Romsey Chamber of Commerce has continued its support for Triangulate by presenting a cheque for £500, the proceeds from the summer reception held in the Mill Water Gardens in July.
Philip Liddell, Director, and Peter Speirs, President, presented the cheque to Bridget Brook from Triangulate at a recent Chamber training evening. Bridget explained that the money will be used to provide stress awareness training sessions for Chamber members in 2015.
The Global Crisis of DepressionTHE LOW OF THE 21ST CENTURY?
We were delghted to be given a place at a one day conference hosted by The Economist and sponsored by Lundbeck at which a range of speakers, including Kofi Annan, Rt Hon Norman Lamb MP and Alastair Campbell and a whole host of other experts discussed the impact across the globe of depression agreeing that the complexity of the problem requires a multi-faceted approach, with engagement from government, academia, healthcare providers, the pharma industry, employers and patient groups.
This was a fascinating day and thanks are noted for enabling us to attend.
Norman Lamb MP, Minister of State for Care and Support at the Department of Health was a speaker at the 10th Anniversary Conference for Mindful Employer on 15 October 2014.
He joined Dame Carol Black, Pen Hadow, Steve Boorman and Liggy Webb in speaking at this unique event which also included workshops on the key issues affecting the mental wellbeing of employees, a specially commissioned film, displays from supporting organisations and networking opportunities.
Bridget Brook, Triangulate Trustee, co-delivered a workshop on Understanding and Preventing Suicide.
Please view the film here and have a look at the conference presentations.
Students on the NCS* scheme Powered by Footprint Hants held a community fair on the North Churchyard at Romsey Abbey in July 2014 in support of Triangulate. On sale were a range of craft items and refreshments, fund-raising games and information about the work of Triangulate. The students were seen throughout the town in their distinctive orange T shirts encouraging members of the public to donate to our work and to learn more about mental health.
We were delighted to receive a cheque for £702.47 from this activity and will be giving the money back to local schools in support of school mental wellbeing activities.
*The National Citizen Service (NCS) is a government initiative across the country. Students aged 16 and 17 come together for a few weeks with others whom they would not normally have the opportunity to work and share experiences with. Over several weeks it provides them with a springboard for the future by developing new skills, confidence and a broader set of horizons.
Bridget Brook, on behalf of the Trustees of Triangulate, handing Rev Vanessa Lawrence, Chaplain for Southern Health at Melbury Lodge, Winchester a donation towards the running costs of the Tree of Life café. The café meets every Monday afternoon at Caffe Nero in Romsey between 3-5pm and provides a supportive environment where anyone is welcome. The café has been running now for eighteen months and is attracting local people and others from further afield. Some people pop in, have a chat and go whilst others stay for the afternoon. The café will be taking a break during August and will start back at the beginning of September.
Triangulate is delighted to have been named as the Romsey Chamber of Commerce’s charity for the coming year. Bridget Brook and Ian Cox attended the AGM at the beginning of May and spoke about how vital it is for businesses in our town to understand the importance of wellbeing within their workplaces. This applies to everyone in the business from employees, managers and also to the many who are working on their own. Bridget explained how Triangulate had been started and the support that has been received from many in the town. She was also pleased to announce that Triangulate will be delivering short, focused stress awareness sessions for businesses in the town during the coming year – these will be free and offered through the Chamber. Watch Chamber communications for more details!
Exercising Spirit and Mind – the relay marathon team raising funds for both Triangulate and the Abbey again entered the Romsey Rotary Marathon. With a team of 10 participants (some keen runners and others less experienced!) preparations went well. Waking up on the day of the marathon itself to a deluge there were concerns about whether waders would be needed but apart from one leg run in a downpour, the rest of the team got round without getting too wet. This is a great community event with teams raising money for a range of local causes.
Everyone connected with the team would like to thank all their sponsors – the amazing amount of £2400 was raised which will be split equally between Triangulate and the Abbey. And so keen are the team that we’ve already agreed to enter next year’s marathon on 18th April 2015!
At the Festival of Wellbeing held in March Triangulate, Romsey Abbey and Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust all signed organisational Time to Change pledges. This pledge is a public statement of aspiration that an organisation wants to tackle mental health stigma and discrimination. Every organisation prepares an action plan detailing the activity they will be planning to tackle stigma and discrimination. All three organisations work in support of Time to Change and were delighted to make this public pledge of support. Time to Change’s Regional Co-ordinator, Angela Etherington, commented ‘It’s really important that organisations work together to break down the stigma and discrimination around mental health. Triangulate, Romsey Abbey and Southern Health have come together for Time to Change to give people easier access to support and advice in all areas of their lives, whether from home or at work.’
Triangulate and Romsey Abbey joined with Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust to organise a Festival of Wellbeing in the Abbey. The Festival featured a range of activities including singing, dancing, yoga, bread-making, arts, crafts, meditation and visiting the labyrinth, all aimed at supporting people with their spirituality. Romsey’s Vicar, Rev Tim Sledge, said ‘we had over 250 people through the door on the day. At the Abbey one of our main aims has been to remove taboos and barriers to talking about mental health, and this was a great way of doing it. It was a reminder to us all that to spend a short amount of time looking after ourselves, treating ourselves, being good to body and to our souls – whether it’s being creative or taking a walk, or enjoying our surroundings, makes a massive therapeutic and healing difference in an anxious-driven world.
January 2014
Ian Cox and Bridget Brook receive a cheque from Adrian Martin of Waitrose. Triangulate was one of the chosen recipients of the green token scheme in November 2013 and received £260 as their share of the monthly charity amount.
