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Lucy Silk
I am a SENCo in a school on the Somerset/Dorset boarder. I have 3 children ranging from 10 years to 16 years old and am passionate about helping children and families. I trained to deliver Mental Health First Aid Youth and am also developing my skills further as a counsellor and psychotherapist. I understand the joys and pitfalls of parenting which has never been more challenging that in the current Covid-19 situation. Despite being a trained teacher, home education has brought up some interesting challenges. As such I am grateful that Mindfulness is central to my practice as this has supported me and my family to manage some very difficult emotions.
Kay Morgan
As a Mental Health Campaigner and MHFA England Instructor Member who lives in Wells, Somerset with her husband and Basset Hound. She has four sons who are all currently studying at Uni. Kay provides mental health awareness and skills training to a variety of organisations, businesses and communities nationally with the aim of helping people to develop the skills to look after their own and others' wellbeing and reduce the stigma associated with mental ill health. As a highly experienced trainer, Kay has spent the past 20 years working with vast numbers of individuals experiencing a range of mild to severe Mental Health issues as well as those supporting others experiencing Mental ill health. In 2009 Kay undertook four years of part time training to become a Homeopath which gave her an excellent understanding of the importance of holistic wellbeing. Clinic experience coupled with educational experience led Kay to becoming a Mental Health First Aid Instructor as well as offering a range of health and wellbeing workshops to include bespoke Mental Health Awareness and Mental Health at Work courses as well as workshops in Mindfulness and Peer Support. Kay believes that if this training can help to increase mental health awareness literacy and reduce the stigma associated with mental ill health then hopefully this will translate into a decrease in sickness absence and an increase in wellbeing and improved productivity in the workplace.
Corporate Training
Mind in Somerset has a large corporate and community training resource. Our experienced trainers can tailor teaching to your needs and the needs of your staff. Find out more
All our services are free!
Mind in Somerset couldn’t exist without your support – whether that’s through a donation, leaving a gift in your Will, or organising a fundraising event – you can help us be there for more people. Find out more
Volunteering
If you have some free time, whether it’s 2 hours per week or 20 hours per week, we would love to hear from you. We are currently looking to recruit volunteers to support us. Find out more
Calendar of Services
Continuing our volunteers' stories is the wonderful Barry!
"I first got involved with Mind in 2009 when I saw a letter in the County Gazette asking for volunteers for the new Advocacy in Mind project, a forerunner to Bridging the Gap. After training I acted as an advocate, supporting people in their dealings with employers, tribunals, the DWP, agencies the DWP appointed to assess people’s health, doctors, even civil courts, until Spring 2014 when I had to drop out due to ill-health. However, I continued to keep in touch with Mind and have ensured that mental health issues are spotlighted regularly on 10Radio, my local community station. I returned to Mind in 2017 to do reception work for a few months, and subsequently did admin back-up for the Somerset Suicide Bereavement Support Service and then the fundraising team. In May 2019 I attended the training sessions to become a Time to Change Community Champion and in that role have attended the Talking Cafes run by the Village Agents and linked up with various local organisations, including the library, to run drop-in days to mark Mental Health Awareness Week and other events.
My interest in being involved with Mind stems from my own depression, anxiety and occasional panic attacks. I was diagnosed and hospitalised in my early 20s but was unable to access any support and was extremely reluctant to reveal I had mental health issues, even to close friends, because of the stigma which was even more widespread than now. For several years I volunteered for charities for homeless people, many of whom had mental health issues either as a cause or a result of their homelessness. Then and since my involvement with Mind I would try to reassure people that mental ill-health should not be a cause of embarrassment, let alone something to be ashamed of, and I began to take my own advice: being more open about my issues encouraged some friends and acquaintances to “confess” theirs, which made it easier for us to give mutual support. My involvement with Mind and all the dedicated people I have worked alongside there gave me the confidence to initiate this."
Well done Barry, both for your achievements and for being so open and honest. I’ve tried to follow a similar path, including becoming a Time to Change champion. Physical health has curtailed a lot of my activities, but I know how good it feels to help, particularly in encouraging more openness about mental health difficulties. You are a great example ❤️💕❤️
At Mind in Somerset, our response to the ever-changing world we are finding ourselves in has been to transform our services to digital platforms and to provide free training and awareness programmes to support your mental wellbeing and of those around you. We would love to hear from you about the type of online offerings you would like to see available. Please take some time to complete our poll by selecting the courses/training options you would like us to get scheduling in the diary for 2020/21:
POLL: WHAT TRAINING WOULD YOU LIKE?
poll.app.do
At Mind in Somerset, our response to the ever-changing world we are finding ourselves in has been to transform our services to digital platforms and to provide free training and awareness programmes to support your mental wellbeing and of those around you.To celebrate volunteers week we want to celebrate our amazing volunteers! Volunteers are integral to every part of our service from answering calls on Mindline to helping with peer support groups we simply couldn't do it without them! Everyday this week we are going to feature a story from one of our volunteers. First up is the amazing Amanda.
"I started volunteering for Mind in Somerset (then Mind in Taunton and West Somerset) in January 2016 as a bit of a new year's resolution. I wasn't really sure what I was expecting, but I had no idea where volunteering would actually take me.
Volunteers are integral to the services that Mind in Somerset provide, and as such, I have received excellent quality training, mentoring and support. At times, the role can be difficult, but there is a real emphasis on the emotional and mental well-being of volunteers within the organisation.
In return for my time, I have been given the most amazing opportunities as a result of being involved with Mind in Somerset. I have represented the charity at various community events, I have skydived, I ran the London Marathon in 2017 as part of the Heads Together campaign, which led to completing a 100km ultra marathon a couple of months later! The skills and training I've received during my time has led to new job opportunities, and I have made friendships that will be lifelong."
It is a difficult time for everyone at the moment, but don't suffer alone, there is help out there and Somerset Charities are here to support you.
Somerset Community Foundation
#somersetmentalhealthsupport
#smallbutvital
#dontsufferinsilence
WOW! We can not believe how well the amazing Cheryl has done absolutely smashing her target! Thank you so much to Cheryl for this incredible achievement and to everyone who has donated so generously! It is hard not to be inspired by your story and your challenge.
www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cheryl-summers
We are grateful for support from:
