Touchstone is delighted to announce that it has taken one of three top honours at this year’s Charity Awards for its outstanding response to the Covid-19 crisis. The Charity Awards is the longest-running and most prestigious awards scheme in the charity sector, and this year the organisers decided to open up a special new category specifically to recognise the fantastic contribution of the charity sector in responding to the coronavirus
Advance notice of small grant programme for up to £5,000 per project to improve community spaces and deliver sustainable activities for communities across the UK On 22 June, we will open a new funding programme called Places Called Home which is a partnership between The National Lottery Community and the world’s largest home furnishing retailer. Places Called Home will offer eligible groups funding awards of between £1,000 and £5,000 for
West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership (WY&H HCP) supports 2.7million people, including over 300,000 unpaid carers, living in urban and rural areas. 570,000 are children and young people. 20% of people are from minority ethnic communities. A WY&H HCP review in 2020 identified the need for an anti-racism movement aimed at WY&H HCP staff, organisations and communities. Our objective is to unite WY&H HCP colleagues and communities in
It’s been a tough year, trying to build a network of peer supporters - and encourage them to work together and share their skills - during a global pandemic where we were literally told we couldn’t meet each other! Never-the-less, a little over a year on and the Leeds Perinatal Mental Health Peer Supporter Alliance has achieved things that I’m really proud of. Soon it will be let loose on
Yorkshire mental health charity Touchstone celebrates achieving three star accreditation in the annual Best Companies to Work For – 2021 – for employee engagement, which is classed as world class levels of employee engagement and is the highest star rating you can achieve. At the Best Companies Awards on 21 May 2021, Touchstone ranked 35th in Best Large Companies to work for in the UK, 3rd Best Companies - Charity
After 17 years as Chief Executive Office of Touchstone, Alison Lowe has made the very difficult decision to step down. This is because the new West Yorkshire Metro Mayor, Tracy Brabin, will be recommending Alison to the West Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel as her candidate to become the Deputy Mayor for Policing. Alison Lowe reflected “I have made the difficult decision to leave and pursue my passion of inclusion,
As part of Black Inclusion Week ran by Leeds University, Touchstone Chief Executive Alison Lowe has taken part in a podcast to discuss a variety of topics that are so relevant to many of the communities we serve. This short podcast highlights some of her story, as well as demonstrating how we can all be part of the change we want to see. Black Inclusion Week: In conversation with Alison
Do you enjoy being active and making connections with people? If so, you may be interested in getting involved with a new project in Leeds. Whether it’s walking, gardening, dancing, playing sports, running, cycling, martial arts or swimming – if you know that being active is good for your health and wellbeing, and can be a great way to connect with others, you already have loads to offer. Coordinated by
In the latest in our series of interviews with charity leaders blazing a trail with digital during the pandemic, we spoke to Alison Lowe, CEO of mental health and wellbeing charity Touchstone, about how she’s led a radical change in how her charity works and improved wellbeing as a result. 1. Tell us about your role at Touchstone. I am a very busy CEO of this amazing Mental Health and
Mental health problems are common. They affect thousands of people in the UK, and their friends, families, work colleagues, and society in general. The Anti Stigma Leeds Champions came together with Producer/Script Reader/Script Editor Thea Burrows to create the video campaign Voices Against Stigma. Below they told their stories: https://youtu.be/Jy654qTrThs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIeZNKVw7D0 https://youtu.be/kjD87Z-sn6A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWlVbfQyA8I In Leeds around 106,000 people experience a common mental health problem, such as anxiety or depression