Blog

Barbara Jordan #BlackHistoryMonth

Barbara Jordan was a U.S. congressional representative from Texas and was the first African American congresswoman to come from the Deep South. Who Was Barbara Jordan? Born on February 21, 1936, in Houston, Texas, Barbara Jordan was a lawyer and educator who was a congresswoman from 1972 to 1978—the first African-American congresswoman to come from the deep South and the first woman ever elected to the Texas Senate (1966). She

2020-04-17T11:28:38+01:0016th October 2019|Black History Month, Blog|

Ernest Everett Just #BlackHistoryMonth

Earnest Everett Just was an African-American biologist and educator best known for his pioneering work in the physiology of development, especially in fertilisation. Synopsis Born on August 14, 1883, in Charleston, South Carolina, Earnest Everett Just was an African-American biologist and educator who pioneered many areas on the physiology of development, including fertilisation, experimental parthenogenesis, hydration, cell division, dehydration in living cells and ultraviolet carcinogenic radiation effects on cells. Just's

2020-04-17T11:30:30+01:0011th October 2019|Black History Month, Blog|

The Well-Bean Crisis Cafe – Hope in a crisis blog: October 2019 – World Mental Health Day

(Written by Matthew Hall – LSLCS Crisis Support Worker at WBC) Thursday this week represents World Mental Health Day. At the Well Bean Café, you will not be judged because of your mental health. You will not be stigmatised if you have a mental health diagnosis. You will not be made to feel different because of how you are currently feeling. We don’t see negative mental health, a diagnosis or

2020-04-17T11:35:35+01:0010th October 2019|Blog, Crisis support, Mental Health Awareness Week, Suicide|

Dorothy Johnson Vaughan #BlackHistoryMonth

Dorothy Johnson Vaughan worked as a mathematician on the SCOUT Launch Vehicle Program that sent America’s first satellites into space. Who Was Dorothy Johnson Vaughan? Dorothy Johnson Vaughan was an African American mathematics teacher who became one of the leading mathematical engineers in early days of the aerospace industry. After the U.S. defence industry desegregated, Vaughan worked with leading computer operators and engineers, becoming an expert in the FORTRAN programming

2020-04-17T11:41:17+01:009th October 2019|Black History Month, Blog|

Marsha P. Johnson #BlackHistoryMonth

Marsha P. Johnson was an African American transgender woman and revolutionary LGBTQ rights activist. She is credited for being an instigator in the Stonewall riots. Who Was Marsha P. Johnson? Marsha P. Johnson was an African American transgender women who was an LGBTQ rights activist and an outspoken advocate for trans people of colour. Johnson spearheaded the Stonewall uprising in 1969 and along with Sylvia Rivera, she later established the

2020-04-17T11:48:02+01:004th October 2019|Black History Month, Blog|

Margaret Busby publisher #BlackHistoryMonth

Born in Accra in the Gold Coast to parents with roots in Barbados, Trinidad and Dominica, she became Britain’s youngest and first Black woman book publisher, when in 1967 she co-founded Allison & Busby with Clive Allison (1944-2011). “We started off with virtually no money and thought we would go into making volumes of poetry accessible and affordable to young people like ourselves. So we printed 15,000 paperback poetry books

2020-04-17T11:50:49+01:002nd October 2019|Black History Month, Blog|

My volunteering experience at Hamari Yaadain Dementia Café

Before coming to Touchstone, I was not unfamiliar with being around individuals living with dementia; my grandfather was diagnosed 5 years ago, and I have seen first-hand how his condition has progressed, and the effects this has had on him and other family members. While my grandparents are regular attendees of the group, I had no idea what to expect! However, I was pleasantly surprised… I was impressed with the

2020-04-17T11:54:03+01:0030th September 2019|Blog, Community, Dementia, Families, Volunteering|

World Suicide Prevention day Blog September 2019

10th September is World Suicide Prevention Day. It is also the day Leeds will launch its latest Suicide Audit findings from 2014-2016, alongside information on the work the City is funding to support suicide prevention; including our own Mentally Healthy Leeds. According to the Alliance of Suicide Prevention Charities (TASC), suicide is the greatest cause of death amongst young men (15-44) in the UK as well as many young women

2019-09-10T09:00:50+01:0010th September 2019|Blog, Crisis support, Suicide|

The Well-Bean Crisis Cafe – Hope in a crisis blog: September 2019 – World Suicide Prevention Day

(Written by Matthew Hall – LSLCS Crisis Support Worker at WBC) Tuesday 10/9/19 this week represents World Suicide Prevention Day around the world.  As a worker in this service who has personally been bereaved by suicide, as well as supporting visitors to our service who have always experienced this – I feel it is incredibly important that as a service that we acknowledge and reflect on the impact suicide can

2019-09-09T16:59:56+01:009th September 2019|Blog, Crisis support|

#PartnersInPride: Touchstone Taking Pride in Mental Health at Leeds Pride 2019

Another year, another fabulous show of Touchstone supporting the LGBT+ community at Leeds Pride! Partnering with Leeds Mind, Live Well Leeds, and Community Links, this year our #PartnersInPride saw a great turn out for the biggest parade ever seen at Leeds Pride, with 130 companies parading and over 60,000 spectators. P.S. Ours was the big red vintage bus, full of and surrounded by our celebratory colleagues and clients – and

2019-09-04T10:05:08+01:004th September 2019|Blog, Equality and Diversity, LGBT*|