The Power of Telling my Story

Help others learn from your experiences

Help services learn how to improve

A two day workshop for those who have a lived experience of mental health challenges. Those of us who have mental health challenges are strong, worthwhile people who have a story to tell which can encourage us, and those who hear it.

This two day practical workshop, led by trainers from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, will cover:

• Recovery in mental health
• The recovery journey that we are all making
• The vital role and positive impact of ‘telling our story’
• The skills of story telling
• Opportunities for sharing our story to help further improve services

Building on your strengths and increasing confidence the course will equip you to tell your own recovery story; helping you to see the hero that you are.

Dates: 24th & 25th Nov, 2011  
Venue: Westgate Hall, Westgate Hall Road Canterbury. CT1 2BT 
Time: 9.30 - 4.45 each day

Travel expenses will be reimbursed and lunch and refreshments provided. For further information, or to apply to join this training please call or email Nick on 01227 81202

Carer Support Groups

Rethink Mental Illness have a Carer Support Group every 3rd Tuesday of the month at the


Canterbury Umbrella Centre
7:30pm - 9pm

and on the 1st Friday of the month at

Durham House, Herne Bay
2pm -  3:15pm


All carers are welcome.


The aim of the Support meetings is to facilitate networking of Carers in the area to encourage mutual support. Carers meet up in an informal environment and the group gives them the chance to discuss their roles and experiences within their Carer role. The Carer Groups are an effective tool in preventing isolation and promoting social inclusion.

Carer Groups provide support via publications, personal experiences and, on occasions, speakers are invited to attend to discuss a variety of areas that you may find useful within your caring role. The Carer Groups have proved to be highly effective and feedback has been very positive.

Investing in Mental Health

Social Enterprise Kent are hosting this informative seminar which will be looking at Investing in Mental Health, the theme for this year's World Mental Health Day.  Speakers include:

Peter Lake - KCC Deputy Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care
Lynn Marchant - Mindful Employment
Frances Beaumont - Dyspraxia UK.

There will also be case studies from Employment Services.


When: 10th October
Time: 9.30 until midday
Venue:Kent Enterprise House in Herne Bay
Cost: Free of Charge

To reserve your place, call 01227 844544.

Tree of Life

Tree of Life is an installation by creative groups and individual artists from across Kent celebrating creativity for mental wellbeing, organised by Canterbury Mind the Gap. The opening event is on 18 October 12 noon – 3pm, and thereafter the exhibition continues daily 11am – 4pm until 29 October at

Cleary Gallery
Blackfriars
Canterbury CT1 2AP
(off King Street, nearest car park St Radigunds)

For further information see the website, call 07870 320479, or email.

Secret Thoughts and Time to Talk

Rethink announce an event for the Time to Talk campaign at the Secret Gardens in Sandwich (also know as The Salutation Gardens) on Friday 26th August 2011 from 11.00am until 3pm.

They will be giving away free gifts together with promotional items, literature and leaflets. There is a tea room, a gift shop and 3.5 acres of stunning Lutyens and Jeckyll gardens which are an oasis of calm and serenity. The Secret Gardens are surrounded by ancient city walls inside which there are tree lined walkways, sculptures to admire and the beautiful lake and gardens. We will invite people to write their thoughts and ideas (either anonymously or signed) as to how they would encourage people to talk more openly about mental illness on a tag/label which they will then be able to tie onto a ''Time to Talk Tree'.

Friday 26/08/2011 - 11:00am - 3:00pm

Knightrider Street
Sandwich
Kent CT13 9EW

Wimbledon House Summer Fair

Wimbledon House in Herne Bay will be holding their Summer Fair on Wednesday 24 August, from 2 - 4:30 pm at

Wimbledon House
58 Selsea Avenue
Herne Bay CT6 8SD

Raffle - Tombola - Hook a Duck - Guess the Sweets in the Jar - Bric a Brac - Jumble - Books – Puzzles
Cake Stall - Wet Sponge Stand - BBQ - Refreshments

Bert Butlers Jazz Pilgrims will be entertaining throughout the afternoon.

See the flyer here.

Canterbury Umbrella meeting

On Tuesday 19 July at 19:30 at Canterbury Umbrella, the monthly open meeting guest speakers include Cathy Nymeck and Michelle Webb talking about KMPT ‘Access and Recovery Services’. You are cordially invited to attend.

Peer Support - the way forward

KMPT are holding an event aimed at both service users and staff considering how peer support is transforming mental health services in the UK, and how it can be put into action across Kent and Medway.

Thursday 7th July 10.00am - 4.00pm at

Lenham Community Centre, Groom Way,
Lenham, Near Maidstone ME17 2QT

For further information and an application form, see this flyer.

Grand Summer Fete

The Friends for Mental Health (East Kent) announce their Grand Summer Fete on Saturday 2 July at

St Martin's Hospital
Littlebourne Road
Canterbury

Stalls, Games and Competitions, Music, Barbecue, Refreshments, Tug of War, Face Painting, a Grand Raffle prize of £350 and much more!

Admission and Parking Free

For further information see this flyer, email Maria Duran or call 01227 812034

Casa Support awareness event

On Friday 3 June, from 10am until 2pm, Casa Support are holding an event to raise awareness of their housing related support - including various accommodation projects and floating support services.

It will also be an opportunity for people to network of course!

It will be at Chaucer House (hopefully in the garden!)

50 Roper Road
Canterbury CT5 1JX.

Parking on the road nearby is free.

Canterbury Umbrella Summer Fete

This year's Canterbury Umbrella Summer Fete will be held on Saturday 25 June at Westgate Gardens.

Come along and enjoy events, competitions, music, stalls, food & drink!

Remove The Fear And Get The Most Out Of Personalisation and Self-Directed Support

The Canterbury and District Mental Health Forum are holding this Consultation Day on personalisation on Friday June 3 at

Whitstable Umbrella
St Mary's Hall
Oxford Street
Whitstable CT5 1DD

with the following program:

• 11am - 11.30am  Registration (with refreshments)
• 11.30am - 1pm  Speakers talking about different aspects of personalisation 
• 1pm - 2pm  Lunch provided and an opportunity to network 
• 2pm - 3pm  Your opportunity to ask questions of the panel of speakers 
• 3pm  Closing comments

For more information see this flyer, call 01227 788211, or email.

Changes to your Wellbeing Blog settings

Some improvements have been made to your local wellbeing blog.

Firstly, anyone can now comment on any of the posts. You do not have to be a registered user. So if you have something to say about anything you read here, let the rest of us know! 

Secondly, there are now two new ways to stay up-to-date with your local wellbeing blog, using two new options on the right hand menus, "Subscribe to" and "Follow by Email".

"Subscribe to" allows you to pick up a news feed with, amongst others Google Reader, My Yahoo and Atom RSS.

If that sounds complicated, the really easy option is "Follow by Email". Enter your email address, follow the simple verification instructions, and henceforth you'll get an email every time there is a new post!

Rethink East Kent Advocacy Service

A reminder that the Rethink East Kent Advocacy Service will be running a drop in for anyone wishing to access the advocacy service on the following dates and times in March and April:

Herne Bay Umbrella Centre - 31 March 2 - 4pm, and 28 April 2 - 4pm
Canterbury Umbrella Centre - 24 March 1 - 3pm, and 21 April 1 - 3pm
Whitstable Umbrella Centre - 5 April 12 - 2pm
Faversham Umbrella Centre - 14 April  12 - 2pm

For more information about Rethink and the services provided click here.

Changes in the NHS - What will it mean for YOU and your doctor?

This Kent LINk Community Engagement Event is your chance to find out what is happening to your health and social care services.


The formal meeting will start at 10.45am although refreshments will be available from 10.00am to give people an opportunity to socialise and network. See full information and book your free place here.

Wednesday, 23 March 2011, 10am - 3pm

The Camden Centre,
Royal Victoria Place
Market Square
Tunbridge Wells
TN1 2SW

Art Uniting People - Spring Exhibition

Art Uniting People is a non-profit organisation who have run two successful annual exhibitions in 2009 and 2010 to promote the talents of artists around Kent, including professionals, amateurs and those with mental health and physical disabilities. This year, for the first time, there is also a Spring Exhibition at

County Hall
Maidstone
ME14 1XQ

from 14th -28th March, 10:30am-4:30pm, Monday to Friday.

Entry is FREE

The Mustard Seed Singers - Spring Concert

The Mustard Seed Singers (a choir promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing) are holding a Spring Concert on 31st March 2011 at

St Peter's Methodist Church
St Peter's Street
Canterbury CT1 2BE

The concert will begin at 5.45pm and will include a short workshop in which you will have the opportunity to get involved. Entry is free however, donations will be gratefully received.

Read more about the Mustard Seed Singers, the practical benefits of singing for mental health and wellbeing, and watch a short BBC video report about the singers.

Learning from Experience 2 - How are we doing?

This event is for service users and carers and is a follow up to the actions that the Kent & Medway Partnership Trust have put into place since the National Patient Survey of last year.

Tuesday 15 March, 10:30am - 3:30pm

Upstairs lounge, The Salvation Army
74-80 Union Street
Maidstone ME14 1ED

Lunch is provided. Registration is required, so for more information see the flyer here or call Maria Duran on 01227 812034.

"Spotlight on Recovery" - Canterbury & Coastal Rethink Carers Support Group

The next meeting of the Canterbury and Coastal Rethink Carers' Support Group throws a "Spotlight on Recovery" with speakers Rachel Turpin and Venetia Gibbs.

Tuesday 15 March at 7:30pm

Canterbury Umbrella Centre
St Peters Place
CT1 2DB

All mental health carers, serviceusers and professionals are very welcome to attend.

Personal Development Fund - up to £500 for service users & carers!

A reminder about the Personal Development Fund, which is intended to promote the personal development of individuals living right across Kent whose lives have been directly or indirectly affected by severe or persistent mental ill health.

The fund has been able to pay for things like conferences and training courses, travel and accommodation for such events, art materials, Reiki training, laptops, printers and so on.

A panel of service users, carers and voluntary organisations meet every three months to decide on awards. For more information, see this flyer. To apply, download an application form in either Word or PDF format.

The scheme is funded by Kent County Council and administered by Sevenoaks Area Mind.

Your feedback on community mental health in Kent and Medway

Medway PCT, who lead the development of mental health services across Kent and Medway, are asking for your help in looking at how these services can be improved. They would like to ask service users and carers six simple questions about the services they are using - including what works, what doesn't work, and what are the key factors that make a good service.

This is a great opportunity to have your voice heard!

The survey can be completed very simply online here, or alternatively you can download the survey in Word or PDF format to complete and return by post or email.

Please make sure your voice is heard by Friday 18 March!

No Health without Mental Health

The government have published "No health without mental health - A cross-government mental health outcomes strategy for people of all ages." A news item on the Live It Well website gives details of where you can read this, and a sample of responses from relevant organisations.

Canterbury & Coastal Rethink Carers Support Group

A reminder about the ongoing work of this award-winning support group for the carers of relatives, partners or friends with a wide range of mental health problems. The group was set up nearly 40 years ago to help carers of relatives, partners and friends with a wide variety of mental health problems to access help and information and to provide comfort and support on a regular basis.

The group meets at 7.30pm on the third Tuesday of each month (except August) at the Canterbury Umbrella, St Peter’s Place, Canterbury, CT1 2DB

For more information about the group, please contact Chris and Cheryl Ives by email or call 01227 760707. You can also read the flyer here.

Fit for Work Service

Fit for Work is a free service running across East Kent. The aim is to help individuals, who are employed but currently off work sick, to return to work. A team of occupational therapists, employment
specialists, psychologists and physiotherapists is available depending on the employees support needs.

More information in this flyer, or on the Eastern and Coastal Kent NHS website.

Swale and Canterbury Carers Support - Newsletter

Swale and Canterbury Carers Support have published their January Newsletter, including information about their Carer's Rights Day on Friday 21 January 10am-2:30pm at the

Alexander Centre
Preston Street
Faversham
ME13 8NZ

with a wide range of speakers and display stands, where you can learn about changes to Carer's Rights.

Canterbury Umbrella Centre's Valentines Day Event

You're invited to this Valentines Day Event, 7pm on Saturday 12 February, at

The Canterbury Umbrella Centre
St Peters Place
Canterbury CT1 2BD

Tickets are available at £5 per head, in advance or on the night, and for this amazing value you get a meal and a drink (vegetarian option available). Contact the centre via email or on 01227 767660 for more information.

Canterbury Umbrella is a local charity working with and for people who have mental health problems and for anyone in times of isolation, distress and loneliness.

Rethink Carers Support Group - Personalisation and Brokerage

This month's Canterbury and Coastal Rethink Carers Support Group meeting is on the theme of Personalisation and Brokerage. What do you know about personalisation? Will your service user need a broker to help with this new initiative? Who can become a broker?

Mark Kilbey, Director of the Canterbury and District Mental Health Forum will be coming along with a colleague from Signpost Kent to speak to this group and to answer your questions on the above topic.

TUESDAY 18 JANUARY 2011
7.30pm at the Canterbury Umbrella, St Peter's Place, Canterbury, CT1 2DB

This is your opportunity to find out how this government initiative could affect your service user.

For further detail about the evening ring Chris on 01227 760707 or email.