**The Listening Space is opening times are currently as follows at our Oldham Wellbeing Centre**

Monday: 5pm - 8pm

Tuesday: 5pm - 8pm

Wednesday: 9am - 3pm

Thursday: 5pm - 8pm

Friday: 5pm - 8pm

Saturday: 10am - 2pm

You can access support via telephone by ringing 0161 330 9223 with the extension 2169.

Do you need to talk to someone about your mental health and wellbeing?

The Listening Spaces are available for anyone who would like support with their mental health and wellbeing, especially during this difficult time.

This services provides an informal comfortable setting and is a free confidential space for adults aged 18 and over who feel they need someone to talk to and to get some early support. 

Adults are able to attend the listening space for face-to-face appointments in a COVID compliant environment. 

This is a walk-in or self-referral basis.

- EXCLUSIVE FUNDRAISING OFFER -

We are looking for 30 fantastic local fundraisers to take on a 30 day challenge to help raise vital funds for Tameside, Oldham and Glossop Mind. Everyone taking part and getting active, will receive an official certificate and may also receive a brand new pair of Merrell shoes, whether you raise £50, £500 or more! #TOGMIND30DayChallenge

(Please note shoe sizes and availability will be subject to shoe sizes and stock levels, on a first come, first served basis.)

• Beat the winter blues

• Stay active through lockdown

• Support your local mental health charity

• Improve your overall wellbeing

• It’s FREE, it’s easy and it’s rewarding

• Receive full support from TOG Mind in helping you celebrate and spread the word

• Link with our JustGiving page or use any other method you prefer

https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/TOGMindCoronavirusAppeal

All support is greatly needed and appreciated at this difficult time.

Please share and for any further info contact Jason at fundraising [at] togmind.org (subject: 30%20Day%20Challenge) or call 0161 330 9223.

*January 2021 Support Update*

Tameside, Oldham and Glossop Mind remains open to provide mental health help and support.

Further to the government announcement around a national lockdown, we are acutely aware of the impact this will have on people’s mental health and wellbeing. Therefore, we have taken every step to ensure we can deliver our services as safely as possible. This includes options for online, over the phone or face to face appointments.

If you want face to face appointments, we ask you to follow the COVID guidelines. We have measures in place to ensure we can safely provide this support, including requiring all staff, volunteers and visitors to wear a face covering, attending appointments on their own where possible, and observing social distancing.

• Visitors to our Ashton or Oldham offices should wear a face covering at all times.
• If you have your own, please bring it with you – it needs to cover your nose and mouth.
• If you do not have one when you visit, please see a member of staff who will provide you with one.
• For some people, wearing a face covering may be difficult due to physical or mental health conditions. In these instances, please let our staff know and other measures will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

It is safe and important to attend your appointment and seek help when needed. Unless you hear from us directly, please attend as normal.

National guidance states that you can continue to attend hospital, GP and other medical appointments or visits where you have had an accident or are concerned about your health. However, if you have any symptoms of COVID-19 or are feeling unwell please do not come to your appointment and instead contact us on 0161 330 9223 to let us know.

The team can help rearrange your appointment for you. Thank you for your continued help and support during this time.

The last 6 months have seen a 400% increase in referrals to some of our services and reports of depression almost doubling based on last year. COVID-19 has led to the cancellation of our traditional fundraising events and we need your help urgently.

Donate via Facebook.               Donate via JustGiving.

We find ourselves in unprecedented times and need your help and support more than ever before. The current crisis has meant all our traditional fundraising activities for 2020 have had to be cancelled and the wonderful local businesses that usually support us by hosting our collection tins have been unable to do this. 

The impact has been felt across the whole charity and across communities we support and we must ensure we can continue to develop and expand our areas of work for the future. In the last 6 months we have seen a 400% increase in referrals to some of our services and reports of depression almost doubling based on this time last year. 

Despite all of this, since March 2020 we have not stopped! Remaining as proactive as possible whilst helping as many people as we can. 

We have worked in a rapid and innovative way to redesign our mental wellbeing training programme. 'Connect 5 - Live Online' has already started to create a ripple of change across Greater Manchester using Zoom to deliver the training, stage one has seen 40 courses delivered with over 700 people accessing the training in the last 5 months.

"I am new to a role where mental health issues exist, found the content was good for a beginner like myself and the more experienced members on the module. Found it very educational and thought provoking and look forward to Module 3." --Jane - Age UK

"A very interesting and thought provoking session. Lots of ideas and tools to help promote wellbeing. Thank you." --Phillip - Active Tameside

Our Tameside Buddy Project has seen an increase in referrals of 442% with dedicated support provided to over 150 of the most socially isolated people locally. We have learned there is ever increasing demand for this service and want to provide much more support. 

"My buddy has been helpful and really lovely to talk to."

"How lovely it is to hear cheerful voice on the end of the phone line, when you haven't spoken to anyone in 7 days. It makes such a difference to your day."

Our counselling service has had over 150 new clients start with us since lockdown and we have adapted to provide on-line and telephone counselling sessions. All our final year placement counsellors have been supported in providing remote counselling so that they could complete their training/qualifications. We have developed a new relationship with the Manchester University, providing and supporting their doctorate students with the opportunity to practice remotely during the lockdown period and continued to provide sign posting, support and referral information to over 400 individual people. 

We have delivered over 65 individual online wellbeing sessions since April. These included: Mindfulness, arts for wellbeing, growing from home, online social sessions and writing for wellbeing. 

Lorraine B is a single mum with 2 children who was working from home, then on furlough through lockdown. She joined the mindfulness sessions to learn new skills to manage her stress. She said this about it: 

"Mindfulness via Zoom is perfect for helping me to keep focused on finding time for me and reminding me to focus on the here and now.  There is still so much going on in lock down ... with home schooling, house work, missing family and friends ... getting together with others via Zoom is helping me to keep in touch and to remind me that mindful moments really do bring calm ... even over the Internet."

Our long-standing relationship with GP surgeries in Oldham meant that we were able to mobilise to a remote service delivery model, via telephone or video call, to ensure that the client journey remained as smooth as possible, especially at a time of such change and uncertainty. As well as continuing to work with our existing clients, we adopted a pro-active approach and reached out to people that we had worked with previously and offered wellbeing calls to those identified as vulnerable by their GP surgery. Many of the people called appreciated the contact and took up the offer of treatment, or a weekly wellbeing call, resulting in an increase in referrals - 545 in June and 961 in July 2020. 

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our TOG Mind Safe Haven staff have been providing ongoing telephone support for people who present in crisis, offering anxiety management, mindfulness sessions, self-care tools and techniques alongside access to Silvercloud (free online therapy), Early Help and Counselling services. During this time, we have engaged with over 130 clients, supporting those with some of the most complex issues out in the community, coming through A+E and Home Treatment Team pathways. As we emerge as a community from lockdown measures, our Safe Haven staff are looking forward to opening doors again, continuing supporting vulnerable people and providing over-night care that is invaluable to so many experiencing mental health crisis.

Our dedicated work with BAME communities and people with dementia has continued throughout with guidance and support provided through: 

• Pakistani Community Centre
• Indian Association
• European Islamic Centre
• Anglo West Indian Club
• Khazeena Women Group
• Carvan-e-Adab
• Probash Bangla TV

We have directly linked with over 1500 people from these communities through individual direct support and partnership working with local mosques and temples with ongoing support through WhatsApp groups and social media networks to help peoples overall wellbeing, dispel myths and encourage self-care. All donations made go directly to Tameside, Oldham and Glossop Mind to help ensure our continued work and development of new types of support because of COVID-19. 

We want to help ensure a future where mental wellbeing is prioritised and people can get the right support at the right time. After 40 years of supporting people and providing training, we need your help to ensure we can continue for another 40. 

Your help is hugely appreciated by all at Tameside, Oldham and Glossop Mind. Thank you. 

How you can raise funds virtually

As much as things are quite restricted right now, why not join the many people making innovative use of technology to raise funds? You could hold an event online. Here are some ideas:

• Host a virtual quiz – lots of people have been using video call apps/software to hold online quizzes. You could have fun with friends and family whilst raising funds for us.

• Comedy or music night – you may have seen many musicians and comedians broadcasting their talents online a lot recently. If you’re a creative person, why not do the same and invite all your fans and friends to watch and donate? Some people are doing virtual karaoke, talent shows and lip syncs! 

• Online clubs – if you’re in a poetry group, book club or film club, you could continue these online and make up some games to raise funds.

• Stay active – many fitness instructors and sports people have hosted online fitness classes to raise vital funds for vital causes. 

• Online birthday party – if your birthday falls within these challenging times, why not continue your celebrations digitally and raise some money for us whilst you do?

• Others – online crafternoons, virtual coffee mornings and board games, video game tournaments, dinner parties… there are so many ideas out there right now! 

Other ways to help us include Donate Your Commute – donating your travel savings if you’re not going into the office or saving on transport otherwise at the moment. You can also donate to us by cheque/text donation as well as on the campaign page above.

If due to current circumstances you’re making other regular savings at the moment, such as not having to pay gym or sports club membership – or anything else like this – you could always donate some of this to us. 

We need your support now more than ever, we want to do the best we can to help provide our support to the community. If you or anyone you know is struggling, please don't be afraid to get in touch - 0161 330 9223. Mental health support has never been so important, please don't suffer in silence.