arlier this year, we opened applications for the Wakefield Emotional & Mental Wellbeing Grant Fund, managed by Nova on behalf of NHS Wakefield CCG and the Mental Health Alliance. The fund aims to support and develop community mental health activities, helping people to avoid mental health crisis. Around £296,000 of funding has been awarded to organisations for a wide range of brilliant projects.

Now that funding has been awarded to organisations, we'd like to give you an overview of some of the brilliant projects taking place and how you can get involved...

Carers Wakefield & District

Carers Wakefield & District will be providing additional (many outdoor) activities for Young Adult Carers aged 17 to 25 years due to the additional funding received from the Community Mental Health provision.

Many carers experience significant health inequalities and this is also the case for Young Adult carers who have also been impacted negatively due to the pandemic over the last two years. Many have become more isolated and their own mental health has declined as well as those loved ones they are caring for.

Carers Wakefield & District are now planning to do many activities such as badminton, wall climbing, exercise sessions, tennis and finish with 2 cook, shop and eat sessions as many report being unable to cook. There is also an additional trip to the sea which is always well received.

Citizens Advice Wakefield District

Citizens Advice Wakefield District's project works in partnership with South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust to deliver a tailored advice service for patients (in and out-patients), carers and staff. The service will be based at three sites: Fieldhead Hospital in Wakefield; Baghill House in Pontefract; and Drury Lane Centre in Wakefield.

The project is intended to integrate advice into the healthcare setting to enable early intervention and:

• Help the recovery process by reducing stress, worry and anxiety
• Address complex problems before service users are discharged
• Maximise income and deal with debt issues

The service will work with clients directly including those self-referring and will also allow time for appointments arranged via staff members to visit ward-bound clients.

For further information contact Simon Topham (E-mail) or Pete Hudson (E-mail ).

Coactive Arts

CoActive Arts in partnership with Spectrum People will be hosting host a weekly Art Studio day at The Make Space in The Ridings Shopping Centre in Wakefield. It will enable people with learning disabilities to:

• develop artistic skills
• exhibit art work
• be part of Wakefield’s art scene
• enjoy connecting with others
• take notice of the world around
• express own thoughts and feelings

Artists from Spectrum People will be resident in the studio, creating their own work and encouraging, mentoring and partnering others in the space. The group will find places to exhibit their work, for example Wakefield Art Walks and Fitzwilliam Railway Station and will aim to partner and exhibit with other groups.

You need to book in advance. For further information please contact: Jody Gabriel (he/him) at jody@coactive.org.uk or 07954 391043 (email contact preferred if possible).

Dream Time Creative

Set against the back drop of one of Wakefield's most historically important buildings, Grade II* listed Westgate Chapel, Dream Time Creative will reduce incidences of mental health crisis by being active in the garden by building raised allotments boxes to grow edible foods and  learn about nutrition through cooking and sharing lived experiences.

Dream Time Creative will provide a series of workshops to enable the senses to be activated through outdoor yoga & Tai Chi alongside flora & fauna window box & container gardening activities. A community memory garden will be created by and for those who have lost loved ones through Covid and our outdoor mindfulness moments will be captured in a series of mental health writing workshops and sculpting with willow weekends to link the garden to Wakefield's City of Sculpture heritage and provide a sense of belonging beyond the garden. All activities will enable participants to be present and learn new skills, connect with self and others and  feel invested in so they can give back as their voices are heard, cherished, nourished and recognised.

Details of workshops, outdoor mindfulness experiences and community gardening days can be found on Dream Time Creative's website or on their Facebook page: Dream Time Creative. All enquiries and social prescribing to come via hello@dreamtimecreative.org.

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Grow Wakefield

Grow Wakefield have established a therapeutic forest school in a woodland area at the rear of Fieldhead Caring garden near Newton Bar and are running sessions one day per week for six weeks, each session lasting around 3 hours.

The sessions will be aimed at young adults, 16 to 25 year old, who would benefit from improved wellbeing through accessing outdoor projects and experiences.

Participants will learn practical skills such as carving, woodland management, woodcraft skills, cooking etc along with developing life skills such as self-awareness, self-esteem, confidence, self-management, resilience and determination and nature based mindfulness.

The sessions will be run by two level 3 Forest School practitioners to provide a good staff to participant ratio and to provide a safe, nurturing environment for the sessions.

To register an interest or for more information email Andy@Grow-Wakefield.co.uk or call Andy on 07971 098510.

Hawwa Appeal

The ultimate aim of Hawwa Appeal in this project is to raise awareness ofMental Health Wellness and offer support within the following three venerablecommunity groups; BAME (women), Refugees and People Seeking Asylum withinWakefield District. HAWWA Appeal already works within these three-community groups and can utiliseexisting networks and create new channels and partners such as community &faith-based organisations, GP practices, health & social care providers andcharities already working in these sectors.

HAWWA Appeal will be delivering weekly face to face and online Mental HealthSupport. They will be providing Group Sessions and one to one Emotional andMental support for BME Women in Wakefield which will include but not berestricted to:

• Mental Health Awareness workshops
• Art Therapy
• Addressing Food-Mood Connection and helping develop healthy eating habits
• Physical Exercise & Nature Therapy to help improve mental health, HawwaAppeal will be organising a weekly Walking Group.

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Memory Action Group

Memory Action Group (MAG) is a self-funding peer support group for people living with dementia and their carers, set up in 2018 followed by the opening of a drop in centre at West Wakefield Methodist Church, Thornes, Wakefield, WF2 8QR.

MAG has some great volunteers, some still also caring for their own loved ones – Diane, Glen, Sharon, Chris, Ann – it wouldn’t be possible to provide the service without them. Recently a new committee has been formed with chairperson, secretary and treasurer to ensure continuity of service.

Caring for someone with dementia 24/7 is extremely tiring and unrelenting, but at the drop in centre everyone is in the same situation – ideas, tips and coping strategies are readily shared by carers whilst also enjoying a multitude of activities. Regular parties are held and day trips enjoyed - Bridlington and Beamish were visited last year and plans to visit The Deep, Scarborough, Ironbridge + other places are in the pipeline for 2022.

The funds received via the Community Mental Health Provision will pay for a year’s rent at West Wakefield Methodist Church.

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Open Country

Open Country are the Yorkshire charity who enable people with disabilities and ongoing mental health conditions to access and enjoy the countryside. The new Wild Things Group and Adapted Cycling Club will mean many more people can enjoy the great outdoors together. The Wild Things group will run every Friday for a full year, growing wildflowers, pond plants and native tree species at their base at Thornes Park as well as enjoying outings to open gardens, nature reserves, stately homes and other accessible places of interest. The Adapted Cycling Club will meet for countryside group rides every Thursday night and some weekends using trikes, wheelchair bikes and tandems, with a pub stop thrown in!

To get involved with these new outdoor sessions, call Project Officer Ella Dixon on 07426 716677 or email wakefield@opencountry.org.uk. You can also read about the project on their website.

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St Mary’s Community Centre

To support a local community mental health support group, Care to Talk (previously CALM), by offering a variety of experience after the difficult pandemic period.  For example:

• Day trip
• Specialist activity provision in the community centre, e.g. craft sessions
• Meal out

To get involved, please contact St Mary's Community Centre Project Development Manager, Denise Pallett by email : denisepallett@stmaryscommunity.co.uk

Trinity Mission CIO

Trinity Mission offers support to those who are marginalised and socially isolated through the provision of food, clothing, information, advice and guidance. Throughout the COVID pandemic the Mission’s offering has been limited to two sessions a week where guests can pick up a food parcel, have a hot meal and access the services of the Mission’s Support Co-ordinator.

Trinity Mission received funding from the Community Mental Health Provision to introduce a more informal coffee/chat session each Monday evening. As well as the Support Co-ordinator, a team of volunteers will also be available to talk to guests and help with their mental health and wellbeing. Many guests are living in poverty, and/or in temporary accommodation, and many suffer from depression, anxiety or addiction. The evening sessions will give them a chance to talk about and reflect on their problems, or just to keep warm and enjoy company. Staff/volunteers can offer help with reading and understanding mail, encouraging self-help and signposting to other agencies.

For information, contact Mark Stainburn 07584 053342 or Stephanie Salvador 07900 697828.

Wakefield District City of Sanctuary

At any one time Wakefield hosts several hundred visitors who have made dangerous and challenging journeys seeking sanctuary in the UK.  Many are escaping severe risk to their lives and wellbeing. Wakefield District City of Sanctuary is doing whatever they can to make people feel welcome and safe here.

These visitors stay locally for a few months on their way to more long-term accommodation whilst their cases are considered by the Home Office.  Most of these people have endured significant and long lasting trauma, and are a long way from family and friends.  One significant way in which Wakefield District City of Sanctuary can help is through the loan of tablet computers.  Through these devices users can communicate with home, find local help, and start the process of integrating into life in the UK. Reports both from users and from those caring for them indicate that these loaned devices are having a positive impact on mental well-being for a vulnerable group.

For more information, please email enquiries@wdcos.org.uk.

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Wakefield District Sight Aid

Being diagnosed with sight loss, or experiencing deterioration of an existing condition, can be a devastating experience, and Wakefield District Sight Aid is here to provide the best possible holistic support to help people get through the anxious and difficult times. This project expands on their existing services by offering specialist emotional support for visually impaired people by providing access to counselling. A UK poll commissioned by eye research charity Fight for Sight has found that a third (33%) of people with sight loss have experienced mental health issues. This is compared to a quarter (25%) of the general population.

This project is a collaborative partnership between Wakefield District Sight Aid and Gasped, the family support service with an excellent reputation for delivering counselling services in the community. Their person-centred approach empowers service users to shape their own recovery with the support of volunteers who often have lived experience.

Details of how Wakefield District Sight Aid can be contacted:

Tel: 01924 215555
Email: admin@wdsa.org.uk

‍Opening hours: 09.30 – 13.30Monday – Thursday

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Young People’s Empowerment Project

‍YPEP Creative Club service is free, offering young people:

• Group session 4hrs weekly
• One to one support, up to 60 mins per session according to need
• Drop-in sessions 1 day a week

Plus, telephone support as/when required.

Youth workers meet young people on a 1-1 basis and Arts and Crafts group session to explore what is going on for them. It gives young people the chance to think about and decide for themselves what goals they would like to make to help feel better and to make informed choices. This could be anything from getting out and about more, learning a new skill, engaging with services or making new friends.

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We're looking forward to hearing how these projects make a difference across the District!