Working Full Time

I've been incredibly busy these three weeks with Blue Skies, the anxiety and depression support group I help run. In fact it's been almost like a full time job, the difference being I don't get paid a penny for my efforts. The role of Secretary has meant that I'm dealing with just about everything including publicity and keeping the website and Facebook page up to date. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind it. I like being busy and having things to keep my mind occupied.

I was in Sleaford on Wednesday this week at an NHS managed Care Network event showcasing groups who have successfully bid for money from the Mental Illness Prevention Fund. The event was very well attended and perhaps a little on the small size for the number of groups present. We didn't have a stand - our opportunity will come at the next event as we are a wave 2 group. I was able to leave some leaflets scattered about the place and some of the new business cards I've had printed. Many of the usual faces were there, such as our friends from SHINE and NHS Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust. There were also representatives of the many groups, similar to ours, dotted around the county, groups such as 'Beyond the Blues' at Sleaford and 'New Life Craft & Social Club' in Spilsby. These fine groups are all doing their bit, helping people with mental illness, providing support and friendship and providing opportunity to acquire new skills and hobbies.
To bring all these groups together and to provide a single voice for mental health in Lincolnshire, we have the SHINE network of which we (Blue Skies) are proud to be ambassadors promoting their good work from our Spalding site. Never before has the focus on and attention given to mental health in Lincolnshire been greater. I get a real sense that people are talking about it more and in so doing, more people are beginning to come forward to seek help and support.

We have already seen an increase in our membership and we are beginning to see more referrals from within our local NHS. This is all great and we are anxious for it to continue.
The money given to Blue Skies and other similar groups is testament to how much the NHS and local authorities value the work we are doing. We are in our small way preventing those in our membership from falling ill and and needing the services of health care professionals.

This last week has been devoted to getting our new website online. We now own the domain blueskieslincs.org.uk - this was the cheapest of the variations on Blue Skies that were on offer. The domain enables us to have a website and to have an unlimited number of mailboxes for our committee and group members. I now have the bare bones published and I am hoping to add more content in the coming weeks. As a group, we are planning to make our own cards and other craft items to sell through our eBay shop and via our website. Much of it will be made to order and I will be developing the means for people to buy online.

We've been told that we need to spend all of the money we receive and I'm pleased to say that as far as the first payment is concerned, we have done just that. £2,500 sounds like a lot of money, but in less than two months, we have managed to spend the lot.  We do have a lot to show for it - a huge amount of arts and crafts material and a projector, screen and sound system enabling us to run our own training sessions, watch films or play Wii games. This installation wopuld alone have cost around £2,000 to complete though through the good will and generosity of a number of people, this has been done for free. All of this is aimed at reducing mental illness and encouraging our members to take an interest in an activity and stay well.

We're not alone in what we are doing. There are groups such as ours all over Lincolnshire. Occasionally, we come together at various NHS run events and it's an opportunity for us to find out what the others are doing and to showcase our project. Success can be judged by the people we are helping, their eagerness to come to each session and their individual testament to how they have benefited from what we are doing. It is this information that will help to build a quarterly report showing how the funding has been used to benefit people who suffer with mental illness. I'm expecting to produce our first report in July and I am looking forward to the opportunity to document our own success stories.

There's only problem with this funding and I have to reflect the good as well as the bad- it's the fact that the money has to be spent on the proposed projects and only the proposed projects. Although the projects are there to prevent mental illness, should any of our members fall ill and are at risk through lack of personal funds, we cannot help them by giving them the money for a meal or to pay a bill. It would seem to me that there are limitations when it comes to preventing mental illness and I have been witness to a case recently whereby we could easily have helped someone from reaching crisis point (an NHS term) and being admitted to Boston's Pilgrim Hospital. We had the money, but we couldn't help. Nothing is ever all that it seems sadly and it is a shame that we cannot help those that this whole thing is designed to do.

It's Funny How Things Develop...

Tuesday this week saw another meeting of our anxiety and depression support group. I know when I started attending, I wasn't too sure as to whether the group would help or whether I would stick with it. In reality, I cannot now imagine leaving the group or be in a position where I am unable to help fellow sufferers or talk openly with them about the illness. Far from being just a group of like-minded people (literally), it has become a group bonded by friendship and understanding. My role in the group has developed and I now have the task of welcoming new members by contacting them before attending and introducing them to the other members. I have a new person to contact tomorrow. I'm very aware of how daunting it can be to join a new group and be introduced to people you don't know. It can be very scary and for someone who suffers with anxiety, it can seem an impossible task and one they would prefer to avoid. I understand this, I've been there.
After our group meeting, we had a volunteer meeting straight afterwards. This was run by the chap who manages volunteers in Lincolnshire and he updated us on initiatives, general news and provided information on new training courses enabling  staff, volunteers and carers to spot the early signs of suicide and prevent it from happening. We've all signed-up for the course and they'll be taking place during the coming weeks.
My own induction, I found out, will take place in September but I was given various forms to record my volunteering activity and expenses so I'll be carrying on as normal.
An idea suggested by one of my colleagues is to open a working farm to provide mini allotments and craft activities for mental health patients and the disabled. Her parents own several acres locally and they are keen to open-up their land so it may be used for a worthwhile cause. I'm very keen to get involved with this and I think this is an excellent opportunity to engage with others and to provide a focus for people who would otherwise sit at home alone or pass the time drinking. Of course, like everything, funding will be needed to get the project off the ground and it was suggested at our meeting that this may be forthcoming. There are several similar projects running in other parts of Lincolnshire under the 'Green Fingers' banner. I did suggest that I could produce a website for the project as well as growing seedlings to provide starter plants for any new budding gardeners.
I really do think this could develop into a fantastic project providing a safe environment for people to practise various skills, grow their own produce and more importantly engage with others to hopefully develop lasting friendships. I have seen first hand how friendships develop and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity of meeting some wonderful people, who I am proud to call very good friends. It is my intention to stay very close to this project and I'll write more as things get off the ground.

No news yet regarding my application recently to King's Lynn NHS. I'm a little worried that, if I am successful, whether I will have to give up my time on Tuesdays. I do believe the role to be quite flexible so I'm hopeful that I may be able to fit it in somehow. We will see.

I've been busy once more working on my website. I did take the site down as I was struggling to get the various links to work between the pages. I've now opted for a simplified design with simple links and I'm quite pleased with the design. I'm uploading the first pages as I type this so it should all be up and running some time this evening. There's much work left to do but it's a start. I will add a section in the coming days devoted to mental health, and more specifically, the services available in the South Lincolnshire area. Having spoke to many people over the last few months, it is clear to me that there is an urgent and pressing need for more mental health awareness and for people to know that help is available. For many, a sympathetic ear is all that is needed and the knowledge that is somewhere to turn to in time of need. So there is much work to do to keep me busy for the next few months, and that's good.

RIP Robin Gibb

So sad it was to wake up this morning to the news that Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees had lost his fight against cancer. Once again, we have lost some very unique talent though we can take comfort in knowing that the music he produced has been recorded to be enjoyed for years to come. I wonder how many of us have been whistling or humming the tunes to some of their many tracks? I know I have.
RIP Robin.

I've been a little disjointed these last few days, busy trying to update my website and spending hours trying to fix a problem I have with the navigation bars. I'd rather not publish the site if part of it isn't working so it is down for maintenance until I manage to fix everything.

I'm hoping to hear something about my volunteering for the NHS in Spalding soon. In the meantime, I've applied for a new role that I discovered on the King's Lynn NHS website for an ambulance driver and carer. It involves driving disabled and vulnerable patients between the hospitals and home and providing basic care where required. There's a lot of training provided and the mix of driving and care would I think be very enjoyable. Early days of course but I'm as always hopeful.

A Miracle Marathon and Needless Loss

Another week has passed, all too quickly. The past week has been a mix of political shambles, who said what to who, more Euro crisis and tragedy.
We did start the week on a high. Claire Lomas, paralysed from the chest down following a horse riding accident completed the London Marathon in 16 days. She was assisted by a pair of robotic legs which literally enabled her to walk. This is an amazing achievement and I am struggling to find the words to describe the admiration I have for someone so determined to succeed. The look on Claire's face as she reached the finish line said it all and it was deeply moving to see so many people present to congratulate her. The only sadness I have is the refusal of the Marathon organisers to award Claire a medal. Apparently some ridiculous rule requires the participant to complete the course the same day. I understand though that many fellow participants had graciously offered Claire their own medals in recognition. What a wonderful good news story.

In the news, this week will be remembered again for the Leveson Inquiry and the appearance of Andy Coulson and Rebecca Brooks. Once again we were treated to many hours of questioning and cross examination in light of the ongoing investigation into phone hacking and press ethics at the News of the World. At times, the questioning did become quite frosty and I do actually find these things very entertaining. I do consider myself a shroud judge of character and whether the truth is being told. Needless to say, I considered much of the responses given to questioning to be lacking in sincerity and honesty.
I am, like many, eagerly awaiting the appearance of Jeremy Hunt MP. This guarantees to be a very interesting event with enormous repercussions.

Europe has again been in the news and the increasing likelihood of Greece leaving the Euro. The inability of the current president to form a government will certainly result in fresh elections, but of greatest fear is the rise on popularity of the far right neo-fascist groups. These groups are firmly anti-austerity and more alarmingly, anti-immigrant. Should they reach the echelons of government then I fear very much for the future and whether such a movement could be confined to just Greece. I say this as there is an alarming trend toward anti-austerity developing with France being the latest country to reject the German led austerity plan.
At the moment, I can see no way out for Greece. The choice is to stay in the Euro and abide by the austerity agreement thus benefiting from further bail-out or reject the plan, default on their loan agreement and leave the Euro. The repercussions of the latter are being planned for at the moment by the major banking institutions, such is the belief that this is where the country is headed. It is uncharted territory as no country has before now ever left the Euro and returned to their former currency. Quite what effect this would have on an already fragile union is unknown, but it can't be good.

The last week will be remembered for tragedy which came to Derby in the form of a house fire claiming the lives of six children. Now, I really struggle with things like this. I simply cannot understand how, in 2012, house fires can still occur and moreover how a house fire could claim lives. Surely we live in an age now where things are designed not to burn rapidly? Surely we live in an age where every house must be fitted with smoke alarms by law? This was a council house, a well known council house having appeared on TV for a documentary made by Anne Widdecombe. At the very least, shouldn't the council have fitted smoke alarms and checked them regularly? I really struggle to understand. Of course, it is shocking beyond all comprehension at the loss of so much young life, their hopes, dreams and aspirations ahead of them.
I actually find myself feeling angry, angry that this kind of thing can still happen. The police are investigating of course, and if this was perpetrated by some sick individual, then I would wish nothing less than the ultimate penalty. If this was an accident, I still find it inexcusable that sufficient safeguards were not in place to prevent a fire from taking hold or to alert occupants to the danger. After all, this property was over-occupied and if the local authorities were aware of this, then responsibility is with them to ensure safety for all concerned.

I continue to work on my website. It has begun to evolve into a technology-focused site but with off-shoots to such things as railway modelling and gardening. I'm even thinking of a section devoted to road safety as thins is something I am passionate about. I'm hoping there will in time be at least something of interest to the visitor. Aware that a great many e-books are in the public domain, I have started listing some from my collection for download. So there's a great deal to keep me occupied at the moment, which is good. I've decided to continue producing a weekly audio journal which I'll record either Friday or Saturday of each week. This will be uploaded to the site each weekend.