www.mcch.org.uk
mental health and wellbeing news
The Carnival of Life
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Winter 2016
Welcome Our mental health services continue to support people and we’re providing a range of different services to meet people’s needs.
We’re working as part of the Live Well Kent model and maintained our wellbeing services across Ashford, Dover and Deal. Our employment services continue to support people to gain paid employment. We operate in North Kent, Maidstone and Shepway. We have bought properties and redeveloped them into modern new self-contained flats. The Beeches (St Andrews Road) in Maidstone is now open and supports people moving on from forensic wards. Read more about this new development on page 7.
Carnival of Life Another showstopping performance by the Express Yourself drama group at the Wellbeing Centre Hart and Rushmoor. Their performance of ‘The Carnival of Life’ left the audience with a better understanding of what it is like to have good and bad days when experiencing mental ill health. The group put on performances throughout the year and are a great way to build confidence. If you would like to make a donation, please contact us at fundraising@mcch.org.uk.
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Stay safe on Facebook Facebook is a great way to reconnect with old friends, make new ones and share your stories. Just beware what you put on Facebook and remember that others may see what you post.
Here are some tips to stay safe on Facebook: About
Privacy Shortcuts
If you put your phone number or address into Facebook, make sure this is not seen by everyone. Click About and then on Contact info, click Edit. You can change who sees this information by clicking on the padlock icon next to your phone number or address - set to Only Me. On your mobile click More (at the bottom of the screen, next to Notifications) and then Privacy Shortcuts. If you are using a computer, click on Settings (top right of your screen) then Privacy. Change who can see you stuff and who can look you up - to Friends.
Help us reach 1,000 We share many of our stories on our facebook page. We’re at 830 likes so far, but we’d like to get over 1,000. If you haven’t liked us yet, please visit facebook and search for mcchcharity and click on like! We share stories, jobs, events and fundraising stories. Winter 2016
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Get involved
Afternoon tea It’s the quintessential British experience! You’ll get a glass of Prosecco, sandwiches, scones and cakes, and a free raffle ticket.
When: Friday 24 February 2017, 11am - 2pm
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Where: Rianos, 33 Tonbridge Road, Maidstone, Kent ME16 8RX £
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£25 per person How to book tickets: Katie 01622 722487 k.peckham@mcch.org.uk
Blues Brother night 4 February 2017 | 7.30pm - 11.30pm Ditton Community Centre, Kiln Barn Road, Ditton, Aylesford ME20 6AH Adults £12 | Children (5-16) £8 Children under 5 go free Enjoy this fantastic tribute night with Blues Brothers Little Brother. 4
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Book tickets online: www.mcch.org.uk/blues
Emma Cassley Fundraising Manager
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Open water swimming Prudential RideLondonSurrey 100 Congratulations to this year’s cycling team, David, Sue and Jay, raising almost £3,500 for mcch. Well done!
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Adventurous swimmers took the plunge into open water this September. Hosted by Leybourne Lake Watersports Centre, participants swam Leybourne Lakes and braved the cold temperatures, to raise £335 for mcch.
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50km walkers smash target!
Music club gets go-ahead
Well done to Liz, Nicola, Debbie and Jo for walking 50km from Putney to Runnymede in the Thames Path Challenge.
The Hart and Rushmoor Rotary Clubs donated £900 to mcch’s wellbeing centre in Aldershot. The donation will support the centre to set up a music group, working with the SoCo Music Project, to support the group to perform in public.
The team smashed their fundraising target, raising a fantastic £1,708.49.
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Stories past or present The My Voice, My Story, My Way project helps people we support to recollect stories to aid communication. Tracey Cox, Lead Practitioner, explains what impact it has had on staff and people we support: “The project has been running for over 3 years and the feedback we’ve received is really positive. “Over 65 Champions have now been trained, working across 38 services, and their job is to support other staff to get involved and offer ideas on how to gather stories in a way that truly engages the people we support. “We share stories each day, but many of the people we support may not remember well or cannot communicate what they want to say. Often they just don’t have the photos or objects to help them do this. “This project is not just about making memory boxes. It’s about communicating. Staff are keeping souvenirs from days out and holidays. They are taking more videos and photos and writing up stories - recollecting the key moments in a person’s life. “The way we tell or re-tell a story is really important. What works well for one person, may not work well for another. One staff re-united 2 people we support who used to live together and hadn’t seen each other for years. The moment was filmed so that they can both re-live and talk about it with their friends and staff. “I am so proud of all the work achieved by the Champions. They are forming much stronger relationships with the people we support and are getting to know them in ways that are truly individualised. They are finding better ways to engage with the people we support.”
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Magic moments...Champions tell us what they liked best about working on the project: “Following the footsteps that Hilda once walked, piecing together her story.” “Spending quality time with Viola, looking at photos, writing down her memories and watching the joy and happiness on her face.” (We have changed the names to protect people’s identity).
Be mindful Mindfulness is not new. In fact it’s been around for thousands of years. Today it is being used to help people reduce anxiety, stress and depression, and to help people live life more fully. So what is it? It’s about being in the present moment, accepting your thoughts, feelings and sensations, and not struggling with them. If you spent 1 minute with your eyes closed, your mind will probably start to wander. “I must remember to make that phone call, did I leave the iron on?” In this instance, mindfulness will help observe your thoughts, as you’ll be focussing on other things, like feeling the breath in your abdomen, your lungs and your nose, and concentrating on each breath.
Things to try yourself, but first go to http://bemindful.co.uk to find out more: • Remind yourself: Download a mindfulness bell app that rings throughout the day to remind you to stop, breathe and be in the present moment. • Take time to breathe: When you feel stressed, sit up straight and take in 3 deep breaths. If you have a bit longer, concentrate on a certain part of the body that is tense. Then imagine breathing in to those parts to help you relax. Take notice of how that feels. • Really listen: Do you always listen to people when they’re talking? Does your mind wander? Are you always seeking your chance to jump into the conversation? Practice mindful listening. Really listen to what the person is saying. And before you say something, pause first. Beeches - St Andrews is a high support community living service in Maidstone. We support people moving on from the forensic wards, rehabilitation, the Prison service and Trevor Gibbens Unit. Tenants will move on to alternate accommodation within 2 years, but only when they are ready. Built in 2016, the property provides modern accommodation within self-contained flats for 9 people. Winter 2016
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Other versions available: • Learning disability & autism news • Easy read
mcch One Hermitage Court Hermitage Lane Maidstone Kent ME16 9NT t. 01622 722400 f. 01622 722450 www.mcch.org.uk twitter.com/mcchcharity facebook.com/mcchcharity
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mcch is a registered charity number 1156486 and a company limited by guarantee (registered in England and Wales number 8971493).