As businesses and communities prepare for Leeds Pride this weekend, we can expect to see a plethora of rainbow flags adorning the buildings of Leeds city centre. The flag has been a symbol of LGBT unity and strength for nearly 40 years – so much so, that we rarely think about what they flag’s origins might have been. In 1977, artist Gilbert Baker was asked by gay rights activist Harvey
Delivered by Touchstone, Raat di Roti matches Punjabi-speaking volunteers with Punjabi-speaking older people to share an evening meal together. Though originally planned as a fortnightly event, some volunteers have enjoyed the activity so much that they have increased their visits to every week. In this short video, a volunteer talks with Project Worker Jesvinder about how she has benefited from the experience. For more information, please contact: jesvindert@touchstonesupport.org.uk (originally published on the Time
Photo by Bruce Wetzel, Harry Schaefer, via Wikimedia Commons 28th July is World Hepatitis Day. This year is particularly special as The World Health Organisation will deliver its Global Elimination Strategy for Viral Hepatitis, outlining the goal of eliminating the threat viral hepatitis by 2030. Viral hepatitis is curable. Hepatitis B can be prevented and hepatitis C can be treated. Better still, they can be avoided. Hep. B
Sikh Elders Service manager Chani Batebajwe describes the most recent outing organised for users of the service. SES went out on their annual trip on the 25th June to Whitby via Pickering on a steam train experience. Everyone, all 55 of them, attentively listened to the volunteer guide talking about the history of the railway and the area. At one time I thought I was going to see us riding on
Celebrating Eid-al-Fitr To celebrate Eid our colleague Gul H has written the following piece to explain about the festivities. Eid-al-Fitr is said to have originated when the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) arrived in the city of Medina, he found some people celebrating two explicit days on which they used to entertain themselves with recreation and merriment. When he asked about this, the response was that these days were occasions of
On an annual basis questionnaires are sent out to service users in order to ascertain their views/opinions about Touchstone and the service they have received. The feedback and views of service users plays a key role in identifying best practice, areas for improvement and informing our approach to delivering quality outcomes and continuous improvement. During early summer questionnaires were sent out to a total of 1498 Service users. The key headline
Annual Information Report 2015/16 Often service users come up to me describing what great services Touchstone provides. This always brings a big smile to my face. However I also recognise such comments may be subjective in nature. Certainly nothing wrong with this as feedback from service users provides a very useful insight into whether we are providing a quality service. By adding data and intelligence to the mix you will
Back in March 2016 we welcomed Minja and Zellany, 2 Creative Practitioners from the South Community Mental Health Team temporarily to the Community Support Team. The aim is to create new alliances and partnership working across the CMHT and CST, develop new ways of working to supporting colleagues with caseloads and enable clients in their recovery. They were tasked to identify resources within the locality, strengthen the relationship between NHS
July 10th is Disability Awareness Day, and so I would like to take this opportunity to discuss the disabilities which people may not be aware of or even recognise in the community. Hidden Disabilities can be defined as a physical or mental health condition that limits a person’s movements, senses or activities, yet may not be immediately apparent or recognised. As a Housing Support Worker, I find myself providing a
As we approach the end of Ramadhan, Carers Leeds and Touchstone would like to share some information on what it means to observe Ramadhan and how it may affect the daily lives of carers and others. Ramadhan is the ninth month of the Islamic Lunar calendar. For 30 days Muslims spend the daylight hours in a complete fast (19 hours this year). Muslims abstain from all food and drink. Ramadhan