We want to give a huge THANK YOU to Louise and Beth for the absolutely incredible work in the preparation, designing and painting of our Take 5 hub!
Thank you to each and every one of you for all your hard work, the hub is an amazing place to be!!
Come along and support - Big Dave's Big Trek for Tameside, Oldham and Glossop Mind – Fundraising Fun Day
On Saturday 21st May from 12noon at Little Owl Farm, Grains Bar, Oldham, OL1 4SX
It's going to be an epic challenge for Dave, walking for 24 hours wearing full ice hockey gear to raise as much money as possible for TOG Mind.
Starting at the Little Owl Farm, Grains Bar, Oldham and doing a repeating circuit of around 9.4km.
On the day there will be:
-
Old Cobblers (selling beer)
-
Rediscover Wine
-
Saddleworth Brownies
-
The Eatery Cakes
-
Tameside, Oldham and Glossop Mind info stall
The Farm Shop, Petting Farm and Café will be open as usual. In addition to the regular menu, the café will serve a few take away items i.e. wraps, French fries, etc.
On Sunday 22nd of May, as Dave comes to the end of his fundraiser, a fantastic group of Duke of Edinburgh students will be taking part in the fundraising and joining Dave on his last lap.
Please click here to visit the Little Owl Farm event page on Facebook.
Come along, have a fantastic afternoon and support your local mental health charity.
Next Monday 9th May marks the start of Mental Health Awareness Week 2022, with the theme this year being loneliness. Here at TOG Mind, every week is mental health awareness week really!
For us, we continue our work of over 40 years, supporting local people, delivering training across Gtr Manchester, fundraising for mental wellbeing and providing a range of different services for people of all ages and backgrounds. Your support as always is hugely important.
Throughout the week and always - at our Ashton and Oldham offices, a warm and understanding welcome will be given to anyone accessing for advice or support with out of hours appointments and sessions also running.
Mon 9th May
Get Your Mind Plan – We’ll be sharing and encouraging people to complete a Mind Plan, where you can answer 5 questions to get top tips and advice that work for you in looking after your mental wellbeing.
There will be information across our networks, about our 1-1 appointments to support loneliness and isolation through our Peer Support Project, Listening Spaces and Safe Haven options in Oldham and Ashton.
We’ll also be sharing where people can donate to the charity or find out more about fundraising.
Tue 10th May
Bob in for a Brew! 2pm to 4pm – At our office 216-218 Katherine Street, OL6 7AS. A very relaxed setting with comfy chairs and friendly staff. There might even be biscuits!
Tameside Autism in Mind (TAIM) – Social Group. Our Tameside Peer Support Project drop-in group for autistic adults. At our office 216-218 Katherine Street, OL6 7AS. The group runs 4pm to 6pm and for further info you can email: peersupport [at] togmind.org.
Wed 11th May
During the morning we will be running a mindful photography session that people can attend. We will be delivering Autism Awareness Training to staff at Tameside Council and our Wellbeing Hub Coordinator Caroline will be at Ashton Library from 1pm, talking to people about all the exciting wellbeing activities we have running locally. From 4pm to 8pm children, young people and families can drop into our Community Hive session specifically designed by young people for young people and access advice and support or more dedicated help.
Thu 12th May
Arts & Crafts – An opportunity for people to come and explore the MHAW 2022 theme of loneliness through arts and crafts. With materials and equipment provided for anyone to take part and a friendly relaxed environment. The group runs 2pm to 4pm and for further info you can email: wellbeinghub [at] togmind.org. We will also be delivering Mental Health First Aid training to staff from Tameside Council.
Fri 13th May
Our peer support project which helps people who are socially isolated, is focussing on the needs of our volunteers as well as our clients. On the Friday we are hosting an event to celebrate our volunteers and raise awareness of loneliness within all our work across local communities.
Please help us spread the word about the activities we have available during #MHAW2022.
Can you tell your story?
We have recently been awarded some funding through the ‘Lets End Hate Crime - No Place for Hate’ Campaign and we would like to explore people’s stories of hate crime and it’s impact. Our plan is to produce 4 different short films that are honest and authentic, exploring different perspectives and impacts whilst educating and encouraging the reporting of hate crime.
Would you be willing to tell us your story and allow us to share it?
Hate incidents and crimes are acts of violence or hostility directed at people because of who they are or who someone thinks they are. They can be the result of disability, race, religion or beliefs, sexual orientation, alternative subculture, gender and transgender identity.
If you are interested in sharing your story, please contact us at: marketing [at] togmind.org before Friday 6th May 2022 and we will respond as soon as possible.
Many thanks for taking an interest and please consider spreading the word to anyone you know who might be interested. #LetsEndHateCrime
OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!
Our brand new and exciting ‘Young People’s Mental & Emotional Wellbeing Service’ launches on Thu 31st March 2022 – working in partnership with 42nd Street.
It will be a great opportunity for local people and partners to find out more, chat with our staff and enjoy food and refreshments.
Please reserve your ticket here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/young-peoples-mental-emotional-wellbeing-service-launch-tickets-266173270417
Also, please share this with anyone in your network who may be interested.
We look forward to seeing you on the day.
Please see below for the full launch invite:
On Friday 11th February 2022 - 9:15am - 13:15pm - Five Areas Limited are hosting an online Train the Trainer course for ‘Enjoy Your Baby’ which is part of the umbrella Living Life To The Full suite.
After a successful lunch and learn event in December, they are offering trainers the chance to train to deliver ‘Enjoy Your Baby’ to parents in communities in Greater Manchester. They are seeking individuals who are working with families and parents to be. Individuals will have a good knowledge of mental health acquired via training and practice. They will have experience of small group teaching.
There is a £60 attendance contribution for VCSE organisations and VCSE organisations can apply for a small grant which contributes towards the cost of delivery. Expectation is that, if you receive this training you will deliver at least two courses in the short term, take part in the programme wide evaluation and join the community of practice.
The training is free to you.
Please click here to register your interest.
As we start to wrap up for the festive break, we wanted to extend our warm wishes to you this festive season and ensure you know our opening times and where and when you can get support. You can also click the link below to see additional options on our website. From all the staff and volunteers at TOG Mind, we wish you the very best for Christmas and the New Year. Please share this information across your networks. #MentalHealthMatters
https://www.togmind.org/contact-us/emergency-numbers
Yaran Northwest as a whole organisation, intends to use Connect 5 in the community with Middle Eastern residents, to support our community to develop a healthier quality of life and to preserve the cultural heritage of the Iranian community in Manchester.
We would like to deliver culturally sensitive and language appropriate mental health and well-being sessions based on the Connect 5 programme in several different languages, particularly for the middle eastern residents across Greater Manchester who have been further impacted by COVID 19.
This will be enabling and encouraging people to use and access technology to keep them connected to the outside world and reaching out to isolated people by telephone, and befriending.
We will be focusing on working closely with our colleagues and neighbourhood health workers to support the middle eastern community with easier access to Mental health support in the community and build an easier platform of referral pathways for bilingual practitioners and VCSE community based organisations.
The Connect 5 course will enable the local residents to:
-
Extend participants skills and confidence to have mental wellbeing conversations within everyday practice
-
Understand different public health models of mental health, mental illness and mental wellbeing
-
Initiate conversations about mental wellbeing and possess the key skills needed
-
Assess the nature and extent of the mental wellbeing issue being presented to ensure people get the right help at the right time
-
Identify steps that can be taken to improve mental wellbeing
-
Apply strategies and techniques relating to the five areas model
-
Practice implementing self-management strategies to support successful change processes
-
Practice working collaboratively to set goals
-
Incorporate self-management strategies and resources into everyday practice.
Connect 5 training impact on Yaran Northwest as an organisation
The Connect 5 training has enabled trainers like me who are bilingual and from diverse communities, to increase our knowledge and understanding of supporting diverse groups of ethnic and migrant communities with their mental health needs and to be able to offer early support and prevention around mental health issues that they are faced with.
As a trainer based within Yaran organisation offering the course to residents across Gtr Manchester, it has enabled me and our organisation to increase confidence in working with diverse groups of ethnic and migrant communities, as well as empowering individuals in recognising their strengths, coping mechanisms and building of self-care platforms to managing their own mental health and well-being.
Mrs. Mel Safari CEO/Psychologist BABCP
Yaran Northwest CIC
Case study from Yaran Northwest Volunteer
“I was informed about the Connect 5 training by Yaran. I volunteered for the team on various Covid vaccine sites across Manchester. I learned a lot from the course. I felt it was really helpful and useful for me to apply to my personal life. I feel a lot of people would benefit from the course in the community especially in the times and climate of pandemic, isolation and being at home which has brought a lot of mental health issues to the surface for us all. I hope I can continue my volunteering support and work with Yaran on the delivery of Connect 5 training as an Ambassadors for Yaran and the community they serve”.
Yaran Northwest Bilingual/Volunteer
Leo Casey is the Greater Manchester Police Safeguarding Adults and Young People Lead. He’s there to support anyone around safeguarding issues and officer welfare generally.
When are you going to be doing your Connect 5 / Train the Trainer training?
“We’re due to complete our training in the next two or three weeks. Myself and 6 or 7 people in the Cadet Central team plus 2 or 3 people in HR. We also plan to have another cohort of cadet leaders trained in the summer.”
Tell me a little about your organisation and your plans to use Connect 5?
“The Police cadet schemes started nationally 8 or 9 years ago. They were launched without much ongoing support for people. In Greater Manchester this year, we will have around 300 police cadets on the scheme, aged 13-18, with around 60 – 80 volunteer leaders. We’ve recently being doing a thorough review. We’ve found that leaders/volunteers might not have all the skills they need to support our cadets. One of the key areas is mental health. Leaders need to have the confidence to talk to cadets and volunteers about their mental health to support them well. Connect 5 came along perfectly for us, enabling our team to have the confidence to have those mental health conversations but also when, where and how to get further support.”
What other health and wellbeing work or training do you engage with, that might be complementary to Connect 5?
“We’re considering several things for the whole force, Mental Health First aid and ACE’s training. I’d also like to look at implementing Teams, Turmoil and Transition training that I did myself some years ago.”
What’s the best thing that you personally like about Connect 5 and health and wellbeing improvement generally?
“Seeing the impact that it’s had on previous staff. 3 or 4 of my previous team in youth work management who were new youth workers completed Connect 5 and said it was so useful to gain confidence around mental health conversations. They loved it.
It’s important to give our current cadet volunteer leaders something similar. If you’re volunteering, your values are usually right but it might not be matched by your confidence and experience. We know that just having a conversation 9 out of 10 times helps young people. Giving leaders the confidence to do this is so important.
Also young people need support for their wellbeing now more than ever. It’s harder now with things like social media that can affect young people. As well as this, coming out of the pandemic, young people have lost a year out their life. Young people focused on being police officers can also have challenges around the pressure connected to this to achieve. We have a number of cadets as well who are recruited because they have been involved with criminality or come from disadvantaged backgrounds. It’s very important then that we give our volunteers the appropriate training to support all these young people well around their mental health.”
The Tameside & Glossop NHS vaccine team based at Manchester Etihad have taken their work to another level over the last 12 months rolling out vaccines whilst fundraising for local mental health services at the same time.
As staff and volunteers became involved in the vaccine role out across Gtr Manchester, Alan Hill who’s been involved from the beginning, started making name badges for people and asking for donations to support Tameside, Oldham and Glossop Mind (TOG Mind).
What started out as 10 badges initially, became over 1400 badges created by Alan, with staff and volunteers donating to the cause when receiving them. Through generous donations the team have collectively raised £1677, helping ensure more people locally can access different types of mental health and wellbeing support.
Alan Hill (right) and Jason Bromley from TOG Mind at the Mass Vaccination Centre at the Etihad Tennis Centre.
Jason from TOG Mind, who joined the vaccine team recently to provide some wellbeing sessions and find out more about Alan’s journey said “Myself and everyone at TOG Mind are blown away by the kind donations and the work and dedication Alan has put in to help support his colleagues and of course mental health at a local level. He really has gone above and beyond whilst helping to roll out vaccines to help keep us all safe.
To find out more about TOG Mind, local wellbeing support and training or fundraising options, you can contact our office on 0161 330 9223.
