Ramadan starts today for millions of Muslims all over the world and many of our staff, volunteers and service users will be fasting. The below link is to a briefing document from the organisation Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND) which outlines ways we can all support our staff, volunteers and service users during Ramadan but also understand and celebrate the fantastic religion of Islam better. To all those celebrating, may
Black Maternal Health Week, April 11-17 2021, was established in the United States to raise awareness about the alarming rate at which Black mothers face life-threatening experiences while pregnant. In November 2020, the Joint Committee on Human Rights released a report titled Black People, Racism and Human Rights. At the time, it found black women were five times more likely to die during pregnancy, childbirth and up to six weeks post-partum, than white women. Between 2020 and
Today is Transgender Day of Visibility, and as a trans person I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand I love to see trans experiences being shared, trans representation in my favourite shows, and more people seeing this and realising they're not alone. But in some ways we have too much visibility. Newspapers write about us every day. There's article after article based on vicious transphobia which frames
My name is Finn, my pronouns are they/them, and I’m a Peer Support Worker with Leeds Mental Wellbeing Service (LMWS) and the Community Pain Service. I also happen to be transgender and non-binary (meaning my gender identity doesn’t fit within the binary categories of man and woman). When I came into this role in 2019 I had decided that – despite my fear of what it might entail – I
Partners from across the Armley Local Care Partnership came together during wave 2 of the Population Health Management programme to understand where the greatest opportunities were to improve health and wellbeing for defined groups of local people. By using data and a population health management approach, the aim is to prioritise local need, by focusing resources on preventative and pro-active care. The focus of this new way of working is
Leeds Mindful Employer Network is hosting a FREE week-long series of digital events around wellbeing at work. The event is for everyone – business owners, managers, staff, volunteers across Leeds and West Yorkshire. They have a fantastic range of speakers on board to explore: how to manage the impact of COVID-19 on workplace mental health how to maintain mentally healthy workplaces in an increasingly uncertain environment how to use learning
The tears run down my cheek. Another night I cry myself to sleep. Who am I? Why me? Here I go again. The wetness on my cheek. What is wrong with me? Am I male? Am I female? I really don’t know what to make of me. Wow she is petty. No that’s not right. I shouldn’t think that way. The big book, the man in the sky. They say
We are really excited to have @OwainWynEvans joining us for a webinar on Thursday 25th Feb at 9.30am to 11am for LGBT+ History Month 2021! Follow the link to book your free ticket now: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lgbt-history-month-webinar-tickets-139933684417
As a child I experienced trauma which affects my mental health today. I did not acknowledge the impact this trauma had had on my life and I tried to ignore the feelings of overwhelm, anxiety and occasional panic attacks I sometimes experienced. As I got older, the anxiety and panic attacks increased and eventually, I had to face my demons and deal with the things that were affecting my mental
In November 2020, Barclays gave Touchstone Loves Food £100k so that we could keep feeding people and supporting their mental health during the coronavirus pandemic. As part of our partnership, Barclays are helping us to get out the message that It’s Ok Not To Be OK and that Mental Heath is everyone’s business. If you – or someone you know – are struggling this year, please ask for help.