To mark Trans Day of Visibility (31st March) we profile the life of a pioneering trans activist. Sylvia Rivera, who was of Puerto Rican and Venezuelan descent, was born in New York City and named Ray Rivera by her parents. She became an orphan at 3 years old and was then raised by her Venezuelan grandmother, who disapproved of Rivera's effeminate behaviour, particularly after Rivera began to wear makeup. As
By Sally P The one thing that we all strive for in our lives is to be happy. There are lots of ways that happiness impacts on how we feel; including our health, our levels of creativity and even how much we experience physical pain. One study found that happiness, optimism and life satisfaction are associated with a lower risk of heart disease. We also know that there is a
To mark World Poetry Day, we're sharing a poem by Adam Lowe, written in the street slang language of Polari. The poem (and accompanying glossary were featured as Poem of the Week in The Guardian on 12th October 2015. Aunt nell the patter flash and gardy loo! Bijou, she trolls, bold, on lallies slick as stripes down the Dilly. She minces past the brandy latch to vada dolly dish for
To celebrate LGBT History Month in February 2016, Touchstone will profile a significant figure from LGBT history each week. Adeline Virginia Woolf (née Stephen; 25 January 1882 – 28 March 1941) was an English writer and one of the foremost modernists of the twentieth century. Between the two World Wars, Woolf was a significant figure in London literary society and a central figure in the influential Bloomsbury Group of intellectuals.
John Halsall from the Community Development Service presents the second in a series of data blogs - examining the meaning behind reports and statistics from various sources. You can read his first blog here. In January 2016 the Health & Social Care Information Centre published two chapters in the Health Survey for England, 2014: Chapter 2: Mental health problems Chapter 3: Attitudes towards mental illness This short article highlights
By Geraldine M Monday 8th February 2016 is the day many people will be saying ‟Gong xi fa cai” (pronounced, roughly, ‟gong she fars eye”) - the Chinese greeting for ‟Happy New Year” - meaning ‟Be happy, get rich”. …to which the response is often ‟Hong bao na lai” (‟hong bow na lie”) which means ‟Where’s my red envelope?” since a red envelope with money inside is a
Recording of live radio interview of Stephanie L. and Nazia H. on Fever FM to promote positive mental health among Muslim communities in Leeds on World Religion Day 2016.
To celebrate LGBT History Month in February 2016, Touchstone will profile a significant figure from LGBT history each week. Harvey Bernard Milk was an American politician who became the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California, when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk began his tenure by sponsoring a civil rights bill that outlawed discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Thursday 4th February marks World Cancer Day, our Business Development Director Jess shares some of her thoughts and experiences of cancer and the support we can all offer: On the 4th February we mark World Cancer Day and I wanted to write about some people I know who have been affected by the illness. Firstly, my hike club friend, who I met through a neighbour. She was in her
To coincide with National Story Telling Week (30 Jan - 6 Feb) one of our therapists Louise A has written a piece on the therapeutic benefits of writing for wellbeing: Writing for wellbeing When we feel upset, low or anxious we can often feel the urge to talk about it, whether that is with someone close to us or within a talking therapy. Sometimes though, we may not be able