By Stephen Ball
Welcome to our regular round-up, collected by our Community Development Team from their work around Devon. Here you’ll find items that support your personal recovery, volunteering, jobs, training courses, and research requests.
Have something you’d like us to add next time? Get in touch!
A sad farewell to Sami, our amazing Managing Director.
Sami has been an integral part of Recovery Devon for the last five years and has worked with us as a valued Community Development Worker before taking over the challenging role of Managing Director over the last year.
Sami embodies all the core principles of Recovery Devon. She has a lovely way with people and is always welcoming.
In a drop in session at St Sidwell’s St last year I witnessed Sami making time with a gentleman who was very distressed. He had come in from the street and he was making creative drawings and Sami had the time to sit there with him and listen to all of his life stories with upmost empathy.
Sami is great organiser, including running the monthly board meetings and organising the recovery celebration days. She’s kept the show on the road. Sami is also a great mental health awareness trainer, having witnessed Sami teach a session in Honiton with Roo recently.
We wish Sami all the best in her exciting new position in movement therapy.
While we are sad to see Sami leave, Sami has left Recovery Devon in as strong position.
Through Sami’s leadership we were able to provide another round of valuable funding to several organisations and groups who run a diverse selection of activities and groups, promoting positive wellbeing in the community.
Sami also helped us to recruit Roo, our Community Development Worker for West Devon who has quickly become an integral member of the Recovery Devon team.
We have also been getting great feedback with Recovery training sessions that Sami has been leading. We very much hope to carry on and continue to build upon the excellent work Sami has started.
The community development funding will carry on as usual and Sami has done a great job guiding the board through the 2024 process. We can’t wait to get started on this years’ funding so please stay tuned,
We will continue with the recovery podcasts and our community workers will continue doing their vital work for us in their locations.
Moreover there will shortly be a new Managing Director joining to provide their own vision of how they want to take Recovery Devon forward.
The application process is still ongoing and will close on on 3rd February.
Recovery Devon MD application process – DEADLINE 3RD FEB!
The deadline to apply for to apply for MD is coming up very fast so you’d better get yours in quickly.
Can YOU make a difference and drive Recovery Devon forward. What is your five year vision?
Podcasts
We are currently looking for people who are doing inspiring work in the community to share their stories. We are looking for people to share their powerful stories of recovery with the aim of giving people hope that they can also take the fight to their own battles with mental heath.
If you think doing a Podcast with Recovery Devon will be of interest to you then please E-mail hello@recoverydevon.co.uk
Culture of Care Project
The vital Culture of Care Project is continuing. Keep up the brilliant work Marie.
With the Culture of Care, both Recovery Devon and Together from Devon Partnership Trust are asking for those with lived and living experience of inpatient stays in the wards to take part to help support with co-producing the program. This is happening over 4 wards: Coombehaven, Salus, Ocean and Meadow View.
Please contact Marie here: marie.ash@nhs.net
If you are interested in finding out more, there is payment for involvement.
The voice of lived and living experience is vital to this work.
Below are pictures giving a background to this exciting project
D&C Directory
Devon and Cornwall Directory of Mental Health Services is a maintained, extensive listing of groups and organisations all over Devon and Cornwall. To view and download, please click on their website here: www.devoncornwalldirectory.com
Message from D&C Directory: February newsletter to be released soon, please email devonandcornwalldirectory@hotmail.com with any suggestions or ideas, or to give your organisation a shout-out. Website to be updated soon also and in the process of arranging monthly drop-ins at Rees Centre Wellbeing Hub.
What’s happening in the community in February
Mid Devon & East Devon
The next section is for Together / EDP, Mid Devon.
Please note the Sober Open Mic Night is now at Parklife Community Hub Exeter, EX1 3DN
Together offer vital services to assist people in recovering from alcohol and drug addiction. All activities listed here are open to the general public.
For more information and points of contact, please go to their website here https://www.edp.org.uk/together/
Andy’s Man Club
At ANDYSMANCLUB, we want to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health and create a judgment-free, confidential space where men can be open about the storms in their lives. We aim to achieve this through weekly, free-to-attend peer-to-peer support groups for men aged over 18.
Several locations across Mid Devon, East Devon and South Devon.
Search here for your nearest group and for more information.
https://andysmanclub.co.uk/find-your-nearest-group
North Devon – What’s happening in the community
Together team:
Flourish in Nature
Our Flourish in Nature project has partnered with South Molton Town Council, and Vicky @ Wild things Forest School to provide woodland wellbeing mindfulness sessions in South Moltons beautiful community woodland. These are 3 x pilot sessions, that anyone in South Molton can access free of charge and experience the healing power of nature in a safe and supportive group setting. Pictures attached.
Anyone interested in finding out more, or partnering to put on activities with Flourish in Nature can email flourishinnature@together-devon.org.uk
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Please download the below document to get an overview of all the additional events and activities we regularly put on in the North Devon area.
https://www.edp.org.uk/together/
Please visit our flourish drop in which is led by 2 of our volunteers with lived experience. Every week has something different going on, and this week( (first week of October) we have a visit from Petroc college to share about what courses they offer and how adult education can be funded.
South Devon – What’s happening in the community
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Andy’s Man’s Club locations in South Devon
https://andysmanclub.co.uk/find-your-nearest-group
Wellbeing Events / Courses from Plymouth Octopus
To book on a course go to their website and to the events section
Plymouth Mental Health Reg
New workshop coming on the 27th February – Intimate Partner Abuse: Understanding, Supporting Survivors, and Looking After You.
Booking link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/intimate-partner-abuse-tickets-1219403491669?aff=ebdsshother&utm_share_source=listing_android
Plymouth Mental Health Recovery and Empowerment Group (Plymouth REG) is on a mission to inspire, empower and educate anyone in Plymouth who wants to improve their wellbeing and also anyone who has an interest in learning about mental health.
For more details please visit their website:
https://www.plymouthoctopus.org/collectives/plymouth-mental-health-recovery-and-empowerment-group/
Letter of Hope
We are delighted to share the relaunch of the Letter of Hope, a resource we have created in partnership with Devon Partnership Trust and by people in Devon with personal experience of suicide.
We have launched two new versions of the letter; Letter for Tomorrow for young people written by young people, and Hope Letter, an Easy Read version for people with learning disabilities. To find out more please click here. Or get in touch with us if you would like to order physical copies.
Join our aDoddle Community Map!
We are partners with the wonderful folk at aDoddle. They are working with you and your community to make it as easy for everyone to find help and support locally as it is to find a hotel or restaurant on Google Maps.
By Mapping UK Charities, Community Projects, Groups & Organisations together we are creating a national resource for use at a local level. It’s free to create a profile on aDoddle, and this can hold all sorts of information, making it great for small groups who can’t afford a website.
Do you have a not-for-profit community mental health offer you’d like us to share?
With thousands of social media followers and newsletter subscribers across Devon, we’d love to help you find your community. Send an email (hello@recoverydevon.co.uk) with “Roundup” in the subject header.