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Supported Housing Social Media Week – #OurSupportedHousing

August 23, 2021/in 24hr supported housing, Campaigns, Mental health, Residential recovery /by Zoe O'Kill

This week we are dedicating all our social media accounts to our Supported Housing services!

Did you know that Supported Housing is where Richmond Fellowship started – over 60 years ago? These days we’ve grown to deliver a wide range of mental health services, but we continue to be pioneers in the field of supported housing. We know that people need to feel safe, secure and supported in their accommodation in order to be able to focus on their mental health. Our supported housing services provide people with a real home as well as access to support from Richmond Fellowship’s team of highly trained recovery workers.

We now have over 50 supported housing services across England, and all our residents receive individually tailored support plans from a highly trained team to support them on their recovery journey. Our staff work with our residents to create a model of support that best suits their needs and goals.

“Richmond Fellowship helped me with life skills and built my confidence up. I went from being in and out of hospital all the time to managing my symptoms using techniques Richmond Fellowship taught me. I’ve been out for two years, and I thank them for that.”

Person we supported

All week we are going to be giving you a look behind the doors of our supported housing – you’ll meet the staff; hear from the people we support and see what really happens in this type of specialist housing.

Make sure to follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page to stay updated on all things Supported Housing this week and check out the hashtag #OurSupportedHousing.

To find out a bit more about our Supported Housing click here.

Mental Health Awareness Week – BBC News presenter Julian Worricker blog

May 13, 2021/in Blog, Campaigns, Media, Suicide prevention /by rfadmin

For Mental Health Awareness Week 2021, journalist Julian Worricker has penned a personal blog exclusively for Richmond Fellowship about his experience of a friend’s battle with mental ill health.

Julian is a presenter on the BBC News channel, Radio 4 and the BBC World Service.

“I have a photo on the window ledge of my study, and each time I look up from my computer keyboard it catches my eye. It’s a close-up of a dear friend of mine…she’s leaning forward, chin resting on her hands, smiling broadly, as she so often did. I look at her sometimes when I’m in need of a bit of wise advice – she was always very good at wise advice – and occasionally I look at her with a hint of envy because she remains ever youthful while I’ve added lots of grey hairs and a few kilos since we were last able to meet in person. You can probably guess where this story is going.

This dear friend – Sue – took her own life in 1998; a shattering blow to her partner, her family, and to all those of us who knew her. It was a horrible culmination of acute mental health issues that she wrestled with over a number of years, and it’s why shining a brighter spotlight on mental health has always been important to me.

I’ve been very fortunate, in that my experience of fragile mental health has been mostly seen through the travails of others. Like everyone I’ve had my ups and downs, my good days and bad, but none of those come close to the challenges faced by people like Sue. Her normally bright and bubbly personality could be transformed in a matter of hours by her illness. The shutters would come down, there’d be a blankness to her facial expression, and whatever you tried by way of casual conversation was met with a look of tiredness, indifference and confusion. I didn’t understand why, but you could tell she didn’t either.

I feel sure that if she were alive today, she’d be able to look back with pride at an increasingly successful broadcasting career…and still forwards, too, to more of the same. She’d still love a bit of gossip about the workplace, she’d never lose sight of some of the dafter aspects of what we do for a living, and she’d still be thinking of others before she thought of herself.

So I hope Mental Health Awareness Week can reduce the numbers of stories like hers.

The global pandemic has tested all of us, and it’s probably raised the issue of mental health in the minds of people who’ve not had to think about it a great deal before. The timing, therefore, could be serendipitous. Let’s make the push for greater awareness count, and ensure that our decision makers live up to their promises on this crucial issue”. – Julian Worricker.

You can watch Julian’s introductory video to Mental Health Awareness Week at Richmond Fellowship here and follow our social media channels across the week for more Mental Health Awareness Week stories.

Mental Health Awareness Week – The Old Moat Garden Centre

May 12, 2021/in Blog, Campaigns, Mental health /by Zoe O'Kill

“I have found coming to the Old Moat during the pandemic has helped me so much – it is the one place that I feel at peace. I can focus on taking care of the plants, learn about them and be with people who are just so kind, supportive and accept me for who I am whether I’m having a good or bad day. I am truly grateful for that.” Person we support.

How much do you know about Richmond Fellowship? You might well know that we’re a national mental health charity. Or that we’ve been going for over 60 years. But did you know that one of our services supporting people’s mental health is … a garden centre?

If you didn’t then we can think of no better time to tell you all about it. Because this week it’s Mental Health Awareness Week and the theme this year is nature.

But our Old Moat Garden Centre and Café in Epsom isn’t simply about selling people plants to brighten up their mood and home. It’s actually a social enterprise designed to help people living with mental ill health (re-)gain important life skills.

At any one time the Old Moat is supporting around 50 people living with mental ill health. The support is rigorous and wide ranging. They provide the people who use the service with a safe and secure experience of working in a commercial environment, and help them to identify what support may be needed to help them meet their future plans and aspirations.

Not only that but with the help of local organisations like the Workers’ Educational Association they provide courses in subjects like, stress management, confidence building, customer service and creative arts.

It’s not surprising that the service has won a number of awards – most recently the Good Retail Awards “Community Award” for the second year running! And this Mental Health Awareness Week we wanted to particularly appreciate the work that they do – not just this week, but all year through to support people’s mental health. As they say themselves – “Helping plants AND people grow”.

We asked people we support at the Old Moat to tell us in their own words how nature has helped them this past year and we leave you with these quotes and striking examples of the Japanese haiku.

“Probably for me it’s being able to go out with Tilly (my dog) and just detox from all the noise in the world and the stress. Just to even go out into my garden and sit with no distractions or worries and just listen to the birds and the wind in the trees and feel as if even though the world may be in panic for now I don’t have to be.”

“I have had two plants for over a year and I look forward to watering them. The outside plant is in full bloom purple colours. And the inside plant is really green but small reddish flowers are starting to come out of the plant. I’ve enjoyed watering them even though I have no idea how many times a week I’m meant to water them. I think it was Jane that told me that if they look sad water them. Thanks for the advice it’s paying off!”

Haiku by person we support

little butterfly

sits on my finger and blinks

to show me heaven

a dot in the sky

sends such beautiful music

it must be a lark

Pom Pom Dahlia

so precisely engineered

there must be a God!

two mute swans lift off

each wing clipping the river

to show me rhythm

the Ursa Major

looks like a huge question mark

in the midnight sky

miniscule midges

manically hovering

invite me to dance

the Earth is at work

producing wonderful things

take time to ponder

a slug slowly slides

along the moonlit garden

and shows me the time

a murder of crows

congregate on a steeple

spelling out gothic

the feverish flies

find the carrion flower

pulchritudinous

the defeated moth

attracted into the flame

teaches me hindsight

flashing fire-flies

on a night to remember

tell me to shine bright!

Mental Health Awareness Week 2021

May 10, 2021/in Campaigns, Mental health /by Zoe O'Kill

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week. It’s always an important one for Richmond Fellowship, but this year even more so.

This year’s theme for Mental Health Awareness Week is Nature, and we know that as we come out of lockdown and enforced social isolation going outside and interacting with the wider community might prove hard for many. Richmond Fellowship and the wider Recovery Focus Group will be part of the recovery journey, offering advice on dealing with social anxiety and signposting to relevant services. We will continue to speak up about the stigma surrounding mental health and encourage people to seek support should they need it.

Not only that but many of our services already focus on the positive mental health benefits of getting outside and engaging with nature – from the Old Moat Garden Centre to residential services’ gardening programs.

Here’s what to expect this week:

• Shining the spotlight on our services offering support that engages with nature.
• Photos from our staff that have been getting outside, remaining active and connecting with nature these past few months.
• Hearing from staff and people we support about the positive impact getting outside and immersing with nature can have on our mental health and wellbeing in a special Radio Sparky Podcast episode.
• Top tips on dealing with social anxiety as some parts of our lives return to normality from Karl at our Kirklees Employment Service.
• We will be hearing from Julian Worricker, BBC News presenter who will be talking about the importance of removing the stigma around mental health and sharing a story about how mental ill health affected a close colleague and friend.

Make sure you are following Richmond Fellowship on Twitter and like our Facebook Page to keep up with #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek.

Community Services Week – hearing from Wiltshire Recovery & Social Inclusion

March 25, 2021/in Campaigns, community based /by Zoe O'Kill

We are proud to be part of  Recovery Focus – a group of charities providing specialist support services to individuals and families living with the effects of mental ill health, drug and alcohol use, gambling and domestic abuse. This week all our partner charities are highlighting the work and impact of #OurCommunityServices across the group.

We heard from Wiltshire RSI about what they’ve been up to and how they have responded to Covid-19 restrictions. Wiltshire RSI also shared some great testimonials from people they’ve supported as well as giving us some insight into what it’s like to work in a Community Service.

What has Wiltshire RSI been up to?

Wiltshire RSI have been working hard to ensure their community still feel connected during lockdown. They started the Lockdown Well-Being Challenge, which included four wellbeing goals per week of the November lockdown. They focused on bringing people together on their social media pages and online social group to share their achievements and creations during lockdown. Wiltshire RSI’s online social group has grown from strength to strength in the last 12 months. They were able to enjoy some in person and virtual events whilst they could last summer, including their picnic for recovery and pop-up event at Trowbridge sensory garden.

Wiltshire RSI have been working to support those in the community with sensory disturbances, they did this by setting up the Hearing Voices Group. The aim of the group is to provide a safe space for people in the community who experience sensory disturbances (e.g. auditory or visual) to come together and share their experiences and coping strategies in order to provide mutual support. During the pandemic this group is one that went online and is continuing to run via Zoom.

Wiltshire RSI has also been conducting some important research that identifies what service provision is available to those in the LGBTQ+ community and how the service can improve their accessibility. Wiltshire RSI are also working to establish similar research for the BAME community and for people with Autism. This is part of an ongoing development of how the service meets the needs of its community.

Hearing from our staff

As part of #OurCommunityServices at Recovery Focus we were able to hear what it’s like to work in a Community Service from a Community Link Advisor and Volunteer/Peer Support Coordinator, they also gave an insight into how Wiltshire RSI has digitally adapted to the pandemic. Check out what they had to say!

Why do you enjoy working in our community services? What does community services mean to you?

“I enjoy working in the community services because I like making a positive impact on individuals’ lives. I like watching individuals grow in confidence and truly helping to get them back into the community. I feel that every person should be given a chance to achieve things in their lives no matter how big or small. I enjoy being able to build good relationships with service users, their families and other colleagues which enables them to get the best support tailored to them.” Community Link Advisor

What does a day to day look like working in our community services?

“A typical day working with Richmond Fellowship Community Service is supporting someone with their confidence, their wellbeing, helping them gain their independence backu and helping with social inclusion. Since Covid-19 restrictions have been put in place my typical day to day has changed. I am now supporting people digitally and helping them get online more. This can be by helping them get on zoom and joining online groups instead of a face-to-face group. Although my day to day has changed, I still support service users with their confidence and getting back into the community.” Community Link Advisor

“My current role as Peer/Volunteer Coordinator working from home within Covid-19 restrictions is very different to 12 months ago. My support and coordinating responsibilities are all carried out in “virtual 1:1” format, using audio and video platforms. Many new ideas have been developed and will be taken forward as appropriate, when “normal” operational procedures are back in place.” Volunteer/Peer Support Coordinator

What impact does your service have on the people you support and the wider community?

“I feel it has a massive impact on the people we support. We give them hope and a purpose as we help them achieve small meaningful goals that they set themselves. Our support is very service user led and we will work with them to develop their own ideas in to achievements. For example we will support someone in attending a local group and once their confidence has grown we will then step back and let them gain their independence.” Community Link Advisor

“It is a major contributing factor in clients’ mental health recovery journey. It also produces benefit for the wider community via the impact of people engaging in a widening range of community based activities.” Volunteer/Peer Support Coordinator

How has COVID19 and lockdown restrictions changed the way you deliver your service?

“We have had to adapt to the changing restrictions in order to offer a range of support to our clients. We have had to minimise face to face appointments to stop the spread of Covid-19. This has meant that group activities, public transport and volunteering have had to be placed on hold meaning that social inclusion is decreasing, some individuals haven’t been able to socialise or make new friends. However this impact resulted in Richmond Fellowship becoming more digitally focused. I have been doing zoom calls and zoom groups with service users and Richmond Fellowship have created a fun weekly zoom social which has had a positive impact on people’s wellbeing. This is because they are able to socialise and chat to others even though they are at home.” Community Link Advisor

What has your service learnt from the pandemic and what will you continue to do as we move out of lockdown?

“We have learnt that we work well as a team. We have provided support to colleagues/friends when things have been challenging. I definitely know that without the support from my colleagues I wouldn’t have been able to get through the pandemic.
We will continue to provide a tailored support to service users and support them to increase independence and social inclusion.” Community Link Advisor

“Everyone has been affected in different ways, and virtual support is not always easy to provide. We will no doubt take the best of Covid-19 restriction procedures and blend them into post lockdown operational strategies.” Volunteer/Peer Support Coordinator

What is to come for your community service?

“Richmond Fellowship is going through the tender process currently. Although uncertain of what is to come we do know what we will be delivering the best support we can to our clients.” Community Link Advisor

“A new 5 year contract hopefully: Resulting from a tendering process currently in its final stages.” Volunteer/Peer Support Coordinator

Hearing from the people we support

The work our Community Service staff have been putting in has been remarkable in ensuring communities remain connected and that we minimise social isolation. But let’s hear from the people we support about how the Wiltshire RSI service has positively impacted their lives:

“It’s meant an awful lot. It’s like a little family of staff and friends who I know I can talk to and be honest to. It’s helped me feel I have value and purpose.”

“Seeing people (like yourself) managing your mental health was important. It’s actually meeting people with lived experienced that is the key. The feeling of not being alone has helped me to accept the illness. I’m not happy about it but I think I just accept it is what it is.”

“My support worker made a plan with me which we have both worked towards. I am now able to go out and about on my own, which I haven’t been able to do for nearly 5 years. This has really improved the quality of life.”

“My support worker made me feel like a person and with Richmond Fellowship’s support my confidence has improved and I feel more able to live a better life.”

We are so glad to hear such positive feedback about our Wiltshire RSI Community Service! Thank you to the Wiltshire RSI team for your support in Community Services Week. Make sure you continue to follow along with the week on #OurCommunityServices and follow the social media accounts across the group! Find out more about Wiltshire RSI and how you can get in contact with them here.

Richmond Fellowship takes part in local radio ‘companions’ campaign

March 22, 2021/in Campaigns, Media /by rfadmin

Richmond Fellowship is taking part in a radio campaign to highlight the work of its services during the coronavirus pandemic.

‘Cambridge Companions’ is supported by the government-backed Audio Content Fund and is designed to draw attention to loneliness and offer help and advice to listeners who may be suffering or who are able to reach out to support others.

The week-long campaign, which runs from 22 to 28 March, has been organised by Cambridge 105 Radio and will air on the community radio station as well as partners Cam FM and Star Radio in Cambridgeshire. It will also run on several other stations in East Anglia.

Laura Whitehouse from Richmond Fellowship’s Cambridgeshire Employment service has been taking part in an interview to talk about the work they do, and promo spots will also air across the week to signpost listeners to Richmond Fellowship’s local mental health services.

Kerry Stiles, East Anglia Area Manager at Richmond Fellowship said:

‘I’m so thrilled that our services in Cambridgeshire have been invited to be involved in this amazing initiative. Our teams have been working tirelessly during the pandemic to deliver support to those suffering from mental ill health and most isolated, often utilising technology to deliver face to face support digitally where appropriate’.

Trevor Dann, executive producer of the Companions campaign and a board member at Cambridge 105 Radio said:

‘We’ve really enjoyed working with Richmond Fellowship and the other charities to promote the work they do. The pandemic has really shone a light on how vital these services and organisations are to our local communities’.

To find out more information about the Companions campaign and to listen to Laura’s interview, visit www.radiocompanions.co.uk.

The campaign launch coincides with the start of our #CommunityServicesWeek where we’re shining the spotlight on the work of our Community support services on our social media channels.

Crisis services in action, and in a pandemic – we hear from Area Manager, Jessica Fish

February 26, 2021/in Blog, Campaigns, Crisis /by Zoe O'Kill

To end #OurCrisisServices week we hear from Jessica Fish, Area Manager in Lancashire. We started delivering Crisis interventions in Lancashire in 2017, and since then they’ve gone from strength to strength.

We are immensely proud of the impact they’ve had and the hard work our staff have put in to make this a reality – and wanted to hear direct from Jessica about the hard work behind it all.

What was the first Crisis Service in Lancashire and why was it commissioned?

It all started in 2016 when Richmond Fellowship won a contract with Lancashire Care Foundation trust to deliver two Crisis Houses across Lancashire – Chorley opened in May 2017 (Willow House) and Burnley in April 2018 (Oak House).

The services were commissioned to support the pressures around inpatient admissions and ED (Emergency Department/A&E) presentations. They were intended to offer an alternative – therapeutic interventions that would hopefully reduce the amount of people who would need an informal hospital admission.

Following the purchase of a house in Chorley, a complete refurb happened to create a 6-bedroom house including en-suite bathrooms, an office, kitchen, lounge, and an activity room. All bedrooms are fully furnished, and the house provides a ‘home away from home’ feel to ensure those using the service feel relaxed. The team did a lot of work around colour therapy and understanding how surroundings can affect a person’s mood and reduce anxiety.

What’s come since?

Since the two Crisis Houses opened in 2017/2018, the Crisis Pathway has evolved even further across Lancashire – we now provide two outreach services, three Haven services, and are set to open another Crisis House 2 March 2021.

Willow House and Oak House clearly evidenced the potential for therapeutic interventions as an alternative for those needing less intense clinical support. Situations such as a social crisis influencing someone’s mental health or managing the feelings and behaviours that come with a diagnosis such as personality disorders. The Crisis Services work with all of this, along with an even more holistic approach to a persons’ recovery.

The Crisis Houses have shown to be both cost effective, compared to an inpatient stay (in and out of area) and effective in offering a safer, less clinical environment.

What have we learnt along the way?

We have learnt a lot and developed in several areas. Multiagency working is key. The last four years have always shown that the better the multiagency working, the better the outcomes for those using the service. We have also learnt to adapt our styles and service offer from site to site to ensure that each person gets the best they can out of the intervention sessions.

Most recently we have adapted our offer to include those who are street homeless or who have no fixed address, and to assess this on an individual basis to support recovery.

We have also learnt to adapt with the needs of the clinical teams and practitioners, to learn about where their pressures are, and see where we can support in adapting our offer to those that require more intensive support.

How has the pandemic impacted your work?

The pandemic has meant that we have had to review and adapt our offer and service delivery regularly over the last year. Most of our support has become virtual – whether this be over the phone or over Zoom/Microsoft Teams. The impact of additional workload on the team to ensure all the government guidance is followed in order to keep everyone safe, whilst also ensuring that all virtual sessions are productive, has also been a challenge.

I’m proud of how all our staff have stepped up to the challenge of the past year – they have worked incredibly hard over the last 12 months. They have supported through service delivery changes and learnt new ways of successfully supporting and keeping people safe throughout their mental health recovery.

The pandemic has caused pressures across all services, including clinical services, and again we have had to continue reviewing our standard operating procedure to ensure we are meeting the needs of the clinical services.

What’s next?

Our current focus is Blackpool Crisis House which launches at the beginning of March! We’re determined to ensure the service provision meets the needs of the community in Blackpool.

Put simply we want to ensure that we are as successful in Blackpool as we are in our already established areas.

Radio Sparky: February 2021 podcast

February 25, 2021/in Campaigns, Crisis, Podcasts /by rfadmin

Listen to our latest edition of Radio Sparky, the podcast which shines the spotlight on the excellent work happening at Richmond Fellowship services across the country.

In February 2021’s edition, Matt Webb, Communications and Marketing Officer speaks to Demi Halstead, Crisis Recovery Worker at our Oak House Crisis service in East Lancashire about her role, journey from being a person we support to working for us and how she uses her lived experience to support others with their mental health recovery.

“I was a guest at Oak House about 3 years ago and the support I received as a guest personally myself was unbelievable. I was rejected from quite a few other services due to my diagnosis, where at Oak House I felt welcomed and heard.” – Demi, person we supported and Crisis Recovery Worker.

Mental health care in crisis

February 22, 2021/in Campaigns, Crisis /by Zoe O'Kill

Earlier this month the government set out plans for reform of the NHS. Amongst other things the intention is to support more joined up care – and enable greater integration of services across the NHS, voluntary sector and local authority. A community-based mental health crisis First Response Service (FRS) was cited by the Secretary of State as a case study of what this joined up care looks like in practice.

At Richmond Fellowship we are delighted to see crisis provision used so clearly as a great example of sector partners working together to deliver better care to the people who need it, when they need it.

In 2015 Derek Caren, our Chief Executive said: “As a voluntary sector organisation we’re committed to playing our part in creating joined-up services that can truly provide the best possible care for people with mental health problems, especially in a crisis situation when individuals are at their most vulnerable.”

We know that presenting at A&E shouldn’t be the only option available to someone experiencing a mental health crisis. We also know the pressure NHS Trusts are facing in terms of unnecessary hospital admissions and delayed discharges for mental ill-health.

We have now been pioneering crisis provision for over 17 years – from our Crisis Cafes and Safe Havens offering immediate support and signposting to our Crisis Houses for people needing step down support from hospital, or intensive support to stop then from going into hospital in the first place.

We are justifiably proud of these services, the people they support and the staff that power them. Crisis services, and increased partnership working, are going to be needed ever more in the months and years ahead to deal with increasing (and increasingly complex) mental health needs. We are glad to see that the proposed NHS reforms recognise this, and the power of crisis interventions. Yet from the outside we know it might be hard to understand what a crisis service actually is and how it works in practice.

That’s why this week, across all our social media, we’re going to be focusing in on our Crisis Services. We’ll be hearing from the people we support and our frontline staff, and we’ll be sharing images and statistics that bring the services to life. Please follow the week on #OurCrisisServices – and share with anyone you think should know about our crisis services. And if you want to find out more about commissioning or partnering with us in your area please contact: communications@richmondfellowship.org.uk

Recovery Worker Week 2020 round-up

November 23, 2020/in Appeals, Media, World Mental Health Day /by rfadmin

As one of the largest voluntary sector providers of mental health support in England, our frontline staff are critical to our work and the wellbeing of the people we support.

Our frontline staff have gone above and beyond this year during the Covid-19 pandemic and we’ve been shining the spotlight on what they do with a dedicated week on our social media.

During Recovery Worker Week (16-20 November) we shared a blog from Jo, our North Head of Operations about her visits to services during the Covid-19 pandemic and the excellent work she witnessed first-hand during these challenging times.

‘Our frontline workers have continued to go into their workplace and adapted their home life to ensure they are as safe as they can be to continue to support the people that use our services’. – Jo.

Deborah, Service Manager at Willow House in Lancashire wrote a blog about how our Crisis houses have continued to provide care despite the lockdown.

‘I didn’t think I’d face new challenges such as dogs barking over Skype or parrots chirping during a telephone intervention’. – Deborah.

We handed over the reins of our Twitter account to Anna, Crisis Recovery Worker at our Lincolnshire Crisis House. During ‘Recovery Worker Takeover’, Anna tweeted what she was doing across the day to give a flavour of the tasks our frontline staff carry out on a daily basis.

We also shared a range of experiences from our Recovery Workers across the country.

International Men’s Day also fell during Recovery Worker Week (Thursday 19 November), so we used this opportunity to showcase our frontline roles as great careers for men to consider. Rob, Peer Volunteer Co-ordinator at our Wiltshire Recovery and Social Inclusion service explained on video how Richmond Fellowship is a mindful employer for older men in the organisation.

If you’re interested in a career with us, or any of the partners in our Recovery Focus Group of charities, please take a look at our vacancies page by