Minutes from 14 June 2010

Please note, the date of the next meeting is Monday 2 August, 12pm.
Sue welcomed everyone, particularly those attending for the first time. Diane Luck, Diane Lynch and Mike Reeves sent apologies for their absence.
Updates from the group
• Bald Statements
The exhibition is taking place at St Barnabas between 3 and 29 July (Monday to Saturday). If you are able to volunteer as a steward, please let Kirstie know.
• Fundraising
• Sue is walking the Dublin Marathon on 25 October and aims to raise £20,000. The planning group were invited to sponsor her and to ask family and friends to do so also. Thank you for all your support!
• Kirstie is looking into setting up an Easyfundraising site for Love Me Love My Mind, to enable anyone who supports us to donate to us while shopping online, as certain retailers will make a donation for each sale through the site.
• Funding applications are being submitted.
• Schools and EMHW
The theme for the poster competition this year is “revealing your feelings”. Prizes will be presented on 13 July. The prize-winning posters will be printed and will form part of the advertising for EMHW. Drama in schools is likely to go ahead in 2011. Action: Kirstie to contact Pullingers to request prizes for the poster competition.
• Involving GPs in EMHW
Diane Lynch has made a connection with a GP who is very interested in mental health and hopefully will become involved in EMHW.
• EMHW 2010 programme
• Diane Lynch is hoping to run an anti-bullying session for young people during the week. A possible drop in has been suggested for young people, involving Radio Jackie and youth workers.
• A drop in day for mothers of young children is under discussion with Epsom Children’s Centre. It may lead to an ongoing drop in if there is a need.
• Lorraine Yates and Suzanne Akram (Surrey Minority Ethnic Forum) are planning to run a multicultural musical event on the Tuesday. The Brazilian community are interested, and there may be a group of Hungarian dancers as well as involvement from the Indian and Pakistani communities. Surrey Minority Ethnic Forum can help to publicise the Week on their website. Action: Kirstie to send information for the website to Suzanne.
• Kirstie is in touch with Lintons Lane and Nescot about a possible exhibition.
• WEA have offered to run some sessions.
• Befrienders may be able to launch a book group during the week.
• A session on nutrition was discussed.
• The Carers’ Cafe will be going ahead, and it was suggested that Leatherhead Carers could take part.
• A speaker is coming from Ireland to share her experience as a mother of a child who took his own life.
• Fintan O’Regan will be running a session
• Possible exhibitors include:
• Southside Partnership
• Kingston Advocacy Project
• Surrey Libraries will be running the Human Library and a panel event with 3 authors. A Chair is needed, ideally someone with a link to books and mental health, please contact Kay if you have any suggestions. Please note, Surrey Libraries are currently running Read Yourself Well, and many books on mental health are being borrowed, particularly from Epsom library.
• The group discussed starting a group for people recovering from severe mental health issues, particularly to support them in continuing to work. This could be launched during the Week. Please let us know if you have any other ideas for areas of work to be launched at the week.
• Chris Grayling has agreed to speak on the Friday and the group suggested the following topic –The Big Society: does it help or hinder the voluntary sector in delivering community mental health?
• The opening event is starting to take shape. The High Sheriff and the Mayor are attending. It will also feature a man who lies on a bed of nails, possibly a gospel choir, a steel band and drummers. Kim Wisdom, daughter-in-law of Sir Norman Wisdom is attending to talk about her experience as a carer. Dr Glenn Cornish will be speaking. The event is likely to take place at St Barnabas.
• There is a possibility that a Church service from St Barnabas could be broadcast on Radio 4 in October 2011, to coincide with EMHW.

Discussion points
The group discussed how mental health services may be affected by funding cuts in the next few years, highlighting the need for our work. We need to consider how we, as a grassroots organisation, can get involved in political the processes.

Publicity
• Please note that all information for the main publicity leaflet needs to be with Sue by the end of July.
• Pre-publicity postcard
• The group liked the design and agreed to go ahead with some blank faces and question marks.
• Ideas for the text were presented and key points from the group were:
• Questions are a good way in
• It needs to be succinct and appeal to a wide range of people.
• A key message is that anyone can be affected.
• A suggestion: “Do you feel depressed, defiant, disillusioned? Do you feel alone?”
• A handwritten postcard style was suggested as a possibility.
• It might be useful to incorporate colour with the text on the back.

The next meeting is on 2 August. Thank you to everyone for your contribution.

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