news

Sundar Mann – monthly dementia cafe

On 22nd December, Yorkshire Evening Post published an article on services for older people in Leeds, including the following extract about Sundar Mann dementia cafe... In Harehills, mental health charity Touchstone in partnership with Leeds Memory Service and others runs a dementia café, giving members of the south Asian community who have dementia, and their carers, a chance to come together to socialise. Community development worker Hafizur said about

2025-03-04T10:32:53+00:003rd January 2012|Events, News|

International volunteering conference in Brno

Jay, manager of the Community Support Team at Leeds-based charity Touchstone, gave a presentation on “Best Practice in Volunteering” at a recent conference held in Leeds’ twin city Brno, Czech Republic. The conference on the subject of young people volunteering in social services was hosted by Czech NGO Ratolest Brno as part of the European Year of the Volunteer. Touchstone had been invited to contribute to the conference –

2025-03-04T10:29:14+00:0030th November 2011|Events, News|

Designing substance use services collaboratively

About a year ago, a group of people drawn from Leeds University, Leeds Partnerships Foundation Trust, South West Yorkshire Foundation Trust and others (including Touchstone, Altogether Better and User Voice ) came together to think about how Health Services in Leeds could be thought about, designed and delivered co-productively. We wanted to find ways of working more collaboratively - where people who use health services and people who provide

2025-03-04T10:25:46+00:0026th October 2011|News, Partnership|

Refugee and asylum seeker action research project

We are delighted to announce that the Action Research project “Understanding refugees’ and asylum seekers’ (RAS) experiences of accessing and receiving Mental Health support in Leeds” has started on 26th September 2011. The objective of this project is to explore and develop understanding on what successful MH work looks like with RAS clients inside and outside mental health services inLeeds. We hope to support the improvement of MH services by

2020-04-16T17:41:06+01:004th October 2011|News, Research|

Guerrillas in the Midst

This Autumn sees the first Love Arts Leeds festival , organised by Leeds Partnerships NHS Foundation Trust celebrating mental health in all its forms. Touchstone’s Guerilla Badge Makers will be popping up all over the city, encouraging people to think about the labels we wear – the ones we choose for ourselves and the ones that sometimes others choose for us. By  encouraging people attending the vast array of events

2020-04-16T17:41:01+01:0029th September 2011|Events, News|

Community Development Team Named “Best Partner”

Touchstone’s Community Development Team were named “Best Partner” by Leeds Adult Social Care, in their Excellence Awards 2011.  Nafisa  Miraf and Samantha Powell  and Jon Beech were nominated for the award in recognition of their development of the Migrant Community Organiser Programme alongside Zobi Barok from Feel Good Factor and Pria Bhabra of Adult Social Care. The Migrant Community Organiser Programme has so far trained more than 23 community activists

2020-04-16T17:40:58+01:0029th September 2011|Awards, News, Partnership|

Health and Money Awareness Day

Burmantofts Health Improvement Group Presents Health and Money Awareness Day When and where? Thursday 25th August, 11am - 2pm ELHFA, 6 Boston Towers opp LINCOLN Green shops Leeds LS9 7PB

2020-04-16T17:40:45+01:0015th September 2011|Events, News|

NHS Leeds Health Stars Awards 2011

Touchstone was highly commended in the Mental Health and Wellbeing category at this year's Health Stars Awards for our work on the "Talking Our Language" training pack. Staff from the Community Development Service supported Chinese and Pakistani community activists to train peers about mental health.  Download and use the training manual.

2020-04-16T17:40:37+01:0014th September 2011|Awards, News|