Thursday 8th September 2016 - another good meeting

Posted 3:20pm

The sun is shining down on Islington at the moment, and certainly down on us.  Another cracking meeting for HMHB today with Islington Life, who promote projects and life in the borough.  Thank you for the coffee Elsa, and also for understanding the wonderful and considerable benefits this pro-active project can bring to the community.

Tomorrow I will be collecting the letter from Highbury Grange Health Centre.  It includes the following:

"I believe this project is an exciting initiative that will support the unemployed population immensely thus creating motivation, support and guidance in getting back to work. 

I feel it is extremely important that immediate engagement is essential for this specific group which Healthy Minds, Healthy Bods aim to do.  As well as supporting and motivating unemployed people back to work, it is also refreshing to hear that this organisation has identified the potential impacts this has on people as a result such as depression, low self-esteem etc which they plan to execute".

Thank you so much Fateha for these words, and for seeing what we are going to achieve, and how we are going to do it.  :-)

Thursday 8th September 2016 - prep prep prep

Posted 1:00pm

Have a meeting this afternoon with Islington Life - which I got from being on Twitter.  They very online - and support events and life in general in the Borough.  I am hoping they will get behind the project and push it out to their contacts. Meeting at the Town Hall and heading off to get a coffee.

Still building up my CRM contacts - what a useful tool that will be - another reason why people starting projects and companies must listen to those around them - as this was a suggestion by committee member Scott.

Tomorrow I am going to spend travelling around Islington, knocking on the doors of the people wjo have not come back to me as yet on the proposals.;  I realise August was probably not the nest month to be leaving literature, but now that September is upon us I need to get myself out and about.

The Cripplegate Foundation initial funding meeting is at their offices for the 20th.  Meeting up with Scott next week (Friday) to go over this, and I am wonderfully grateful to him that he is taking time out of his schedule to come with me that morning.  Yay!!!  Naturally, there is a lot to get ready for that - and I think I will be using my Power Point presentation for the first time. :-)

Wednesday 7th September 2016 - heard back from cripplegate - plus decent day

Posted 9:30pm

Back in London , and things went well in Leeds.  It was an issue that needed facing, and glad I got through it all.  Can concentrate on project a lot better now.

Had an email back from Cripplegate and we got through the initial application phase, and the next part is a sit down meeting with them - and it looks like it will probably be around the 27th of this month.  Gives plenty of time to ensure all the necessary paperwork is there.

Wednesday 7th September 2016 - important to stay on top of things - personal - insurance

Posted 9:30am
Typing this up in Leeds.

My personal journey over the last couple of years has had a lot of downs - but this one reason I know my project can help with mental health issues.  Exercise, fitness, diet and a good routine are fundamental in keeping you positive and on the up.

I am hoping today will be a good day for me on a personal issue - very stressful - but whatever happens I must keep going.  Last week I lost 1kg - but most importantly I felt full of energy and confidence was high.  If today does not go well, I must ensure I keep that momentum!!!!

Travelling up the wifi was playing up a bit - but started to insert contacts in my CRM.  When I am on the way home later I will draw up a detailed to do list - and that will certainly involve going around the places I left proposals, as well as ensuring I have all the right paperwork for the funders, for when they arrange the meeting.

Adam helped me get a very decent quote for insurance.  Public Indemnity is vital if you are dealing with people and offering advice.  I did get a rather obscene quote from an Islington based broker, which I thought was rather high.  Thankfully, Adam uses what appears to be a very good online company, and there quote was much more to my way of thinking.  I need that for the funding application I put in.

Monday 5th September 2016 - CRM, Website, Twitter - day off

Posted 2:10pm

This whole project is exciting and full on - which means that occasionally, for my own sanity, I need to step back and away from it - which I did this weekend.

One of the disciplines we are trying to install in our clients will be the need to ensure your surroundings do not stress you - part of that is ensuring your house/flat is neat and tidy - clean - so when you wake up in the morning you do not feel down at the state of the rooms.

So I got on with domestics this weekend - tidying, cleaning, and shopping - and in fact even simple things like that can make you feel more positive and lift your mood.

I have signed up to a CRM database - Customer Relationship Management.  I am mainly using it as a client database at the moment - as I am starting to get a large number of contacts - it was a good suggestion by Scott.  I now need to get all the contacts onto it - but it will be good to have them all in one place - and it has the potential to grow very quickly.  It would be very easy to get out of hand.

I have started providing wording at last to Kacper for the website.  It is coming along.  We want to have a basic shape ready to show Cripplegate, as the funding from them will help with the content.  It has taken me a little while.  One of my key words with clients will be ""procrastination" - and I must try and conquer it too.

Twitter is growing nicely - we are following quite a large number and have had a few following us back - and excitedly have had a couple of messages and a meeting with one has already been arranged.  More news to follow.

Friday 2nd September 2016 - good meeting: plus a growing Twitter

Posted 3:50pm

Had a solid meeting with Change Grow Live in Islington - a terrific organisation who help people with addictive behaviour issues.  They have key workers and run sessions to help people through recovery and beyond.

They do not have what we are proposing, and although there is naturally a lot of ground still to cover the overall result was positive.  It would be nice to be able to get involved.

People know that I am my own guinea pig for this project - and I am not embarrassed to say that certain painful events in the past have led to a couple of periods of depression, and I have made the wrong choices of how to solve that - which included substances for a brief time.

Life can be brutal on occasions - but it is up to us to make the right choice of how we deal with that - and this project has a purpose to empower people and give them the strength and belief to do that.

Twitter:

Considering up to last weekend I had never used this Social Media outlet, HMHB is finding it a good base to get our message out there..  Gradually more people are following us:

@HMHB2016

Please follow us - we have had contact already from a couple of organisations - and are growing the number of people and companies that we are following.

Thursday 1st September 2016 - funding application sent

Posted 2:20pm

Just spent all morning finalising the application - and making sure the accompanying documents are complete.  I had been waiting on a couple of quotes so installed them into the finance spreadsheet.

I had to include the Constitution, Spreadsheet, last set of accounts (although dormant I had sent them off to companies house so included them) and bank statement (only have paper copies but they will accept them by hand).

What happens next?  They will contact next week to set up a meeting at their offices - Scott has said he will come along with me - to sit down and go through the application thoroughly.  Naturally it would be nice to get all, or some of the costs, as I want this launch to be the best it can possibly be, but we are in their hands.