Coordinator News:

Hi Everyone hope you are doing well.

This month at East Grinstead we appreciated having local psychotherapist Jilly join us briefly to chat and gain insight into self-care and development and we also enjoyed a vibrant art show and talk from local artist and friend, Ian (or Wiz as he can be called!).

On Friday 1st Nov, all are welcome to join the nature walk at Wakehurst place - please see poster - and our next Crawley Hub will be held at the Richmond Fellowship offices (their name is changing to ‘Waythrough’ as they merge with Humankind to encompass drugs, alcohol and housing support) as they are offering their day spaces to Mental Health charities free of charge which of course is a fantastic opportunity. The address is: Staying Well, Ground Foor, 1 Amberely Crt, Whitworth Rd, Crawley RH11 7XL (No 4, 5 buses plus ample parking).

If we are happy with the venue we will move there in the new year. And on the final Crawley Hub of the month we have Cheryl from W Sussex Health coming to join us. Several of our members have been taking part in Co-production activities, such as Helen and Tracey’s involvement with the interview panel with Brighton University for the interviewing and training of the Approved Mental Health Professionals -which has vital impact on their awareness on people’s lives during sectioning, hospital discharging and other such decisions. They have since been invited to the university to give direct input to the students within their training.

Tracey also took part in the Lived Experience podcasting life-story regarding mental health services experience sessions with Sara and is participating further with this important work. Well done everybody. Peer Support Workers came together at Meadowfield Hopsital, Worthing this week for a truly warm and informative Quarterly training/update session, including a fantastic hospital tour and Advocate guest speakers.

Much appreciation to Heidi, Grant and Mandy for making us all feel so welcome, taken care of and involved. Warm wishes to all

-Lucy

East Grinstead Hub Members – with guest speaker Psychotherapist Jilly.

Peer Support Workers and Coordinators at Meadowfield for the Peer Meeting

Jenny at the Crawley Hub – seen here with her own book which she read from.

Drugs and Alcohol Partnership Project

CAPITAL Charity and Drug & Alcohol Partnership (DAP) West Sussex County Council

Coproduction Community Fund Launch

RSVP REQUIRED

5th November 11am-4pm

Field Place, Worthing, BN13 1NP

In follow up to the invitation of 8th Oct, we once again encourage you to join us to celebrate the new partnership with West Sussex County Council (DAP) and CAPITAL.

CAPITAL charity has been commissioned to co-produce community initiatives with local people who have lived experience of drug and/or alcohol harm, in order to develop community assets, build resilience, and enhance peer leadership and peer support networks.

Come and listen to people’s story’s, participate in workshops, and together we can improve drug and alcohol services across the county.

Please use the following link or use the attached QR Code to sign up!

RSVP HERE: https://forms.office.com/e/ZAuHwbcYAh

Spaces are limited so please do forward this email to any of your colleagues you feel would find this a worthwhile event to attend. Further, please forward to anyone you are working with who is accessing drug & alcohol services or living in temporary accommodation in West Sussex.

Look forward to seeing you.

-Sara, Tracey & Mark

CAPITAL Creative Pages

Poem from Jenny’s Book (that she read out at the EG Hub) – available on Amazon.

Carpet, lying there, innocuous, bland,

tell me your secrets, what do you know?

Do you tire of the constant footfall,

wearing you threadbare and pale?

the roar of the vacuum cleaner,

choking on your dust motes that rise like tiny stars from your weft?

If I could be a carpet,

I would hide from the thudding feet,

the hastily wiped shoes and boots.

If I could be a carpet I would watch and hold my counsel: the lovers, caught in their tryst,

the child,

smearing sticky jam on the cushion.

I would wrap myself around the cold, angular floor, smoothing, insulating.

Waiting,

until one day with molten gold pouring through the window.

Then, with my mind a fractured,

splintered decoration,

I would rip myself from the floor,

swirling orbs of circles and pattern and hungrily devour the sanity of those unwary enough to watch.

Sanity tastes like cheese and cream,

the soured milk of life,

the taste of dairy sour on my tongue,

worm-eaten as an insane world.

Artwork from Lucy P (left) and Sam (right)