Mind in Furness
Ltd
Registered Charity No. 1143600
Registered Co No 7693277
Annual Report
2013-14
64 School Street, BARROW-IN-FURNESS, Cumbria, LA14 1EW
Tel: 01229-827094
e-mail: SchoolStreet@mindinfurness.org.uk
CONTENTS
Page
Item
2
Index
3
Organisational Details
4
Foreword by Chair
5-7
Chief Officers Report
8-9
Treasurers’ Report
10
Coniston House Report
11-17
Projects and Activities
18
Charity Shop
19
Volunteering
20
Students
21
Quality Management in Mind & Equality and
Diversity
22
Moving Forward: Success Stories
22
Dedication to Ken Tyllsen
23-24
Staff, Volunteers & Trustees
25
Funders 2012-2014
2
Organisational Details
Mind in Furness Ltd
Registered Charity Number 1143600
Company Number 7693277
Wellbeing Centre & Office
The William Bingley Centre
64 School Street
Barrow in Furness
Cumbria
LA14 1EW
01229 827094
Schoolstreet@mindinfurness.org.uk
Advice & Support Hub
64 School Street
Barrow in Furness
Cumbria
LA14 1EW
01229 827094
Schoolstreet@mindinfurness.org.uk
Supported Housing Scheme
Coniston House
14 Lesh Lane
Barrow in Furness
Cumbria
01229 870481
conistonhouse@mindinfurness.org.uk
Charity Shop
116 Dalton Road
Barrow in Furness
Cumbria
LA141JH
01229 837194
Linda.vernon@mindinfurness.org.uk
3
Board of Mind In Furness- Foreword- 2014
Welcome to the 2014 report of Mind in Furness and our annual conference. I hope
you take time to read the reviews of what we have achieved in this booklet. There are
always too many people to thank for their support and hard work, each member and
volunteer plays an important part and as always our staff remain dedicated. Although
I must say thank you to 2 resigning trustees, Janice Sharp and Tony Smith for their
input to the development of Mind in Furness in recent years. Our conference gives us
a chance to say thanks to everybody who has contributed and celebrate what you
have achieved.
Our theme this year is 'Recovery' so during the conference and the coming months
we want to give members, volunteers and staff an opportunity to share and reflect on
what 'Recovery' means to you as a unique individual. As in our last two conferences
we will look at how we continue to move forward.
On behalf of the board I invite you to join us as we explore Moving Forward in
Recovery.
There has been a huge increase in the number of volunteers supporting our projects;
including many more members becoming involved in providing services to others.
This has helped us to branch out and offer more to the local community. I'm proud of
how members have welcomed our older adult guests to the Neighbourhood Care
Independence Programme group on Saturdays. Our shop and information centre
relies on the dedication and commitment of volunteers to make local people
welcome.
Since our last conference the board has been reflecting on how we develop as an
organisation. There have been several occasions where the views of members,
volunteers and staff have been gathered. For part of this review we have used
outside specialist business consultants to help us make sense of the different views.
But the most important contributions to these reviews have been the comments of
members, volunteers and staff. Many of the comments were positive, some were
challenging but all had one thing in common: If Mind in Furness is to be relevant and
continue to help people we need to keep moving forward and keep looking for ways
to improve and enhance our services. We have already begun to take action on
many of the issues raised through consultation in a bid to address the identified
challenges and to further support the positive developments.
In summary as individuals and as an organisation we need to understand 'Recovery'
and what it means to individuals and we need to ensure our teams and members are
equipped to cope with the challenges of 2014 and the future.
Michael Cassells
Chair
June 2014
4
Chief Officer’s Report 2014
It would be very easy to focus on the negatives that surround any of us working and
providing services in the voluntary sector in the current environment but at the end of
my last annual report I promised that Mind in Furness would “face the future without
complacency, with an acknowledgment of the difficult times ahead but with, from
somewhere, a continued desire and determination to ensure Mind in Furness
remains a place for all those experiencing poor mental health or emotional distress”. I
think over the last 18 months we can proudly claim to have done just that. As
predicted it has remained a time of uncertainty for all of us. The impact of council
tendering procedures, welfare reform and continued cuts to public sector spending
continues to affect both individuals and organisations. Some of these changes and
reforms will continue to have an impact in the years ahead, further cuts to public
spending will be made and many groups face uncertain futures with many individuals
facing difficult times.
From a strategic point our legal structure has allowed us to build on a robust and
secure foundation that instils confidence in our abilities and has encouraged the
growth of an experienced and professional Board of Directors whose skills span a
wide spectrum. I am extremely grateful for the support of the board throughout
another challenging year, they have had total faith in Mind in Furness and the belief
that we as an organisation must continue to provide a refuge for anybody
experiencing emotional distress.
At Coniston house, Jacqui Clark has continued to lead the team through a lot of
uncertainty with her usual optimism and professional commitment. Whilst the flux
that followed the cessation of Supporting People funding for Coniston House in
2011/2012 has settled, we are aware we still face many uncertainties, with long term
housing support remaining a contentious issue. We have had the support of
Cumbria County Council but are aware that the future of Coniston House is at this
point still uncertain.
This has led to some uncertainty for the residents, and the Coniston House team
have worked hard to reassure and support them through this. We feel very strongly
that Coniston House provides a safe and supportive home offering security and
stability for some of our community’s most vulnerable people and we would strongly
advocate for the continued provision of support in some form from Coniston House.
However we are willing to work with the commissioners to look at all options and our
priority will remain the best interests of the residents.
We have replicated the Coniston House structure at School Street and appointed
Melanie Gilmour as Service Manager, this frees my time up to look at developing
new income streams and strategic planning whilst allowing Melanie to focus on our
operational systems and service delivery. Melanie is committed to empowering
service users and to developing systems that encourage self-responsibility through
personal action plans and peer support. I have no doubt that she like Jacqui can
have a positive impact on service development.
We have continued to invest in training our staff team and I am confident that they
are more than qualified to handle the issues they face in their day to day workloads
and that they work to the Mind ethos of support and recovery for ALL mental health
5
service users. I firmly believe as an organisation in terms of experience and
qualification we are well placed to deliver high quality services.
Following our 2012 Level 2 in Mind’s internal quality standards assessment “Quality
Management in Mind” we are next due for review in 2015. I have no concern about
our ability to achieve a comparable level in what will be a revised system of
assessment
As Chief Officer I ensure I have presence at county wide meetings and strategic
events in a bid to remain as knowledgeable and advised regarding developments as
possible. I am grateful in this endeavour for the interest and involvement of a
proactive and passionate Chair who attends lots of relevant events promoting where
appropriate the service of Mind in Furness and the wider third sector. Our partnership
work with various Statutory Organisations and Commissioners is ongoing and we
work closely with Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and continue to
support their work in service provision.
We have recognised the importance of developing and extending partnership work
with existing and new partners, both formal and informal. Our partnership work with
the other 4 Cumbrian Minds is ongoing and as a group we find ourselves in
agreement that we do not wish to lose the something special that sets Mind aside
from other providers. We are service user led, we provide support regardless of
status or funding and we NEVER let anybody go whilst they need support. A key
focus for us has been to maintain a Mind presence across the county and this led to
the development of a Northern Rock funded project “High Street presence”. This has
been led by Carlisle Eden Mind who used their experience in developing charity
shops to support Mind in Furness to open our Charity Shop and Information Hub in
Dalton Road, Barrow. We hope this project can become self-sustainable whilst
creating an alternative income stream as traditional sources of funding decline. We
have developed new partners with our Mind colleagues in the North East who like us
deliver housing and together we are looking at potential options for developing Mind
housing options. Other important partnerships include the NCI project and the Barrow
Advice Hub and details of these important and valuable projects can be found in the
Activities and Service section of the report
To summarise our achievements for the past year





We opened our charity shop and High Street information centre in February
2014
We have updated our staffing structure at the William Bingley centre and
appointed a Service Manager to ensure we can now give equal focus to
strategic direction & planning and operational & service delivery
We have secured funding from Northern Rock Foundation for a 1 year pilot
project “Safe Space” in Millom delivering much needed drop in support.
We have continued to operate as an Advice and Support Hub despite the loss of
the County Council Life Matters funding- we feel this is a much needed service
and we are ideally placed to deliver this.
We formed a working partnership with CAB, Barrow and District Disability
Association and Project John to deliver advice as part of Barrow Advice Hub,
reinforcing our position as a key advice provider in Furness
6

Awarded funding from CCC as part of the Neighbourhood Care Independence
programme to deliver a Weekend Access service for vulnerable adults and over
65s.
We have developed a programme based round the use of the Recovery Star
which we feel will appeal to service users wanting to take control of their own
recovery process as well as commissioners and funders

To summarise our focus for the year ahead:









To create positive and productive links with all local GP’s and the local Clinical
Commissioning Group to promote the benefits of our services to them
Continue to source and secure funding for service delivery to replace ever
diminishing contract income & to ensure we meet all our contractual and
funding obligations
Reinforce our support for the Member’s Council and its development and offer
service users the opportunity to play a significant role at Mind in Furness
To ensure we have appropriate systems in place to support our growing team
of volunteers
To promote our wellbeing services and activities particularly the Recovery Star
programme to all current and potential stakeholders.
To have open and proactive discussion with commissioners to establish some
certainty around any change to service at Coniston House
To investigate and explore other options for developing housing
To build on existing partnerships and foster new relationships for the
development of future projects
To support and encourage our growing staff team to develop recovery
focussed ways of working with individuals including developing systems of
Peer Support.
Our staff team has increased with the introduction of new projects and they have all
worked very hard and with dedication to provide services and have never failed to
offer a quality and caring service to members, residents and the general public. The
staff and volunteers across the organisation have for me epitomised what constitutes
excellent quality support services with service users at the very heart of our delivery.
So big thanks to all our staff team but in particular I must personally thank our
Service Managers Jacqui and Melanie and Shop Manager Linda for their
commitment and leadership in each of our projects. The work of the staff is
underpinned and supported by our amazing volunteer team which has increased
three fold in the last 2 years
But of course we cannot be complacent and it is easy to feel exhausted by issues
such as welfare reform, public sector cuts and fair access to care etc but if we are
feeling worn down by the current environment, how must our clients feel? That
thought keeps us going, makes us want to examine new ways of working to maintain
our much needed and highly valued community services. At the end of the day
however we wrap it up…it works….Mind in Furness works and at the risk of being
repetitive we will continue with a “desire and determination to ensure Mind in Furness
remains a place for all those experiencing poor mental health or emotional distress”
despite the challenges that lie ahead
Karen Dobson
Chief Officer—June 2014
7
The Treasurer’s Report
Period ended xx-xx
Introduction
At the last AGM we presented the accounts up to the period 31st December 2011 as
these were the accounts for the final accounting period under the old legal structure.
Mind in Furness became a Company Limited by Guarantee on the 1 st January 2012
and the next set of account covered the 15 month period from 1st Jan 2012-31st Mar
2013 and a summary of those accounts is detailed below
The financial position (last audited accounts 2013)
The following covered a period of 15 months, which was 1st Jan 2012-31st Mar 2013
I am delighted to report to members last year’s financial position:
Income
Expenditure
Fixed assets
Current assets
Total assets less current liabilities
£379774.00
£359842.00
£103181.00
£193360.00
£296541.00
Careful financial management combined with monitoring of expenditure and a series
of successful project based funding bids ensures a healthy financial position at the
last audited year end despite the difficult climate. However changes to our
contractual income, the end of a major grant (Mar 2014) and changes to
commissioning processes create an uncertain financial basis for the future.
We have endeavoured to build up healthy reserves to assist us in managing some of
the financial uncertainties. Mind in Furness Trustees/Directors along with the Chief
Officer do not allow themselves to become complacent and remain vigilant in their
attempts to secure future funding and seek out new opportunities for Mind in
Furness. The Chief Officer has summarised our desire to secure self-sustainable
income streams to replace diminishing traditional income streams
In 2012 the loss of the block contract agreement for Day Services at School Street
did not have the expected negative impact on our financial position as the
commissioners paid through the framework agreement and we secured alternative
income. However the last year has seen this changing and our Framework income is
decreasing as less people meet the Fair Access to Care Criteria. We are proactively
developing relationships with new commissioners and developing new services
which we hope will result in continued commissioner support which will enable us to
continue providing quality services that seek to improve the lives of adults with
mental health needs and those experiencing emotional distress.
The trustees consider that it would be prudent and desirable to have minimum free
reserves equivalent to 4 months operating expenditure. This would be £105656. At
the period end the charity had free reserves as follows:-
8
Total
reserves
£
Restricted Unrestricted
reserves
reserves
£
£
Total
Investment in fixed assets
Designated fund
296541
103181
10000
9050
7717
-
287491
95464
10000
Free reserves
183360
1333
182027
This equates to almost 7 months reserves at the end of March 2013. Since then the
trustees have agreed the potential use of reserves as follows
£10000
£11500
£21000
Update IT equipment
New staff structure at School Street
Possible budget deficit for the year 2014/15
Budgets remain under constant review in an attempt to spend only what we can
afford in year and prevent an over spend. Staff, managers and members have been
very careful about expenditure resulting in a very healthy end of year financial
position for 2013 and our initial view of the soon to be completed audited accounts
for year end 2014 look to be equally healthy.
The future
There is no doubt we face an incredible amount of uncertainty and many challenges
as we are now operating in an environment of competitive tendering with larger
corporate competitors. The Block contract has ceased and framework income is
reducing, this will have a significant impact on our financial situation and our current
income streams. Combined with the cessation of some long term grant funding,
budget predictions for 2014-15 indicated a possible need for use of reserves. The
board have made a commitment to use reserves to ensure our services continue for
the year ahead.
The Chief Officer and the Board of Trustees remain vigilant to this and are
investigating all other options for developing sustainable income streams. We
maintain and reiterate our desire to work alongside commissioners, contract
managers and other statutory bodies to ensure we can continue to deliver our value
for money service that offers high levels of ongoing support to all those in need in our
community. A full set of accounts for the year end 2013 and 2014 will be available to
anyone on request from School Street.
I would like to ask for a proposal to accept JL Winders as our accountants for
the next financial year.
Appreciation
On behalf of Mind in Furness I would like to show appreciation and thank:
1. All staff, managers and members for your care and efforts in keeping
expenditure to a minimum in this financial year, this has contributed greatly to
our current healthy financial position.
2. JL Winders for their support in keeping our accounts in good order.
.
Helen Bingley-Treasurer-June 2014
9
CONISTON HOUSE 2014
Coniston House has seen many changes over the last twelve months, but we are on
what appears to be an even keel at present and hope this can continue. We are
making changes to ensure we are a service that provides rehabilitation and recovery
based support for individuals to a point where they are able to move on to
independent living or lower supported accommodation. We will continue to provide
our residents with housing related support; daily living skills; budgeting, planning,
preparing and cooking simple healthy meals. We will support them to become
involved in activities within the community to help them gain confidence and social
skills and encourage inclusion. I work with an amazing team who are all looking
forward to new challenges with enthusiasm, they have remained motivated,
committed and given 100% through difficult and worrying times and I would like to
thank them for their support.
I would like to thank the Residents at Coniston House for their continued
determination to take on new challenges and progress with their own personal
recovery. I am extremely proud of them all. I believe the progress made particularly
by newer residents has provided evidence to health care professionals and
commissioners that we are working positively and proactively with residents to
support them moving forward.
Residents at Coniston House continue to have protected one to one time with
support staff. We have a full programme of activities for residents to join in with;
baking, craft, group outings; gardening; “Tea, Toast & Chat” on Saturday mornings.
We have healthy eating sessions fortnightly with taster sessions to give residents an
insight to the benefits of eating healthier and ideas for snacks, drinks and meals.
These sessions also incorporate food hygiene. The environment at Coniston House
encourages friendships and social contact and all residents have regular daily
contact with staff and each other, following an invite to a Peer Support Conference
recently we are keen to develop peer support systems along with our colleagues at
School Street.
I have recently completed a level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care
and all staff complete regular training in various fields to benefit them in their work.
We have a good working relationship with the Community Mental Health Team at
Duddon House and I would like to thank them for their ongoing support. We liaise
regularly with them to ensure our resident’s mental health needs are fully met and
they are supportive of our work. We appreciate the value of other organisations in the
area and regularly signpost to other groups including The Greenheart Den, Shine,
Mind Shop. We look forward to building stronger partnerships in the future
I would like to thank Karen Dobson (Chief Officer) and all the Trustees for the support
and encouragement they have given me over the past 12 months. I would like to
thank all those involved in Mind in Furness including Volunteers and Service Users
for the part they all play in making the organisation a very special one that I am very
proud to be a part of.
Jacqui Clark
Service Manager, Coniston House-June 2014
10
Projects and Activities
Social Prescribing, the idea that a referral to a particularly social activity or service
may be of benefit to those experiencing mental illness or emotional distress, has
gathered a lot of interest in recent years. It is considered a new term and is
something that GP’s are quite keen to embrace as it potentially offers an alternative
to, or an additional treatment to medication or talking therapies. Mind in Furness has
been delivering service that amount to social prescribing options for over 40 years, I
think that makes us pioneers in the field. 
Our activities rota, which is constantly reviewed based on need, demand and
available funding has its toots in social prescribing options and is based round
different types of activity as listed below.
Get Creative (arts/crafts/media-all things creative)
Get Support (Peer support and staff support-coping tips)
Get Sociable (make friends, relax, laugh, drink tea and chat)
Get Learning (training course-educational courses giving
Get Well-(Wellbeing Activities-tips/activities for general wellbeing)
The aim is to offer activities that provide opportunities to boost confidence, make
friends, learn new skills, build self esteem, find a listening ear and find solutions to
problems or issues.
Get Creative
Art Group
Volunteer, Chris worked with a group of members on a portrait painting class; those
attending had mixed abilities, some with a little artistic experience some starting from
scratch. We held an exhibition in the centre last year and some of the portraits are
still proudly hanging in the activity room at the Wellbeing Centre. Art is a great way
to learn how to express your self and is a great way of relaxing and making new
friends with similar interests. Classes will start again soon.
Craft Group
Thanks to our volunteers, Julie Wilson, Jean and Dora the craft group has thrived. It
is well attended by members, who create a wide range of items, not only for their own
benefit, but for the Mind in Furness shop and to sell on our fundraising stalls. The
group try all manners of crafts including card making, stitching, glass painting etc.The
group is very relaxed with a great atmosphere and offers those attending the chance
to learn new skills and make friends. The group held several successful coffee
mornings at the Wellbeing Centre raising lots of funds for the member’s social fund.
Music in Mind
When Lorraine’s workload prevented her from facilitating the singing sessions we
engaged the services of a professional Musician who facilitated singing workshops
every fortnight. As the old saying foes “Music is good for the soul”, and a good old
sing song seemed to have the desired effect of raising everybody’s mood
11
Creative Writing
We lost our creative writing volunteer and the groups which is informal and is aimed
at all levels, floundered for a while but is gaining new momentum as new service
users have declared an interest. The group may be of particular interest to those who
feel they can’t write, like the singing group the gentle exercises used in the group,
encourage people to try and have a go and people are finding they can be more
expressive than they ever thought they could.
Get Support
Counselling
We continue to offer very low cost counselling to all our members and to members of
the public in need. We are only able to do so due to the generosity of funders.
Brenda Thompson offers weekly sessions of person centred counselling to those
identified as in need Our counselling service is always in demand, although we
mange to keep waiting lists as low as 2 weeks. We would like to develop the service
further in the future and have had some offers of support from Ulverston Mind who
deliver a large counselling service.
Alternative Therapies
Last year we were very lucky to have had the services of professional aroma
therapist and masseuse Gillian who offered short introductory sessions of alternative
therapies such as Indian Head massage and hand massage. We charged a nominal
fee and service users felt safe to try something that would normally be out of their
price range. Even the staff had sessions, purely so we could recommend. It’s
defiantly worth considering as part of managing stress and anxiety. Unfortunately as
Gillian has now moved out of the area we are now looking for a new volunteer to
offer this service.
Men’s Group
The Men’s Group is held on Tuesday afternoons and is facilitated by Support Worker
Mike. In addition to the regular attendees we have a number of men who join the
group whenever they wish to. The group has welcomed a few guest facilitators, they
have generally comprised of students on placement or volunteers.
Upcoming topics are now chosen by the group and posted on the Men’s Group
notice board in advance, so members can check ahead which sessions will be of
particular interest. Some subjects may warrant more than one session, or additional
information can be passed-on to members. Some themes will continue to be
pertinent and as such repeated, such as: assertiveness, confidence-building, selfesteem, relating to professionals/statutory services, current research/information,
lifestyle and health-related issues. In future we would like to develop sessions in line
with the issues that are identified as points on the Recovery Star.
Women’s Group
The women’s group at Mind in Furness meet weekly on a Wednesday morning. The
sessions are well attended and the group offers a safe, confidential environment. We
have fun in the group doing activities with arts and craft and poetry as well as offering
12
therapeutic activities where we will discuss confidence building and self esteem
topics. Relaxation sessions, going out to local art exhibitions or just meeting for a
coffee are also some of the activities we enjoy in the group. Members of the group
facilitate sessions if they feel they have the confidence to contribute and students as
well as volunteers regularly facilitate sessions suggested by the members. The
group prides itself on making each other and new members feel welcome so new
attendees are always welcome. In future we would like to develop sessions in line
with the issues that are identified as points on the Recovery Star
Hearing Voices Group
This is a weekly group that offers peer support to deal with the distressing symptom
of hearing voices. The group is facilitated by experts by experience happy to share
their knowledge and understanding in a peer support environment, they in turn are
supported by volunteers. Those attending share coping tips and offer support to each
other in a safe environment. A section of the sessions is informative and educational
to ensure that those experiencing voice hearing have an understanding of the issues.
A small resource library is also available to the group. The group has designed its
own handbook and code of conduct to ensure that everybody respects the views of
everybody in the group. We are currently investigating the development of peer
support systems.
Safe Space-Millom
A 1 year pilot project aimed at offering some drop in and one to one support to
individuals experiencing poor mental wellbeing in Millom. We offer a weekly drop in
session at The Bradbury Centre and will also be offering some anti-stigma
workshops at local venues. Support Worker Aiden is from Millom and has a good
understanding of the area and the issues people face. We hope to offer an alternate
support service to that offered by GP’s and statutory services and in doing so hope to
support these bodies as they currently have limited resources when referring clients
for ongoing support and social inclusion
Recovery Star Programme
We have recently developed a 6 weeks group programme using the outcomes
measurement tool Recovery Star as a focus for discussion and development of
personal action plans. We offer 6 sessions of group work which encourages
interaction and peer support followed by 6 individual one to one sessions to capture
action points and to support clients to make changes. We also offer Connect
sessions that relate in more detail to the subjects that are discussed as part of the
recovery Star. E.g. group educational session on money management etc
Get Sociable
Day Trips / Outings
We have continued to offer a wide selection of activities and outings including
picnics, barbeques and day trips to Whitehaven, Skipton, Muncaster, Tarn Haws,
Conishead Priory, High Wray etc these have all been well attended and enjoyed by
our service users. We endeavour where possible to use public transport including the
trains which has helped build confidence for some people. We have held picnics at
Ford Park and Greenheart Den, supporting other local community groups and
13
strengthening our service users involvement in the local community It is important to
note that the money that subsidies the trips is raised by the members themselves
and much of the organising and arranging is also facilitated by the member’
themselves.
Drop In/Peer Support
Formal Drop-in sessions are held for ½ day every day and are working well, they
provide a safe environment to meet new friends and chat or get support
Smaller groups are also forming elsewhere around the building with different
interests or kinship ties. Some of these groups spend a great deal of time together,
engage in a wide range of activities and feel that they know each other well. In short,
they show real concern for one another. There is a great deal of peer support and we
are currently investigating the development of peer support systems.
Drop in sessions became unpopular recently when budgets became tighter with
critics feeling they served little purpose, at Mind in Furness we would strongly
disagree. Our drop and chat sessions offer much needed sanctuary and refuge for
some people and often serve as a springboard for further involvement in our
services. We hope to further develop the aspect of peer support at these sessions
supported by developing ideas at National Mind and other Mind associations
Welcome to the Weekend-NCI Project
Funded by the county council, Mind in Furness opens its doors on a Saturday for the
Neighbourhood Independence programme which offers support options for
vulnerable adults and over 65’s to enable them to maintain their independence. As
part of this project we provide a weekend access service supported by a team of
Mind in Furness volunteers that offers advice, information and signposting, social
activities, lunch, activities such as games, craft and bingo.
Get Learning
We have a full programme of volunteering opportunities that allow people to learn
new skills and experience and we understand the importance of equipping these
volunteers with appropriate training and resources. We regularly signpost members
and volunteers to training courses in the community, at local colleges, other groups
(CADAS, Disability Association, CVS) and CDC’s. Our volunteers have undergone
Assertiveness Training, Professional Reception Skills Training, Confidence Training,
Equality and Diversity, Basic Food Hygiene, Customer Service Training etc. We also
offer in house training on basic computer skills. (See also our Volunteering Report)
We offer free access to IT equipment and broadband and can offer tuition to those
wanting to learn how to get on line
14
Wellbeing Activities
Café
Mind in Furness operates a small kitchen which provides meals to its members and
visitors from Tuesday to Friday each week. The project is not open to the public and
is staffed by willing volunteers, George and Carol, Jean and Ada who help plan,
shop, and cook and clean up over the 4 days each week. Our volunteers have
undergone training in food hygiene and have also attained NVQ’s in Catering and
Hospitality. So as well as keeping active and contributing to the organisation they
have each extended their CV’s for such time as they wish to move in to other
catering options.
The kitchen adapts its menu regularly according to demand and to the changing
seasons.
Mind in Furness have been encouraged by the link between healthy eating and a
healthy mind and body. The volunteers have adapted well to creating a new range of
healthy options, as have the members, who seem to enjoy the healthy (and still
relatively cheap) food on offer. We have a good range of soups, salads and pasta
dishes on offer and will continue to create new and exciting dishes in the future.
Some of the favourite salads have ranged from ‘courgette and green bean salad with
a light tahini dressing’ to ‘potato, tomato and egg salads’. Even the soups have
become slightly more interesting. We’ve kept the old favourites, such as ‘vegetable
soup’, but added new creations like ‘celery and apple’ and ‘parsnip and lemon’.
Thanks must go to the kitchen volunteers, who have been a tremendous help in
maintaining the café and helping create new dishes for the benefit of our
membership.
Walks
Weather permitting (even during summertime!); Volunteer and trustee, Tony Smith
regularly took out a group of our members on healthy walks around such places as
Barrow Park or the local docks. Whilst sadly Tony has now moved on from the
organisation the walks are still a regular event and the fresh air and exercise were
there to boost everyone’s fitness and wellbeing. Being in the great outdoors is a good
way of feeling brighter about yourself and the social aspect of walking with friends
helps to make you feel relaxed and willing to participate. Hopefully this will be a fairly
regular activity within Mind in Furness, the only problem being we can never rely on
the weather. This year we submitted a team for the 40 mile Keswick to barrow and
are contemplating next year submitting a bigger team for the Coniston to
Barrow….now that’s a walking achievement ….any volunteers?
Wii Fit
During drop-in times, staff have set up the Wii console and tried various sports
games with our members. This turned out to be quite popular and staff and
volunteers have been offered many a challenge by the members, usually with us
losing out! With the Wii Fit game we have purchased, members now have the
opportunity to create their own personalised fitness programme. This can range from
easing yourself in gently to much more rigorous exercises.
Conservation
We have continued to work in partnership with the National Trust and have been
committing to working with them on 2 conservation projects at High Wray and
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Sandscale Hawes. Mike has been supporting service users and volunteers to
access volunteering opportunities at these locations that involve physical activity,
fresh air and the chance to work as part of a team. Staff & Volunteers even
supported a group of service users to have a residential weekend at High Wray
stopping overnight for 2 evenings. Everybody helped with cooking communal meals
and planning activities. This was a big success and created an amazing sense of
achievement for all those involved
Greenheart Den
The Greenheart Den is a community oasis in the middle of central ward, within
walking distance of our Wellbeing Centre. Mind in Furness has a raised bed in the
garden along with other local community groups. We have had a bumper crop of
leeks, which when handed over to the kitchen staff became leek and potato soup.
Gardening is incredibly therapeutic and we encourage service users to join us in the
regular trips to the garden. We have also held several of our social events there,
most recently a picnic. The garden is a really valuable local project and often opens
to the public for community events. Mind in Furness clients have been supported by
volunteer Jean to attend Cook and Eat Sessions, Planting in a Small Space and Art
Sessions organised by and held at the Den.
Relaxation
On Thursday afternoons we provide a warm, quiet space to focus our minds away
from everyday distractions. Relaxation can help to reduce stress and anxiety and
improve mental wellbeing; helping us cope with the challenges of everyday life.
Sessions are tailored to individuals although a pattern has developed involving
gentle, slow and regular breathing and muscle relaxation, leading into visualisation or
mindfulness meditation. Visualisations can take us to our paradise; a tropical beach,
natural woodland, beautiful valley or the park on a sunny day. Our imagination brings
life to the sounds and smells around and how we feel. This can bring back happy
peaceful memories and help us unwind. Mindfulness techniques can help us feel
calmer and more in the moment…
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Advice And Support Hub
Nearly 2 years ago Mind in Furness received a grant from the “Life Matters”.
Prevention fund, managed by Cumbria County Council. This was aimed at
developing services that could be aimed at offering support via primary care to those
with mild to moderate mental distress.
We were funded to offer services as an Advice and Support Hub in the Furness area.
As the Furness Locality Advice Hub, our trained and knowledgeable staff/volunteers
have the information at hand to answer a full range of queries and concerns and
know when to signpost clients to the most appropriate service. Our excellent
community links and local knowledge made us ideally placed to identify the
appropriate services for people and to support them in accessing them. We never
turn anybody away without supporting them ourselves or and finding the appropriate
support from other vital local groups. This is potentially a vital service for local GP’s
who can send anybody experiencing emotional distress to us for onward referral/
signposting decreasing the number of referral forms they must handle and the
number of groups they could potentially have to deal with.
Whilst the funding ceased at the end of October 2013, we continue to offer this
valuable Advice Hub service as we are aware large numbers of people experiencing
poor emotional health have nowhere else to turn as they are often ineligible for other
services. Signposting people to ensure they get the best support is still a major part
of our work, however it is currently not specifically funded by anyone.
Hate Crime Reporting Centre
Working in partnership with Cumbria Constabulary, Mind in Furness are a Hate
Crime Reporting Centre, our staff are trained in understanding what may constitute
hate crime and can support people to make a complaint or just to voice concerns
Food Bank Voucher Distribution Centre
Mind in Furness supports the crucial work of the Barrow Food bank scheme and is a
distributor of food bank vouchers; this brings us into contact with lots of vulnerable
people affected largely by welfare reform and offers the opportunity to make them
aware of our other services.
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Charity Shop
We were delighted to open our charity shop in February of this year, newly appointed
shop manager; Linda Vernon has done a wonderful job of recruiting an excellent
team of volunteers and developing a well-managed and well-presented retail outlet.
We received support from Carlisle Eden Mind particularly the shop manager Sarah
Dent for which we are extremely grateful and some initial funding from Northern Rock
foundation. It is our hope that the shop becomes self sustainable and can in turn
contribute any surplus for reinvestment into support services.
The shop serves three main purposes;
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A retail outlet offering low cost second hand goods
Supported volunteering opportunities with training and induction
An information hub bringing mental health onto the high street and answering
the concerns of people who may be reluctant to access our Wellbeing centre
or may not traditionally use mental health services
Comments from visitors to the shop are recorded below;
“Brilliant shop, a lot of friendly staff and wonderful things to choose from. I will be
coming back”
“The shop is a pleasant to come to, the staff are really friendly and nothing is too
much trouble for them. Well done”.
“Nice airy and spacious, lovely to walk around”
“Very friendly staff and helpful. Open shop for wheelchairs and walker”.
“Extremely clean, beautiful shop with lovely staff to match. Many thanks”
“Excellent workers and very pleasant and obliging people”
Many thanks for the friendly atmosphere, will call again”
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Volunteering at Mind in Furness
Last year I talked about the influx of people wanting to volunteer, whether it be
external or member volunteers. Following strategic review and consultation Mind in
Furness have had time to reflect on the volunteer opportunities we have and, after
hosting a 'Volunteer Appreciation Night' at Roose Cons Club, just how many
volunteers we currently have. This may vary from ad-hoc volunteer helpers on the
fundraising days, to member volunteers on reception/the kitchen to external support
and charity shop volunteers. In response to the growing number of volunteers and
helpers we acknowledged they should receive our full support and appreciation for
the time and effort they put in. Volunteers should feel encouraged and valued during
their time here.
My role as a Support Worker has changed over the years and, in response to
recognising the need to give more time and support to volunteers, will be changing
again in the near future. My new role as Volunteer Support Worker will involve more
work with volunteers, recruiting, inducting and supporting all volunteers connected
with Mind in Furness. This will ensure more time is dedicated to retaining the
fantastic volunteers we have and those we may recruit in the future. This position will
also allow me to support our shop manager Linda in her work with volunteers.
Volunteering can offer many benefits to a wide range of people. For some it is a way
of giving something back to a service that may have helped them, for others it can be
a way of building up their own confidence and self-esteem. It is often a way to help
people on their road to recovery but it can also be a way of building up your CV and
helping people back into employment.
"By volunteering at Mind I have gained confidence and with time I got more involved
with Mind and the activities they offer. By being involved with the 'Women's Group' I
gained the skills necessary and confidence to apply for the 'Connect Worker' position.
I am pleased to say I was successful and I am now gainfully employed at Mind in
Furness" - Julie Wilson
"I like talking and taking an interest with the NCI members, what they've done in their
lives and where they have been. I like helping the older generation and to be kept
busy serving the food for our NCI members. - Mike Bewick
"Over the past few years, whilst volunteering at Mind in Furness, I have been given
the opportunity and support to develop my interpersonal skills and self-confidence
within a mental health setting. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with all of the Staff
and Members at Mind and this has encouraged me to pursue a career within Clinical
Psychology and continue to work on promoting mental wellbeing through the
Recovery Star Programme" - Lauren Manuel
Often those volunteering at trustee level inlcude interested professionals, who gave
their time and valuable experience,. We encourage volunteering at every level and
hope people feel able to take on a challenge and learn something new. However, we
do not want anybody to be overwhelmed by any of their volunteering roles so ensure
people are matched according to their interests and skills.
Richard Crossley, Advocacy/Support Worker & Volunteer Supervisor
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Students at Mind in Furness.
For some time now we have been offering placements to student social workers
studying for their Social Work qualification at UCLan. I have undertaken the
appropriate training to be able to supervise students in the workplace. This is an
important link for Mind in Furness to the social workers of tomorrow. We see this as
our chance to influence their ideas and practice by offering regular contact with
service users and work experiences that will influence how they work in the future. It
means they hear first hand about service users experiences in their dealings with
statutory bodies and in particular social work teams. The scheme offers a mutual
learning experience and provides us with a chance to learn from the knowledge that
these trainee professionals may impart. We have been very lucky in our placements
and each of the students has built excellent relationships with Mind in Furness. We
are also delighted to have also built up a good working relationship with local
colleges and through Furness College and the University of Cumbria, work with
students studying all levels of Health and Social Care. The students must contribute
to all levels of operation within Mind in Furness to meet a number of key objectives,
they work one to one with clients, assist with planning and administration and are
asked to contribute to group facilitation and to participate in team meetings We
generally have at least one student on placement at any one time and must thank
them for their valuable input into our service.
We also work closely with Barrow Borough Constabulary and offer student police
officers 1 weeks placement as part of their training, we hope this experience offers
them some insight into mental health issues and how they affect people and also
hope this link will break down some barriers that can potentially stop people from
accessing support from the police.
Melanie Gilmour: Workplace Practice Assessor/Student Supervisor
“The officers who spent the week with you in May gave their presentations to the
Senior Management Team last Friday and stated that they all had a very informative
and enjoyable week with you. I hope that we can place officers with you again soon
PS 731 Dylan Roberts,Professional Development Sergeant
“I found my placement at mind extremely useful for my professional development.
Particularly the insight it gave me into the devastating impact mental ill health can
have on all areas of people's lives, most notably he strain it can put on families an
carers. I appreciated the opportunity to network with other voluntary services in the
barrow locality and gain an insight into the impact the current austerity measure are
having on the services provided for people with mental health difficulties. I enjoyed
working with the team and appreciated all the support I received, particularly from
Melanie, as my practice supervisor. I always found her willing to listen to my opinions
and find the time to discuss and evaluate situations. It gave me a clearer
understanding of the vital services offered by the voluntary sector and the value
members place on the service offered by mind in Furness. I would like to take this
opportunity to thank Karen and the team for offering me the placement and wish the
service well for the future”
Sarah Dixon UCLan-Social Work Student –Placement 2014
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Quality Management in Mind in Furness
The quality of the services provided by local Mind associations such as Mind in
Furness are vital in ensuring a better life for people experiencing mental health
problems. Participation in Quality Management in Mind provides a benchmark so that
external bodies such as commissioners and potential funders can be assured that
our organisation is robustly run and in line with the needs of our local community.
Quality also means that Mind can guarantee a level of service across its network of
local Mind associations to all users irrespective of where they access them
Quality Management in Mind is endorsed by the Charity Commission.
The Mind quality system aims to ensure minimum standards in all the things that
matter to users of Minds services, and to instil a culture of continuous improvement
throughout the Mind network. Continued affiliation to Mind is dependent on local
Minds achieving level 1 of Minds quality standards. Early 2012 Mind in Furness were
awarded Level 2 we are very proud of this achievement
Equality and Diversity
Our principal aim is to assist those experiencing, or likely to experience mental health
difficulties, and we will do so in a way which does not discriminate against anyone on
grounds of
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
age
disability
gender reassignment
marriage and civil partnership
pregnancy and maternity
race (including ethnic or national origins, colour and nationality)
religion or belief (including lack of belief)
sex
sexual orientation
•
or any other irrelevant factor (subject to our own criteria of tenancy and membership
Mind in Furness acknowledges the importance and benefits of promoting diversity. .
At Mind in Furness we will:
 Be open and welcoming to people
 Respect people’s differences
 Value people’s individuality and the contribution they make to the organisation
 Not make assumptions based on stereotyping
We are, at all times, committed to providing:
 Equality of access to our services
 Equality of provision to our existing service users
 Equality of opportunity in our recruitment policies and practices
 Equality of opportunity to our existing employees
 Fair and equal treatment of our employees, Trustees and Volunteers
 An environment where no form of harassment, bullying or intimidation
how Mind in Furness acts to promote diversity, equality of opportunity
and equality of service provision.
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Moving Forward: Success Stories
‘’ Coming into MIND has helped me with my confidence. I have made some new friends.
Being involved with the Women’s Group has helped me think about certain things going on in
my head and how to deal with them better. The ‘Recovery Star’ helps me focus on the issues
I have to deal with and it gives me the tools to do this.
The confidence gained by coming to Mind has helped me to volunteer and do reception
duties. I feel I have moved on, as this is something I could not have done a year ago.
By volunteering I feel as if I am giving something back to Mind.
Sue
The ‘Recovery Star’ has helped me to look at things and myself differently.
Coming into Mind in Furness has helped me with my isolation and going into the ‘Women’s
Group’ has helped me to understand my anxiety and mental illness more. And hearing that I
am not on my own helps. I have gained some good friends.
Through the support and confidence gained by coming to MIND, I have managed to move
on, by taking some courses, for example, maths, with the intention of looking for work, when I
feel well enough. If I had not come to MIND I would still be in the same rut, not going out or
any where and not doing anything.
Sharon
This Annual report is dedicated to the memory of our dear friend and former
volunteer Ken Tyllsen who sadly passed away on the 11th June 2014 aged 75. Ken
was the founder of the Mind in Furness counselling service over 30 years ago and
had volunteered as a counsellor for 25 years. He retired at our AGM in 2008 but
remained a close friend and supporter of the organisation. Ken was an inspirational
man with a passion for championing the under-dog he had a clear sense of justice.
and would challenge injustice wherever he saw it particularly if that injustice involved
the vulnerable. He empowered many people to find their own voice, providing a
shoulder and a listening ear for the staff as well as his clients.
And in a former life as an actor he played a Dalek in episodes of Dr Who, this often
brought him more kudos from clients than any of his professional qualifications which
amused him greatly.
I think Ken would be very proud of the progress our organisation has made in our
attempts to “move forward” and the progress our services users make as they make
the same tentative steps in the right direction.
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Mind in Furness – Board of Trustees, Staff and Volunteers –
June 2014
Board of Trustees:
Chair/Director
Secretary/Director
Treasurer/Director
Trustee/Director
Trustee/Director
Trustee/Director
Trustee/Director
Trustee/Director
Trustee/Director
Trustee/Director
Trustee/Director
Trustee/Director
Trustee/Director
Michael Cassells
Penny Parr
Helen Bingley
Janice Sharp (resigned June 2014)
Gary Repton
Tony Smith (resigned June 2014)
Penny Parr
Alistair Rose
Richard Fearn
Wally Wright
Antony Page
Karen Thompson
Sharon Gould
Chief Officer
Karen Dobson
School Street Staff:
Service Manager
Advocacy/Support Worker
Advocacy/Support Worker
Connect Worker
Relief Support Worker
Admin Assistant
Cleaner
Melanie Gilmour
Richard Crossley
Mike Corker
Julie Wilson
Lauren Manuel
Lorraine Barnes
Julie Wright
Coniston House Staff:
Service Manager
Support Worker
Support Worker
Support Worker
Support Worker
Relief Support Worker
Relief Support Worker
Relief Support Worker
Relief Support Worker
Cleaner
Jacqui Clark
Laura Gibney
Gail Bryant
Angie Burns
Julie Marwood
Linda King
Chloe Quest
Darren McCarter
Katy Scott
Christine Gibbons
Mind in Furness Projects
Shop Manager
Safe Space Millom Project Worker
NCI-Weekend Access Worker
Linda Vernon
Aidan Allan
Michael Cassells
Volunteers:
Counsellor
Office Support
Reception Support
Reception Support
Reception Support
Reception Support
Reception Support
Reception Support
Reception Support
Reception Support
Brenda Thompson
Carole Williamson
Andrea Lennon
Colin McCormack
Dale Taylor
Josh Dawson
Marsha Sandy-Holmes
Kelly Niblock
Lorraine Murphy
Tracey Cully-Brown
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Reception Support
Reception Support
Reception Support
Reception Support
Reception Support
Claire Eakin
Dorothy Bosanko
Sharon Gould
Sue Wearing
Jayne Ashworth
Members Support
Members Support
Members Support
Members Support
Members Support
Members Support
Aidan Allan
Angel Martinez
Linda Hughes
Tony Smith (Resigned 2014)
Sharon Delaney
Lauren Manuel
Kitchen Volunteer
Kitchen Volunteer
Kitchen Volunteer
Kitchen Volunteer
Carol Newton
George McFarlane
Jean Miller
Ada Steele
Shop Volunteer
Shop Volunteer
Shop Volunteer
Shop Volunteer
Shop Volunteer
Shop Volunteer
Shop Volunteer
Shop Volunteer
Shop Volunteer
Shop Volunteer
Shop Volunteer
Shop Volunteer
Shop Volunteer
Shop Volunteer
Shop Volunteer
Shop Volunteer
Shop Volunteer
Shop Volunteer
Shop Volunteer
Shop Volunteer
Shop Volunteer
Shop Volunteer
Mark Kirkwood
David Chelton
John Wadsworth
Liz Jeavons
Janice Cubin
Wilf Cooper
Pat Fagan
Mark Moscrop
Elizabeth Mahaffy
Alan Teare
Amanda Pritchard
Julie Brown
Martin Gawne
Jamie Jones
Sue Gowar
Tracy Jean Harrington
Tania Edwards
Peter Forsyth
Janet Gilligan
Lynne Hackett
Maria Sobotka
Tony Grove
NCI Volunteer
NCI Volunteer
NCI Volunteer
NCI Volunteer
NCI Volunteer
NCI Volunteer
NCI Volunteer
NCI Volunteer
Jean Cassells
Cynthia Thorpe
Mike Bewick
Liz Knox
Wendy Shenton
Malcolm Slater
Sylvia Shields
Donna Shaw
Women’s Group Support
Garden Support
Craft Group Support
Recycling
Maintenance
Fundraising
Fundraising
Fundraising
Emma Holdforth
Jean Cassells
Dora Cooksey
Lynn Dawson
Wally Wright
Karen Thompson
Julie Wright
Julie Kissack
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Funders April 2012- March 2014
Mind in Furness would be unable to do its work without the help and support from our
funders; we would like to acknowledge their support in the past year both financial
and professional
Cumbria County Council, Adult and Local Services
Cumbria County Council Life Matters Prevention Fund
Cumbria County Council-NCI Fund
Cumbria County Council Neighbourhood Forum
European Social Fund (WEA)
Garfield Weston Foundation
Henry Smith Charitable Trust
Northern Rock Foundation
Sir John Fisher Foundation
Askam Line Dancers
Amicus/Unite 0401
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals
Care Sector Alliance Cumbria
Furness Rotary
George Wood Benevolent
Keswick to Barrow
Murrays Chemist
Sacred Heart Ladies Guild
Ulverston Bowing League
Mrs S Waplington
Winders Accountants
Donations received in memory of,
Trevor Kirkwood, Irene Phizacklea, Doreen McKinn, Bob McCann, James Boylan,
Philip McBride, Susan Donaldson, Elizabeth Mason
Gone but not forgotten
Various generous donations including much appreciated donations from members, service
users and their families who wish to remain anonymous
We would also like to thank those who have agreed to fund our work for the year
ahead
Northern Rock Foundation
Henry Smith Charitable Trust
Cumbria County Council-NCI Fund
Sir John Fisher Foundation
The board wishes to congratulate the Member’s Council Fundraising Team and thank
all the members who have worked so hard to raise funds for the Member’s Social
Fund to subsidise trips, activities and equipment for the benefit of members.
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