Have you lost a loved one to suicide? If so, a new service based at Mind in Bradford could help you.

The extra support is part of the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Suicide Bereavement Service and run by Leeds Mind. It includes one-to-one support and peer support for anyone in the Bradford and Wakefield area who has lost someone to suicide.

The loss could be a partner, family member, friend or work colleague and can be recent or from decades past.

Senior Postvention Practitioner Christian Smith will be running monthly peer support groups at our HQ at Kenburgh House. The next one will be held on Friday, January 24 between 6-8pm. There is no need to book, just turn up.

Everyone who works for the service has been personally affected by suicide, including Christian.

“I was a user of the Leeds Suicide Bereavement Service when I lost someone 3.5 years ago,” he said. “It really helped me to talk to someone who was able to empathise with my situation, to have an idea what it’s like to be bereaved in this way. “I’m excited to be part of expanding the service to support people across West Yorkshire and Harrogate.”

For more information, visit www.wyhsbs.org.uk.

Author: Suzy Poole
Posted on: 22nd January 2020

Monday 20 January has become known as Blue Monday – dark nights, bills from Christmas and waiting for wage day can all be factors that contribute to this day being quite depressing for some people. We are going to make Blue Monday a Brew Monday. 

If you need a chat, drop by our office, grab a coffee and speak with one of our workers. 

There will also be the opportunity to complete a 20 minute online course in Suicide Awareness, offered by Zero Suicide Alliance. 

Join us at the Mind in Bradford office on Monday 20 January, 10.30am to 2.30pm.

Who: Anyone, even if you’ve not been to Mind in Bradford before 

Where: Mind in Bradford, Kenburgh House, 28 Manor Row, Bradford, BD1 4QU   

How much: Free (donations always appreciated)

#ZSABrewMonday

Author: Lucy Clews
Posted on: 16th January 2020

Whether your run, swim, cycle or choose your favourite fitness activity, set your goal and enjoy support from the RED community every step, splash and pedal of the way!

Red January has raised almost £1.7m for Mind since its exclusive partnership began. This year, you can raise money directly for Mind in Bradford by challenging yourself to complete one physical activity every day of the month.

Kick-start your 2020 in a positive way and raise funds for Mind in Bradford, so together, we can be active for better mental health.

Register to join RED January today and receive your free fundraising and training guide here:

Register

Although RED stands for ‘Run Every Day’, people are invited to walk, cycle or do anything active each of the 31 days.

RED January research found that 82 per cent of people taking part felt better physically and mentally after taking part earlier this year, and research overwhelmingly shows that physical activity can have a positive impact on mental health.

In 2015, after witnessing the transformative effect that regular exercise had on her Mum as she recovered from a period of severe depression, Hannah Beecham founded RED January.

To help the RED community support themselves and others, Hannah approached Mind in 2017 to come on board as RED’s exclusive charity partner and encourage others to help stay active and raise the funds needed to continue helping people improve their mental health.

Mind in Bradford’s fundraising manager Aanika Dhillon said: “At Mind in Bradford, we know the benefits that physical activity can have for mental wellbeing. It’s exciting that we are offering our local community something that hopefully inspires them to support themselves and others. 

“The idea behind RED January is very simple: choose a challenge you’d like to do every day, such as walking 10,000 steps, training for your first 10k, getting back to the gym or any other favourite fitness activity, and set up a fundraising page for Mind in Bradford, so your friends and family can sponsor you to stick to it.”

Author: Lucy Clews
Posted on: 23rd December 2019

Please note our opening times over the Christmas period:

Guide-Line and Sanctuary are open as usual.

Wellbeing Services are open as normal, apart from on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, when no wellbeing groups are running. The weekend group on Sunday 29 December is also not running.

Author: Lucy Clews
Posted on: 23rd December 2019

For people with mental health problems, Christmas can be an incredibly hard time of year. For some, we may be the only people they can turn to. With your help, we can be there for more people. Please donate whatever you can to our 2019 Christmas Appeal. Your contribution will make an impact, whether you donate £5 or £50.

A donation of £5 could pay for a wellbeing induction and welcome session for someone who is new to our services. Once someone has come to a welcome session, they can take part in activities and groups which can really help their recovery. Our activities include cooking, writing and sport.

A donation of £22 could provide an hour in Sanctuary for someone experiencing a mental health crisis. Sanctuary offers an alternative to hospital and is open 365 days a year – the support never stops, even during the Christmas season.

Donate

At Mind in Bradford, we build community and individual resilience for better mental well-being. We provide early intervention advice and support. We support people in crisis. We empower and help people to recover and sustain improved well-being.

Thank you for your support.

Author: Lucy Clews
Posted on: 23rd December 2019

Check out the latest news from Mind in Bradford in the December edition of our client-led newsletter Write Mind. Stories include extra support in the community to lower hospital admissions and action to help people with serious mental illnesses live longer. Plus there’s Christmas creative writing from one of our wellbeing groups. Read the full newsletter here.

Author: Suzy Poole
Posted on: 13th December 2019

Join us at the Mind in Bradford office on Thursday 19 December, 3.30pm to 7.30pm, for a free and festive get together.

There there will be food, festive games and a Christmas quiz to take part in.

Clients interested in helping out at the event can contact Philip Woodward on 01274 730815.

Author: Lucy Clews
Posted on: 10th December 2019

Our latest fundraising appeal is designed to boost your creativity and winter wellbeing.

Crafternoon invites people to hold arts and crafts sessions at their home, community group or place of work and collect donations to support our mental health services.

We already hold free weekly arts and crafts sessions at our city centre HQ and know that benefits include reducing stress, boosting self-esteem through learning new skills and enhancing brain productivity by strengthening the relationship between different sides of the brain. They can help reduce psychiatric symptoms, increase enjoyment and tolerance, and bring people together to create new friendships.

Holding a Crafternoon session is also a chance to meet up with old friends, reduce isolation and create Christmas items such as decorations, wreaths and cards.

Our Fundraising Manager Aanika says: “By hosting a Crafternoon for Mind in Bradford this winter, you’ll not only be raising vital funds to help make sure no one faces a mental health struggle alone, you’ll also be helping to boost your own mood through the winter months and encourage others to do the same.

“Arts and crafts have a surprisingly positive effect on your health and wellbeing, so by taking part in Crafternoon you’ll also be helping to promote the positive ways you and others can look after their wellbeing.”

Crafternoon will run throughout November and December. For a free fundraising pack, which includes templates, invitations, posters, balloons, banners and thank you cards, e-mail [email protected] or call 01274 730815.

Author: Suzy Poole
Posted on: 8th November 2019

We are holding our second Great Bradford Bake Off this Saturday with special guest Sandy Docherty as the judge.

The pay-as-you-feel event will be held at out city centre HQ as part of an afternoon of craft and creative activities. All money raised will go towards our local mental health services and Bradford charity Scar Cover Up Freedom Fund (SCUFF).

Sandy was a contestant in the 2015 Great British Bake Off series and is also a safeguarding and wellbeing officer at a Bradford school. She said: “Baking is the most accessible therapy, be it a complicated cake or a few simple scones.

“The therapy that is baking allows the individual to be in the ‘here and now’, truly mindful of all the senses being in harmony if only for a short space of time resulting in a very delicious achievement.”

The event will run on Saturday, November 3 from 11am to 3pm at Mind in Bradford’s office at Kenburgh House, 28 Manor Row, Bradford (the same building as the blood donor centre).

All are welcome and entry is pay as you feel, with a donation of £3 to enter your bake into the competition. Funds raised will be split between Mind in Bradford and SCUFF.

SCUFF was set up last year by Jess King and funds tattoos to cover self-harm scars. She started to fundraise for others after seeing her confidence increase after having beautiful tattoos on her inner arms to cover scars.

Jess said: “The event’s going to be bigger and better this year as well as fun for all of the family including cookie icing, mask decorating, rocket making and face painting. And there will be a collection of local handmade products for sale from small businesses, and light bites from The Willow Tree Cafe.

“Get yourself in the kitchen and create your showstopper bake for a chance to win the Star Baker Trophy for a year and as it’s all for charity, we welcome bakes of all standards – but they must be handmade!”

Mind in Bradford is also running a Crafternoon appeal throughout autumn, which encourages people to get together with friends over coffee and make their own seasonal crafts in return for a donation to Mind in Bradford.

For more information about Crafternoon see our fundraising pages. 

Author: Suzy Poole
Posted on: 28th October 2019

Thanks to BCB Radio for inviting us on to its weekly Top Ten programme. We had a whole hour to talk about our services and play tunes picked by our staff, volunteers and clients. Tracks included Happy by Pharrell Williams and Lucy Spraggan’s Stick the Kettle On. To hear the full programme, go to BCB Radio’s website or you can hear the tunes on the Spotify playlist called MiB Top Ten.

Author: Suzy Poole
Posted on: 24th October 2019