Washington Mind

Washington Mind exists to enhance the quality of life for Washington Mind people experiencing mental ill November 2012 Newsletter health by working in partnership with them in creative and innova- Registered Charity: 515037 tive ways

Washington Mind Photography Group Contents Being a keen photographer and also having Bipolar Disorder I decided to set up a photography group. I Washington Mind Photography Group 1 really think Photography is a great creative therapy; Do You Know Washington Mind is a Charity? 2 photography really helped me build my self esteem and MacMillan Coffee Morning 2 confidence and I would love to share my skills to help Christmas Cake Recipe 3 others with mental health issues. We are a lovely group Brysons Animal Refuge 3 who would love to welcome new members; we all like to Sunderland Wellbeing Network Meeting 4 share and learn from each other. It’s more a group then World Mental Health Week 4 a class and is a great opportunity to meet new people Wellbeing Updates 5 and develop new skills whilst also building self esteem. About the Newsletter 5 Washington Heritage Festival 2012 6 We stay local and like to visit the nuttery at Washington November 2012 Schedule 7-8 Old Hall. Hopefully next week we will be meeting the live sheep, who are there to keep the grass in shape! We have a great laugh and have taken some great photographs so far. We hope to hold a print sale or maybe hold an Tel: 0191 4178043 exhibition to raise money for Mind as mental health Email: [email protected] matters! If you would like to join in, please bring along a film digital or disposable camera. You could even use Website: www.washingtonmind.org.uk your phone! Village Lane Sarah Coulson, Volunteer Washington Village NE38 7HS Some of our Photographs

Text Service

U Can now contact Washington Mind 4 info & support by txt on

07807395561

1 Do You Know Washington Mind is a Charity? We are a small independent mental health charity providing a variety of mental health support services to anyone aged 16 and over and rely on donations to continue our work.

You can send a cheque made payable to “Washington Mind” to Washington mind, Village Lane, Washington, NE38 7HS. Please DO NOT send cash.

You can find more information other ways to donate to Washington Mind including details on how you can make regular donations on our website at: www.washingtonmind.org.uk/donate

If you have a fundraising idea or suggestion please contact us on 0191 417 8043 or e-mail us at [email protected] Please remember: All Donations Make a Difference

Brysons Animal Refuge Washington Mind service users volunteer their time with Bryson’s Animal Shelter and engage in some ‘pet therapy’. Volunteers walk and pet the animals, which are mainly cats and dogs. By walking the dogs, service users are engaging in a healthy activity by walking in open spaces. By spending time with the animals, service users and volunteers are actively involved in helping unwanted pets to become prepared for their new home. As you can see from the photos, everyone really enjoys helping out and loves spending time with the lovely animals!

New Arrival We would like to welcome baby Scarlet who was born on 28/10/2012 at 4:04am, weighing in at 6lb 2oz. Scarlet is the latest addition to the family of one of our valued volunteers, Julie Wilson. Well done Julie!

2 Christmas Cake Recipe

3 Sunderland Wellbeing Network Meeting 26th September Nicola: “On the 26th September, I attended the SWN meeting which was themed ‘Healthy Money, Healthy You’. Kathy spoke to attendees about the link between wellbeing and debt and Alison Baxter (Fincan) spoke about the importance of budgeting. The event was really well attended by both professionals and the general public. Attendees were very keen to engage in the activities and there was a lot of discussion and debates going on around the current welfare reform. I also got to sample the stress relieving effects of acupuncture beads, which was interesting!”

Jonathan Daley: “I really enjoyed attending the Sunderland Wellbeing Network meeting at The Place at the end of September it was great to meet new people and a great chance to have a chat with them. I really enjoyed the part where Kathy gave us an insight in to how to be healthy around money.”

World Mental Health Week Steven: The World Mental Health Day event held on the 12th October at Houghton Library was a great success, so much so that we ran out of our packs and extra packs within an hour and a half. A stall was set up in the foyer of the library and staff and volunteers actively en- gaged with over 150 shoppers on Houghton High Street discussing the importance of ‘5 a day for health and happiness’

Nicola: “I attended the event on Saturday 13th October which was held at the Bridges in Sunderland. Throughout the day we gave out 500 information bags, as well as lots of Wellbeing Guides and fruit! A lot of people already knew about five a day for health and happiness which was very good! I really enjoyed the day and interacting with the general public who were very friendly and willing to engage.”

4 Wellbeing Updates Sunderland Wellbeing Network The aim of the SWN is to help to improve mental health, happiness and wellbeing across Sunderland by providing a place where people can meet to share and develop ideas.

For the next Sunderland Wellbeing Network event, we will be hosting an information stand at the Stadium of Light’s ‘Magic of Christmas’ event on Sunday 11th November 2012 from 11.15am—4pm. If you would like to meet up with a rep from the network, we will be at the Sports Bar at 1pm.

We will be promoting the network and also giving information and advice on how to cope with Christmas!

Men’s Health Network This network aims to raise awareness of and address the health issues that affect men and to ultimately increase the life expect- ance of men living and working in Sunderland. By attending the network, people can become more aware of current men’s health work across Sunderland.

The next Men’s Health Network meeting will take place on: Tuesday 11th December 2012, 10am—12pm Easington Lane Community Access Point, Brickgarth, Easing- ton Lane, Houghton-le-Spring, DH5 0LE

Wellbeing Info

Don’t forget to visit www.wellbeinginfo.org, your local one stop shop for information and advice on how to keep your mind and body healthy! The site also provides details about local support services across South Tyneside, Sunderland and Gateshead.

About the Newsletter The views of all of the people who use our services are important to us and there are various ways you can be involved and have your voice heard. Ask for our “Getting Involved” leaflet or take a look at the web-site at www.washingtonmind.org.uk for more information. Cheque image appears courtesy of pshegubj (www.flickr.com/photos/pshegubj). Piggy bank image appears courtesy of Ken Teegardin (www.flickr.com/photos/teegardin) Thank you to our Staff, Volunteers and Service Users for the production of this newsletter! 5 Washington Heritage Festival 2012 On Saturday 15th October Washington Mind staff and volunteers went along to the Washington Heritage Festival – and guess what the sun came along to join us too!

It was lovely to see so many people, both young and old at the event, enjoying the displays, activities and sunshine.

As many of you will now know, one of the main aims for the future of Washington Mind is to be able to provide a Washington Wellbeing Centre in the heart of Washington. As the festival was full of local people we felt it was an ideal opportunity to conduct a consultation; asking attendees at the event what they would like to see taking place in a Washington Wellbeing Centre. This evoked lively discussion around our stall and we left with lots of exiting ideas covering all ages and subjects. Here are just a few of the most popular ones: Zumba classes, craft making activities, activities out of working hours, Yoga and an opportunity just to socialise over a coffee and piece of cake.

Well all we need now is a building – so fingers crossed!

MacMillan Coffee Morning On Friday 28th September, Washington Mind hosted a Macmillan coffee morning at the Open Mind session. Wendy C, along with volunteers and service users, decorated the room at Woodridge and raised a total of £37.40 for Macmillan by running a raffle and selling cupcakes, kindly made by Wendy Hadlington. A big thank you to everyone who participated and donated to this worthy cause!

6 November 2012 Schedule

Session Venue Time Monday Mothers In Mind Rainbow Centre, Concord 1:00 - 300

Open Mind Woodridge Gardens, Washington 2:00 - 4.00