Between 14 – 20 May 2018 it is Dying Matters Awareness Week: Dying Matters is an organisation that aims to help people talk more openly about dying, death, bereavement, and to make plans for the end of life.
We are very happy to be working with the lovely ladies Bernadette and Val who are holding their It’s Good to Talk event at Topaz Café, to help celebrate Dying Matters Awareness Week.
Taking place on Tuesday 15th May, 3:30pm to 6pm at Topaz Café on 216 - 218 Katherine Street, Ashton-under-Lyne OL6 7AS. Join us for a free, relaxed event where you can meet those working in the loss, death, and bereavement area; and to talk about the difficult but sometimes most important questions about loss.
Anyone is welcome to attend, meet and chat with individuals going through a similar experience.
The event is free but please book through the Eventbrite link here as space in the café is limited.
Community events such as this are so important for us at Tameside, Oldham and Glossop Mind to support community groups to meet, hold events, and help us share what we can offer and sign post those groups out in the community to what help they and their members can access.
If you’ve been inspired by this story and are interested in running your own event, or if you just want to donate, contact fundraising [at] togmind.org. For more information about TOG Mind and the services we offer you can visit our website at www.togmind.org or you can call 0161 330 9223 where we're happy to help.
At Tameside, Oldham & Glossop Mind we strongly believe in finding innovative ways of working with individuals in order to improve their health and wellbeing.
A new partnership between ourselves, Oldham Boxing and Personal Development Centre, and Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust to carry out an exciting new project – Mind Fit.
Individuals experiencing mental health problems will take part in a twelve-week pilot project focusing on fitness, personal development and employment skills.
Each Wednesday afternoon, participants will engage in an hour of physical fitness based around boxing training and techniques, and an hour of learning about areas such as Mindfulness, Resilience, Nutrition, 5 Ways to Wellbeing, Interview Skills, and general self-care.
We will be working with them to deliver the 5 Ways to Wellbeing and Mindfulness elements over the coming weeks. Participants Body Mass Index, blood pressure, experiences of mood and anxiety and more will be monitored to assess the effectiveness of the project.
Jenny, our Community Services Manager, has been working closely with the Centre and attended their Open Day on the 25th April. The sessions will take place every Wednesday, 12pm from 2nd of May at Oldham Boxing & Personal Development Centre, Greaves Street Oldham, OL1 1QN.
You can find more information about the Centre at their Facebook.
Mind Fit come down on a Wednesday from 12pm to @oldhamboxing to exercise both body and mind. Non-contact boxing alongside wellbeing workshops delivered by @TOGMind Register on arrival.
For more information about TOG Mind and the services that we offer you can visit our website www.togmind.org or you can call 0161 330 9223 where we will be happy to help.
We are always so grateful to individuals that put their limits to the test in order to raise money for
us at Tameside, Oldham and Glossop Mind and Andrew, one of our fantastic fundraisers is no exception! Andrew battled through the heat and empty water stations to complete the marathon in 6 hours and 7 minutes!
We are incredibly grateful to Andrew for choosing us as his charity to raise money for! He has doubled his target and raised an incredible £502, way above his initial target of £250 and he isn’t stopping yet! He’s already signed up to our Salford Dragon Boat Race Team Waiting List – so if you want to join Andrew’s team, get in contact with us at: fundraising [at] togmind.org.
Although there has been a focus over the last few years to provide more provisions to protect the health and wellbeing of our local community, more still needs to be done.
Andrew said:
“This charity is very close to my heart after losing a very close friend in 2013, and family who have also used there services Mind can really make a difference to someone who feels that they have no one to talk to about their struggles.
I would like to thank Greenfield Greyhounds and Anytime Fitness Ashton-under-Lyne for helping me train and supporting me in my quest in running the London Marathon. Thank You for taking the time to read my story."
Thank you so much Andrew for your continued support!
If you’ve been inspired by this story and are interested in taking on a challenge for TOG Mind, or if you just want to donate, contact fundraising [at] togmind.org. For more information about TOG Mind and the services we offer you can visit our website at www.togmind.org or you can call 0161 330 9223 where we are always happy to help.
We are always so grateful to individuals that put their limits to the test in order to raise money for us at Tameside, Oldham and Glossop Mind and Bryan, one of our fantastic fundraisers is no exception!
Bryan will be undertaking five 10km runs before hitting the big five-oh in September! His 50k before 50!
Bryan is fundraising for some fantastic local charities, and we feel very privileged to be chosen as one! You can visit Bryan’s JustGiving page here to see regular updates and how he’s progressing!
Bryan had this to say:
“I go to Slimming World in Denton and you are their chosen charity for 2018. With Richard, my late brother in law having a mental illness I felt that I should raise a bit extra. It is coming up to the anniversary of his passing (May 16th).”
The first 10k he is tackling is May 6th in Liverpool. With the following 4 taking place in June, July, and September!
Thank you so much Bryan, and keep up the incredible work!
If you’ve been inspired by this story and are interested in taking on a challenge for TOG Mind, or if you just want to donate, contact fundraising [at] togmind.org.
For more information about TOG Mind and the services we offer you can visit our website at www.togmind.org, or you can call 0161 330 9223 where we're always happy to help.
Coming up this May is Mental Health Awareness Week. This year’s theme is Stress and we at Tameside, Oldham and Glossop Mind have a number of activities and opportunities for yourselves, your staff, and your volunteers to get involved with.
Please take a look at our 5 Ways in 5 Days campaign to find out more about what’s going on!
You can start the conversation about stress in your workplace by creating a Stress Awareness Space. Download the below resources to get started!
(To download, simply right click on the image and click 'Save image as')
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A poster explaining what a Stress Awareness Space is.
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A “When I’m Stressed…” card, where staff can share their thoughts and feelings when they are feeling stressed. *You could encourage staff to stick these up in your Staff Kitchen or make an anonymous drop-box!
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Our contact details to display.
It can make a huge difference sharing how you’re feeling with friends and colleagues. By sharing you could get some great advice and tips or find you can support other colleagues who need help.
We can help you to set this up and can provide other materials about our services! Please get in touch and take lots of pictures of your spaces!
We had a Business Breakfast recently on Tuesday 17th April.
We had some great attendance and some really good discussion going on during the event!
Representatives from the Prince of Orange pub, Studio G Photography, Active Tameside, MENCAP, Tameside Council, The Helping Hand based in Hyde, and the National Ambulance Service (NAS) all attended a brilliant Business Breakfast at Topaz Café on Katherine Street.
The breakfast, which was graciously provided by our wonderful cafe, had loads on offer to make sure all of our attendees were well satisfied!
Local employers were invited to the event for breakfast, networking, and information sessions. Our local Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Small Employer Advisor presented about the benefits of being a Disability Confident employer.
We also had Gary, our Employability Manager at TOG Mind give a presentation around the importance of Mental Health and Wellbeing within the workplace.
The morning was well received by everyone who attended and we are so grateful for the support from local businesses and organisations.
Gary had this to say about the event:
“It was a great event, we had a wide variety of agencies in attendance and a very interesting presentation was given by Lisa Kolade-Newell (DWP) about the Disability Confident scheme and Access To Work. The food was great. It was a very successful event.”
We also had some fantastic positive feedback from those who attended!
You can see some of them below:
At TOG Mind we are committed to supporting individuals who are looking to get back into paid work or volunteering. Through our Volunteering Opportunities, our Training Academy, or through the TOGETHER Project.
For more information about TOG Mind and the services we offer you can visit our website www.togmind.org or you can call 0161 330 9223 where we're always happy to help.
If you’ve been inspired by this story and are interested in running your own event, or if you just want to donate, contact fundraising [at] togmind.org.
We are very privileged to be working with the Holt family, who are organising a number of events and activities in memory of their loving and caring daughter, Chloe.
We have included a bit of information below about Chloe that her family have allowed us to share and you can read more in the article put together by the Oldham Chronicle last year here.
Chloe’s mother and father shared the grief they have experienced after Chloe was discovered in her university room. Janine and Stephen believe their daughter took her own life after coming across several diaries which recorded her feelings of unhappiness and anxiety. The family pointed to the stigma that surrounds depression and other mental health issues as one of the reasons why people do not speak out.
Despite her parents' pain they voiced one key resolution - to highlight the struggle that Chloe faced and to do all they can to prevent it happening to another family. They encouraged those who are struggling with mental health issues to be brave and speak with friends and family members, and to seek help before it is too late.
Matt Hoyle, Chloe’s Uncle, and Emily Harvey are putting together a series of Fitness Fundraisers from a fitness class on the 1st May, to a final Family Fun Day taking place on Saturday 5th May.
Starting off the week will be the free Blood, Sweat and Tears class on Tuesday 1st May, run by Matt. Taking place between 6pm and 7:30pm at Waterhead Academy Sports Centre. This is an open class that is suitable for everyone! Whether you are a fitness fanatic or prefer to take things a little bit slower, you can take on the class at your own pace! Matt and Emily would like people to wear lots of lovely bright colours, so get your best gym leggings out!
Last year over 130 people took part and the family raised £4000 for Mind. This year they are hoping to surpass this target and get people moving, not only to celebrate Chloe’s memory but also to raise awareness for those families and individuals who are going through a similar experience and need support.
Next up is a session run by Heavenly Bodies Gym based on Ripponden Road in Oldham! Taking place on the 3rd May at 6:30pm and run by an ex-Army Personal Training Instructor, this will be a free military style boot camp class!
And new for this year is the Family Fun Day taking place at Matt’s gym, Unit 75 at the Acorn Centre. This is where the family want to announce the final total fundraised and also invite friends, families and supporters to take part in a variety of activities. There will be lots of cakes (for after working so hard throughout the week!), fitness challenges and competitions, a bouncy castle, crafts and activities for kids, a stall of information from us here at TOG Mind, and much more.
Jenny Higson, CEO at TOG Mind had this to say –
“We are so grateful to Chloe’s family for choosing to support our work at TOG Mind. Hearing how Chloe’s family are choosing to celebrate and commemorate Chloe’s life through health and fitness, which we know is so closely linked to our mental wellbeing, is particularly inspiring and I cannot wait to see how the fitness events throughout the week go!”
You can find out more about Matt’s event at Waterhead Academy here, and donate to their JustGiving page here.
In Memory events such as this are so important for us at Tameside, Oldham and Glossop Mind to not only raise vital funds for our services and support individuals and families in a similar situation but to help us share what we can offer and sign post everyone out in the community to what help they can access.
If you’ve been inspired by this story and are interested in running your own event, or if you just want to ask us to have a chat with us about how we can help you with an event, contact fundraising [at] togmind.org.
For more information about TOG Mind and the services we offer you can visit our website www.togmind.org or you can call 0161 330 9223 where we will be happy to help.
The Blazing Saddles are a group of Firefighters and friends who each year take on a mammoth cycling challenge to raise money for charity! This year is a very special, the 100 Year Ride! Celebrating the centenary of the end of WW1 and 100 years of the Fire Brigades Union.
We are incredibly lucky this year to have become one of the Blazing Saddles chosen charity partners for 2018! You can read more about all the charities the group have decided to support at their website.
This year’s challenge is no exception and the team of 16 are pushing themselves to cycle from Oldham, all the way to the Rock of Gibraltar. A whopping 1600 miles over fourteen days. You can see a step by step break down of their route on the website!
This is the groups fourth and most ambitious charity ride yet!
From cycling 41 fire stations in year one; to taking on the 3 Peak Challenge (but with a cycling twist in between!) in year two; and then cycling from Slovenia back to Oldham (a distance of 1300 miles!) last year; the team are just getting bigger and better, year after year.
We are loving seeing the team’s progress on their Twitter page @The100YearRide.
#ridetotherock
We will be at the Fire Station Open Day on Saturday 12th May 2018!
Community partnerships such as this are so important for us at Tameside, Oldham and Glossop Mind, to not only raise vital funds for our services but to help us share what we can offer and sign post those groups out in the community to what help they and their members can access.
If you’ve been inspired by this story and are interested in running your own event, or if you just want to donate, contact fundraising [at] togmind.org.
For more information about TOG Mind and the services we offer you can visit their website www.togmind.org, or you can call us on 0161 330 9223 where we are always happy to help.
Dedicated staff members Kelly Smith; Early Intervention Community Wellbeing Coordinator, and Nicola Harrison; Director of Children, Young People and Families Services set themselves the massive target of completing 200 miles between them and raising £200 for Tameside, Oldham and Glossop Mind as part of The Big 40km campaign! We're very proud!
Nicola and Kelly are both employees at TOG Mind and are both passionate about supporting mental health and wellbeing within their local communities. They both enjoy running regularly and use this as a tool to support in their physical and mental wellbeing.
After talking in the office Nicola and Kelly decided they wanted to challenge themselves to raise funds as part of TOG Mind's 40th Birthday!
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Nicola completed her 100 miles completely by running and tackled an incredible 20km run from our Glossop site through to our Ashton site, on Katherine Street, and finishing at Positive Steps in Oldham.
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Running partner Kelly completed her 100 miles (surpassing her target by reaching 113 miles!) with a mixture of running, including four 10km runs as a team with Nicola, taking part in Park Runs and completing gym cardio circuits, body balance and Pilates classes at the gym and 34 ten minute home workouts.
The Big 40km challenge was put together by the team at TOG Mind to help celebrate 40 years of supporting the local community with their mental health and wellbeing. We started out as a mental health and wellbeing organisation, Tameside and Glossop Association of Mind, on the 27th February 1978 and in 2008 we re-registered as Tameside, Oldham and Glossop Mind as we expanded our services to Oldham.
Completing 100 miles is no easy task and we are so grateful to Kelly and Nic for completely stepping out of their comfort zone, taking The Big 40km challenge into their own hands and helping us to celebrate our birthday! They have reached their target and raised an incredible £200 to support the work of our dedicated staff and volunteers.
Kelly had this to say:
“I’m really proud of my achievement, I went out in all weathers from snowy days to sunny days and pushed myself to the gym when plagued by shin splints. It was great to do this challenge with my colleague taking on the sights of Tameside and raising money for our place of work that is close to our hearts.
I have used running to improve my mental health and wellbeing for some time now and I am so pleased we raised our target amount and grateful to all who donated to the cause or encouraged us to complete”
Nic also wanted to share her experience:
“I’m really pleased I have been able to complete this challenge; it has motivated me to increase my fitness level and has enabled to me run farther than I ever have before.
As someone who really benefits from physical activity to keep myself mentally well I couldn’t be prouder to raise money for a charity which supports others in the community with their mental health and wellbeing. Thank you to everyone for your support and for donating to such a worthy cause”
Every year, more people are facing problems with their mental health. TOG Mind work to ensure that they can offer help to anyone that needs it. Engaging the community to take part in our challenges and activities is so important for us at Tameside, Oldham and Glossop Mind to not only raise vital funds for our services but to help us share what we can offer and sign post those individuals and their friends and families to what help they can access.
Thank you to over 20 staff, volunteers, and supporters currently taking part in The Big 40km, marathons, half-marathons, 10k’s, and treks!
Without your support and dedication, our work simply couldn’t continue!
To keep up to date with our 40th birthday celebrations, make sure to visit our website page where you can read more about all our fantastic supporters!
Jenny Higson, CEO at TOG Mind said:
“Thank you to both Nic and Kelly for completing such a mammoth distance between them! It is brilliant to see two of our staff members working together to raise awareness for looking after your own mental health and wellbeing, within our community.”
You can still donate to Kelly and Nic’s JustGiving page here and see all their amazing progress pictures!
If you’ve been inspired by this story and are interested in taking on a challenge for TOG Mind, or if you just want to donate, contact fundraising [at] togmind.org (subject: The%20Big%2040%20Enquiry) .
For more information about TOG Mind and the services we offer you can visit our website www.togmind.org or you can call us on 0161 330 9223 where we're always happy to help!
Sisters Leah, Charlotte and Lydia took on some incredible fundraising yet again! The girls attended the Spring Fair at Mossley Town Team last weekend (24th March) and held a special spring tombola!
The sisters have been doing an incredible job of not only raising funds to support the work of the dedicated staff and volunteers at TOG Mind but raising awareness for TOG Mind’s services across the local community by handing out leaflets and information!
The girls, who all attend the Blue Coat School in Oldham, are still adding to their fundraising total, which is now just under £300, and will be attending the Mossley Town Team Summer Party in the Park on Sunday 24th June. We can’t wait to have a go on the chocolate tombola they have planned!
The money raised will go directly into funding the mental health support offered at TOG Mind, who work across the Tameside, Oldham and Glossop areas.
Every year, more people are facing problems with their mental health. TOG Mind work to ensure that they can offer help to anyone that needs it, through guided self-help, mental health advocacy, drop-ins and more. Their other work involves teaching the community about mental health problems, how to recognise mental health symptoms and ways to reduce the negative stigma which, sadly, is still a barrier to people asking for help.
Leah, 17, who is studying for her A Levels at the Blue Coat Sixth Form, said she decided to raise money for mental health charity Mind as part of her Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award.
She added: “In the Duke of Edinburgh scheme you have to undertake voluntary work so we thought we would help a local charity.
“With so many young people these days suffering with stress through the pressures of exams and outside influences, we wanted to improve teenage mental health and well-being, so we decided to approach Mind.”
Charlotte, 14, also worked with Mind as part of her Silver DoE, while her younger sister Lydia, 11, is taking part in the Blue Coat School’s Leadership Award which also encourages youngsters to go out and help in the community.
Lydia added: “I chose Mind because lots of young people are dealing with mental health issues every day.”
