual membership is that it will entitle members to a small discount on the price of meals served in the Oasis Centre. If you wish to become a member, please complete our simple application form from our Peer Support Volunteer office.  Once completed, please hand it to one of our Peer Support Volunteers together with your membership fee. If you have an email address, please note that on the application form. We will send copies of all newsletters to you.

We will process all membership applications and issue membership cards within a week. Once you have your membership card, you will be entitled to claim your discounted meal price.

Annual General Meeting

Please note this important date in your diary. This year it will be held on Thursday 4^th November 2010 at 6.00 p.m. in the day room at 8 Woodside.

A buffet will be provided. Further details will follow in the next few weeks.

What a result!

Congratulations to Bea Gullick and members of the Mosaics Group. They   entered twelve pieces of arts and crafts for the Skilled Hands Arts and Crafts exhibition that was held at Elspeth Sitters House on the Barbican between 14^th and 21^st June. The group members won twelve gold awards! 450 items were entered. The group won a cup for the best painting and a rose bowl for the best mosaic.

Can you help?

Mick Mullarkey has joined executive committee recently and is making a valuable contribution to its work. We are keen to encourage other service users to join us. If you can help out, or if you want to know more about these tasks, please speak to Mick Mullarkey or Richard Wakerell.

New telephone numbers

If you want to book lunch or speak to a Peer Support Volunteer, please call 01752 512284.  For general information, please call 01752 229962. For Advice and Information, please call 01752 264960.

Mindful money day – Tuesday 21^st September 2010

Holiday Inn, West Hoe, Plymouth

We are delighted to have been awarded a small grant by

National Mind to run a Mindful Money training day .

Representatives from local agencies and local business

will be invited to this event. We will also be inviting people

with experience of mental distress.

Change of telephone numbers

Please note that the former main contact telephone number 254004 is no longer operational. If you want to book lunch or speak to a Peer Support Volunteer, please call 01752 512284.  For general information, please call 01752 229962. For Advice and Information, please call 01752 264960.

Great news!

Plymouth and District Mind has been assessed as meeting level two of the National Mind Quality Management standards. We will shortly be able to add a Charity Commission quality kite mark to our publicity material. Thanks are due to everyone who helped out in any way with this exercise. I am particularly grateful to Jane Guy who handled a lot of extra unexpected work at the end of this process when I was away on leave in March.

Thank you

Have you noticed how the gardens have been tidied up? Our thanks are due to Teresa Overall and the small group that has been helping her. Teresa has worked hard to clear a small vegetable patch in the back garden. Rocket, lettuce, runner beans, garlic, cauliflower, carrots, beetroot and spring onions have all been sown. Additionally, borders have been cleared both in the back and in the front. Thank you everyone who is doing this work. It is fantastic to see our gardens looking so well maintained.

New face

On Monday 5^th July, Shannon McCulloch will be joining our staff team for six months. Shannon will be working to provide administrative support to both Graham Nicholls and Richard Wakerell.

Building Work – update

While, nothing is happening outside currently, behind the scenes, there is a lot going on. Richard Wakerell is in touch with two further companies to get quotes for the repair work. The area will remain roped off for a few weeks yet. We hope still that this work will be done later in the summer.

Can you help?

Mick Mullarkey has joined executive committee recently and is making a valuable contribution to its work. We are always grateful for further offers of help from service users. This month’s needs are:

1. Mindful Money Day – 21^st September 2010 at the Holiday Inn.

We need two members who are prepared to help plan an interesting training day along with Richard Wakerell and our chair of trustees, Jane Guy. This will involve attending several meetings. The task will not be too onerous!

2. We need volunteers who are willing to help with either interviewing new staff and/or reviewing policies of Plymouth and District Mind.

If you can help out, or if you want to know more about these tasks, please speak to Mick Mullarkey or Richard Wakerell.

Small items

Another round of Peer Support Volunteer Training began on Thursday 24^th June. Eight people attended the first session.

A press release will be sent out shortly publicising the new Advice and Information service

Meal price increase

The increase in meal prices has been delayed.  From Monday 2^nd August 2010, the cost of meals served in the Oasis Centre will be increased.

Small meal Old price £1.50     New price £2.50   New price (members) £2.25

Large meal Old price £2.00    New price £3.00   New price (members) £2.75

Dessert Old price £0.50    New price £0.75   New price (members) £0.70

While it is recognised that price increases are never good news, as Richard Wakerell told members at the last Members’ Meeting on 9^th June, if we want to have cooked meals in the Oasis Centre, we have got to cover the cost of staffing our kitchen from sales of meals served there, from food sales through the Café in the Park and training. This cost will no longer be met by Plymouth City Council. We believe that even at these new prices, the high quality, nutritious food served by our excellent cook, Lorna, represent excellent value. Members attending the Oasis Centre regularly may be able to reduce the price of a meal by paying an annual membership fee of £5. (Please see separate article below).

Annual membership

The trustees have asked that a voluntary annual membership scheme is introduced. From 1^st August 2010, all people using the services of Plymouth and District Mind will be invited to pay an annual membership fee £5. The revenue raised will go to the Members’ Fund. It will be for members to decide how to use this money. A bonus of annual membership is that it will entitle members to a small discount on the price of meals served in the Oasis Centre. If you wish to become a member, please complete our simple application form (which will be available from mid July) and hand it to one of our Peer Support Volunteers. If you have an email address, please note that on the application form. We will send copies of all newsletters to you.

We will aim to process all membership applications and issue membership cards within a week. Once you have your membership card, you will be entitled to claim your discounted meal price.

Service update

The Peace of Mind Advice and Information Service

Up until recently, we have provided advice and information about mental health issues to anyone who asked us as part of the Oasis drop-in service. We are now offering a formal advice and information service to the public.

For now this service will open as a walk-in service on Mondays and Fridays between 11.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m., and as a telephone line on Wednesdays between 2.00 p.m. and 6.30 p.m.

Our business phone number is 01752 229962. Our Walk-in Advice service is held at 6 Woodside Lane (behind 8 Woodside). The telephone number is 01752 264960. Our email address is advice@plymouthmind.myzen.co.uk.

Contributions please!!

This newsletter is intended to be a means of exchanging news and information between staff, volunteers and service users of all projects at Plymouth and District Mind. We would be grateful for your contributions. They can be sent to Richard Wakerell or emailed to him (richard@plymouthmind.org.uk) Please note this is one job, Richard would like to be made redundant from. Following the success of the Oasis Observer, would a member like to take on the job of producing this newsletter? If so, please talk to Richard.

All Change

We’ve been making changes in the way we work at Plymouth Mind. We are making these changes because of new ideas about how services should be delivered to best promote recovery and independence.

The Oasis Drop-in

The drop-in at Mind has been a central part of what we do for over 20 years. Many activities have grown from the dialogue between staff and members, and we know that it has played a part in the recovery of many people who have been members over the years.

There is a strong feeling now that drop-ins like the Oasis should be run by the people who use them, and so we have worked with members to train a group of service user volunteers to take over the day to day running of the drop-in. This group, known as Peer Support Volunteers (or PSVs) have been running the drop-in successfully since March and we are already making plans to train a second group.

The drop-in is open at the following times:

Monday 10 – 4
Tuesday  10 – 2.00
Wednesday 10 – 2.00
Friday  10 – 4.00

Please note that we are closed on bank holidays.

The drop-in is open to anyone with mental health problems who wants to attend.

The Peace of Mind Advice and Information Service

Up to now we have provided advice and information about mental health issues to anyone who asked us as part of the Oasis drop-in service. We are now offering a formal advice and information service to the public.

At the moment this service will open as a walk-in service on Mondays and Fridays between 11 and 4, and as a phoneline on Wednesdays between 2 and 6.30.

The postal address for the Peace of Mind Advice and Information Service is 8 Woodside, Greenbank Plymouth PL4 8QE. Our business phone number is 01752  229962.

Our Walk-in Advice service is held at 6 Woodside Lane (behind 8 Woodside). The phoneline number is 01752 264960, and our email address is advice@plymouthmind.myzen.co.uk.

Personal Development Courses and Workshops

We will continue to provide professionally run evidence-based personal development courses and workshops. This is an important and vital area, which we are currently developing and expanding.

As part of future service delivery we are committed to provide appropriate opportunities for members of the community and are aiming to provide a six monthly program of events.

Our existing “Exploring Your Anger”  and “Surviving Depression” workshops will be part of this development.

For further information please contact the Group Work Office on 01752 512287.

The Art, Music, Table Tennis and Women’s Craft groups that we provided as part of the Oasis program will continue to run, and we expect to be able to offer new activities as time goes by. The Table Tennis Group has been user-led for some time now.

Support Groups

We are continuing to offer support groups for people with particular mental health conditions.

The Plymouth OCD group meets on alternate Wednesday evenings. Please contact Joe Higman or Annette Fisher on 01752 229962 or joeh@plymouthmind.myzen.co.uk for information. These groups are currently facilitated by Mind staff.

The Plymouth Bipolar Support Group which meets monthly, is now user-led. Please leave any messages for the group on 01752 229962.

The Plymouth Self-Harm Group meets weekly – contact Gerry Hall on 01752 510558 or selfharm@plymouthmind.org.uk .

Personal Support

In the past we have provided support with problems of day to day living to some of the people who attended the Oasis drop-in centre and to others who found their way here. We are committed to develop a short-term crisis support service and will announce details in the near future. In the meantime we will continue to support Oasis members and people who use our advice and information service.

Stepping Out and the Befriending Scheme

At the moment these services continue to operate as normal. Please phone 01752 513690 for Stepping Out, 01752 254952 for Befriending.

We became a fully registered UK Online Centre in 2009.  Our goal being to help people to access computers and the internet free of charge.  Several studies have confirmed the link between social deprivation and digital deprivation.  Mind Parkside is open to all members of the community who do not have access to digital technology – computers and the internet.

We provide a welcome, relaxed setting where learners can follow courses at their own pace.  A tutor is there to facilitate their learing.  Each learner selects their own course and follows a video tutor on screen.  Each computer comes with its own headset to follow instructions.  When things go wrong (as they invariably do with technology), the tutor is there to help them back online again, and to reassure them that this is common, and that it is not their fault if the computer goes offline or restarts because of some back-up routine running in the background.

We also have set sessions for over 50s.  All other sessions are for any age group.

Last year, we also received funding from the Lloyds TSB Foundation for funding, not only to buy the computers, but also to create a DVD editing suite.  With their funding we were able to provide 16 weeks of training with ongoing consultation so that centre users could learn how to use a digital video camera, sound equipment and then transfer to an editing programme on the computer.  Finally, to then create their own DVD.  The team have since produced a number of DVDs for local community projects, as well as for our 25th Anniversary last year.

We also provide basic web design training, to create a Web Log (BLOG) or social network web site – this training is free.  This web site is an example of what can be done after just 45 minutes of training in how to create a Blog web site.  It’s easy and fun to do.

Mind Parkside UK Online Centre Opening Times:

My Guide is an online teaching guide covering a wide range of topics:

• Using the internet safely
• Using public services online
• Using the web
• Using online searches
• Using email
• Using a computer
• Using digital TV
• Using a mobile phone
• Using digital photography
• Understanding public services online
• Understanding shopping online
• Understanding job hunting online
• Understanding music online
• Understanding your home computer
• Understanding banking online
• Understanding socialising online
• Understanding eBay auctions online
• Understanding family education
• Understanding money management
• Understanding UK politics
• Understanding your family history
• Understanding UK politics
• Understanding family internet safety
• Understanding green living
• Understanding jobs and interviews
• Understanding transport in the UK
• Understanding renting/buying property

For more information contact Graham Nicholls:

Email: grahamnicholls@plymouthmind.org.uk
TEL: 01752 510558