March 9th to March 15th, 2009 - Wellbeing Week  More than 100 events took place in our projects and offices all around the country to celebrate Wellbeing Week 2009. Service users and staff planned, organised and took part in a very wide array of activities, including musical evenings, lunches, walks, visits to museums, laughter workshops and other get together days. The general public was invited to some of the events, and we hope you could join us for Wellbeing Week in your area. 
The Wellbeing Week site will tell you more about the themes we selected for 2009 as well as about the events themselves. Take a good look at the "about", "calendar" and "press coverage" sections
Knowing that a picture speaks a thousand words, some of the participants have taken photos at the events they attended. Some early birds have already shared their shots (and even two mini movies) with us:
Thursday, March 5th, 2009 - Take To Art Opens in Our Space Gallery  Take to Art, the exhibition accompanying Wellbeing Week 2009, opened with a Private View Evening on March 5th. The invitees were treated to outstanding collection created by patients at Ashworth Hospital.
The very varied and wide range of artwork was introduced by four speakers: Alan Yates, Chief Executive of Mersey Care NHS Trust, Sir Josef Pilling, Chair of the Koestler Trust, Liz Felton, Chieft Executive of Together Working for Wellbeing and Helen Murray Sharpe, Director of Operations at Together Working for Wellbeing (photographed on the left). One of the goals of the exhibition's organisers, Mersey Care NHS Trust and Together: Working for Wellbeing, is to demonstrate the role of Art in patients's rehabilitation process.
Take to Art is now open to the public, in Together's Our Space Gallery (viewed here on the right).
Read more about the exhbition here
View 17 photos taken during the Private View here
Tuesday, November 11th, 2008 - Mental Health Today 2008The 2008 Mental Health Today Exhibition saw more than a thousand health sector professionals attend this valued one day conference in Manchester. Together hosted the Service User Leadership Zone, an information stand and two seminars focusing on workplace stress and the mental capacity act. Delegates flocked to both Together seminars which were so well attended that for late comers there was standing room only. Together's areas were manned by a cross section of staff and service users who energetically promoted our unique way of working and made some excellent contacts with commissioners and professionals who were keen to explore our work further.
Tuesday, November 11th, 2008 - Race Equality in Mental Health  The eighth annual Henry Hawkins Lecture focused on the controversial issue of race equality in mental health. Key speakers Melba Wilson OBE (right), National Director for Race Equality in Mental Health and David Pinder (left), Community Development Worker at Fanon Resource Centre brought two extremely positive visions to the debate. Both speakers highlighted how (since the death of Rocky Bennett ten years ago) slowly and with difficulty things have moved, they both clearly noted however that the system is committed to change but it will take time, belief and longterm commitment to achieve. Chaired by Together's Chair of Trustee's Anthony Sheehan, and hosted at the prestigious Somerset House, the event was well attended by a broad section of mental health sector professionals and Together’s service users who had a personal interest in driving this agenda forward.
To obtain copies of the presentations or supporting materials, please contact Vicky Kington by email or tel - 020 7780 7444. Pictures by Claire Haslam - © Together: Working for Wellbeing, 2008
Tuesday, October 21th, 2008 - Together on TV One in four people will experience a mental health problem at some point, yet stigma and misunderstanding of mental health issues is widespread. That’s why the Paul O’Grady Show is tackling this problem with a number of features about mental health throughout the series and has chosen Together as one just three charities to help get positive messages out about mental health to its 3.4 million viewers. On Tuesday 21 October’s show, Paul was joined by Anne Beales who works for Together: Working for Wellbeing. Anne has personal experience of what it’s like to live through, and recover from, mental illness. She has been very unwell at times in her life, and so it might have surprised some of Paul’s viewers to learn that’s Anne’s recently received an MBE for services to healthcare, for supporting other people with experience of mental ill-health. Anne is currently Director of a department at Together - the Service User Involvement Directorate (SUID) - that makes sure other people who become mentally unwell can also achieve their personal ambitions. Anne explained how when individuals get involved in the work that the SUID does and take an active role in supporting other people, their mental health improves during the process. All part of our Wellbeing Approach to Involvement. The response has been entirely positive with an increase in calls and emails from the public wanting to know more about the service user involvement work Together does, and other television shows and journalists who saw Anne’s appearance wanting to know more. And the Producers of the show were so impressed they are keen to work with Together in future. Well done Anne for being such an effective spokesperson for people with experience of mental ill-health. And a big thank you to the service users and staff who came to cheer Anne on, as well as the volunteers who manned the phones following the show to deal with enquiries from the public. Text and Picture by Claire Monger - © Together: Working for Wellbeing, 2008
Sunday October 12th, 2008 - The Royal Parks Run
This 13.1 mile run on Sunday 12th October saw our brave supporters slogging through the autumn sunshine to raise money for Together – a huge thank you for all of your hard work and training! It was really inspiring to stand near the finish line and see all the runners coming in, having worked so hard. Funds are still coming in too, so watch this space for news… Email Fundraising if you’re interested in taking part in sponsored runs in the future. Text and Pictures by Claire Haslam - © Together: Working for Wellbeing, 2008 |
