Wednesday 1st January 2020 - HMHB talks about the year ahead

Posted 5:35pm

This is the most crucial time of Healthy Minds, Healthy Bods since its conception.  It is correct to say that if we do not get seed funding within the first half of this year we will very probably have had to quit before the end of this year. It may seem a gloomy start to this blog post, but honesty needs to be said.

However, we are starting this year with optimism. Between now and the end of March we have got a minimum of 19 full days of intervention. This is in two boroughs - Camden and Islington - and with multiple clients - Peabody Housing, Islington Job Centres, Camden Job Centres, Better Lives and Mind in Camden.

We will also be putting in a revised lottery bid to the Communities Fund. We know we have an amazing product as the feedback is incredible. We are also finding improvements to sessions and new fun ways of delivering the project.

We have two walks, and two fitness sessions, and want to grow these. Just seeing the people returning again and again, and saying how much they enjoy these activities makes all the hard work worthwhile.

Lazza, Dean and Luke all send our best wishes for this new year - new decade. We do not set resolutions. They can be too easily put aside. We set themes. And ours are to continue to be upbeat, to work hard, to focus on goals, and to do the best we can for our service users and supporters.

Tuesday 31st December 2019 - Overall HMHB Review for 2019, and 2020 goals

Posted 1:15pm

Overall, HMHB has made a lot of progress in 2019. Ultimately though, we have still not got salaries and that is the aim for 2020 and beyond. If we do not get full time work from this in the near future, it will probably mean that everything will end. Yes, that may sound bleak. But honesty is important. Lazza is currently on Universal Credit, and there is only so much patience they will have before they force him to get a job, which would mean this having to finish. Luke and Dean have both been incredibly patient, but they will also feel like moving on too.  So, we need to demonstrate that our new approach to mental health intervention deserves financing.

We made great strides with our Ajani programme. We have designed it to be fluid and adaptable. We can deliver it over a series of varied sessions - our preferred would be four of five, but can do less or more if desired. The outcomes can also be changed, depending on the service users we work with - for example if we are with the Job centre unemployed, the outcomes are more related to routine, energy and confidence, as well as maintaining good actions. These outcomes would be different from those suffering mental health problems, where we are looking more at changing behaviour and thinking. And again these would change if we were working with over 55s.

We delivered some absolutely wonderful courses with Anchor Hanover in Hackney, using their residential housing for over 55s. I know that we all enjoyed these, and the feedback was overwhelming. It is something we want to continue, if we can get the funding.

We also delivered a fantastic taster in June, and from that we now have the DWP Borough Managers for the Job Centres in Islington, Haringey, Camden, Hackney and Tower Hamlets all asking us for intervention - but no finances to pay for it.

Lazza has worked tirelessly. Sadly we were turned down for the lottery communities programme fund, but also left with hope. They said we ticked all their boxes, but just needed more evidence (although how we are meant to gather that without funding is hard to fathom).  Fortunately, Lazza won us funding applications with Camden and Islington, and we will be proving intervention courses in those boroughs between 1 Jan and 31 Mar 2020. This can naturally lead on to another lottery application.

We are also delighted to be teaming up with Peabody on the Whitecross Estate in Islington for two day interventions in Jan and Feb 2020. And we are meeting their Community Development Manager in Jan to discuss applying for their fund too.

Our walks and fitness sessions have been a wonderful success, and that is also down to our wonderful partners.  Better Gym have been terrific. We have a studio on a Saturday morning at the Sobell centre, and a studio at Highbury Leisure on a Tuesday morning.  The numbers for both are now growing, and the feedback is tremendous.

2020 can be our breakout year. If we can get the financial backing we can finally go full time and prove ourselves, It's a big ask, but we feel we deserve it.

Thank you everyone who has supported us so far. It's been a hell of a ride - with ups and downs galore. With your continuing support we can make all our dreams happen.

Tuesday 31st December 2019 - Izzwalkz 2019 review and future

Posted 12:15pm

It has been a year of progress and success with Izzwalkz. We have to send our gratitude to our amazing partners - our Thursday Clissold Park walk with Highbury Grange Medical Practice, and our Friday walk/exercise with Better Gym Highbury Leisure Centre.

We also need to thank our local Highbury East Councillors - Osh Gantly, Sue Lukes, Caroline Russell - for their continual support and love. This includes funding from the Islington Council Local Initiatives Fund.

Our Clissold park walk celebrated its third birthday in November. We were joined by the current Islington Mayor (photo above), and Lazza led us on an interesting tree walk. It is incredible to think we have walked every Thursday since November 2016. In fact our last walk of 2019, on Thursday 26th December - we managed four of us that day - was our walk number 162.

I am eternally grateful to all our walkers who have attended over the years, and we have some brilliant regulars. I do know that many have health conditions, some of them quite serious. But we always manage to have lots of laughter and stories as we go round, and we encourage everyone to talk to each other.  It is more a mental health walk. It has exceeded all my original aims and dreams. I am so proud of what we have created.

Our Highbury Fields walk/exercise is where we joined up with the current session organised by Better Gym, which is part of their Weight Management Rebalance programme. The instructor, Simon, is very good. But the numbers were too high for their insurance. We contacted them around April, and from May we are now part of that walk. They get around 20-40 people every week. It is great fun. Lazza normally attends with Rosie, Phylis, Angela and Chris, and we have made new friends.

We sometimes stop over for coffee/tea at Clissold House, and here we are enjoying some of Roz's homemade muffins, which I have to say are some of the best muffins I have ever tasted. A real treat.  We have also had a couple of surprise extras - which included a trip to the Sky Garden at the top of the Walkie-Talkie building in Fenchurch Street in November, and a look at the only Elizabethan church left in London, which just happens to be next to Clissold Park.

We have celebrated at Highbury Grange Health Centre a few times too. Here we are following our 150th walk, with PT Dean taking our picture. The Centre have been incredibly supportive throughout the whole three years, and we are delighted to continue that into 2020.

Future:

We want to grow our walks. By the end of 2020, we would like to have four walks going in Islington, and at least be part of ones in another borough. I do know Haringey has some good weekly walks, and we are going to see if they are open to a partnership with us.

We would also like to go on a few more special outings. If it was not for our super participants we would not be walking at all, and it is nice to be able to give something back to them.

We want to wish all our walkers a fantastic new year. Some are currently having treatment for various ailments, and our thoughts are with them at this time. Life can be cruel as well as wonderful. But it is how we handle these moments that determine our mental health, as well as our physical and emotional health. Life is very short, let us all do what we can.

Hugs to all. Happy New Year/Decade. xxxxxxx

Friday 20th December 2019 - Xmas Izzwalkz treat

At The Old Church, Stoke Newington

Thursday 19th December 2019

Dor, Dean, Manal, Rob, Joan and Lazza

Posted 11:35am

Yesterday was our last Izzwalkz walk before Christmas. It had been very wet the night before, but we managed to find a lull in the weather. Due to people visiting family, and various illnesses, we had seven of us on our walk.

Lazza sprung a lovely surprise on us. We visited the only remaining Elizabethan church in London. It is right next to Clissold Park, and we have passed it many times over the last few years and often commented on what it may look like inside. So, Lazza did a bit of online research and found someone with a key.

There has been a church on that land since the 12th Century. The current footprint was built in the 1500s (hence Elizabethan). Parts of it was added to and changed in the 1700s and 1800s. Then in October 1940 it suffered significant bomb damage.

However, quite a lot of the original 1500 building remains, and we all felt humble standing on flagstones that had been laid over 450 years ago.

Then we all walked back to the health centre for some mince pies, coffee, and even some homemade ginger cake from Rob and Win. I, Lazza, must also thank the group for a card they gave me, and the astonishing cash amount inside which was truly humbling. I love what we do, and what we achieve. Such a simple idea, but with far-reaching outcomes. I am just the organiser.

I want to thank all our walkers this year. People come and go, but always are welcome. We have several members going through serious health issues, and others have lost family members this year. Having a fairly elderly number will mean this will happen - it comes to us all in the end. We wish all our group the best possible christmas, and hope that they can be as comfortable and happy as much as they can be. Hugs to all.

Wednesday 18th December 2019 - Xmas preparations

Posted 12:30pm

Just one week to go. We have been waiting on other organisations for the last week to come back to us, but realise now that we will have to wait till after the festive period.  That is one of our biggest frustrations. We would get so much more done, and quicker, if people would reply.

But we at HMHB are also preparing. For the first year we managed to get some HMHB cards printed - just 20 - which we have given out to fitness users, and will be giving to our Izzwalkers. Was nice to be able to get something from the business.

We will also be giving something to Highbury Grange Medical Practice, who have been wonderful in their support for over three years now. I have got picture albums from 2017 and 2018 printed up, and also got a picture frame that holds seven printed photos, and will be delivering that after xmas.

I have also managed to get quite a few prints of photos taken over the last three years, and will be handing them out to relevant people as a keepsake.

I am hoping that this time next year, we will be having full time salaries and various christmas parties for our users. Let's keep everything crossed.

Friday 13th December 2019 - Preparing for Christmas

Posted 11:05pm

For many people, christmas is not like the adverts on television, with lots of family around, laughter, games and interaction.  It can be a quiet time, on your own, or with just one other. But that foes not mean you have to allow it to suppress you.

However, for people who have gone through mental health issues, and are on their own - such as myself - it can be tough. I try not to allow that to happen. It is not easy. I have done most of my food shopping for the 25th - yes, I did get most from Iceland - but will top up just before with veg and dairy. I put my tree up a while ago as it brings back memories of my youth. There is something about tinsel and christmas lights that puts a smile on your face.

HMHB will be quiet over the period, mainly because other organisations we need to liaise with will all be closed. It does not mean we will be quiet. We will be doing our walks on the Thursdays - our Xmas one on the 19th, then on Boxing Day and the 2nd Jan. I do not see any reason not to walk, even if it is just me that comes along.

We will also be doing our fitness sessions on Tuesdays - the gym is open both Christmas Eve morning and New Years Eve morning - as well as both Saturdays. It will do me good to get out. I wonder if anyone else will come - maybe not.

We also will be looking at the sales for stationery items for the upcoming courses, and making sure all the finances are in order too. 2020 has to be our year. It has to be the one where we get seed funding. There is no way we will be able to continue without it.

Monday 9th December 2019 - How do we protect our project?

Posted 8:45pm

HMHB is not saying that our desired objectives and outcomes are unique to us - not by a long way. We, along with many organisations around mental health, all are aiming to improve people's lives, boost confidence and self-awareness, and provide tools that people can use both now and in the future.

But HMHB does have quite a unique approach and delivery - and we know that as we have all gone through issues ourselves, and nobody has provided intervention in the way that we do. It's one of our USPs (Unique Selling Points).

However, without seed funding at the moment, and needing to provide evidence of our worth, our outcomes, and our professionalism, all means we have to demonstrate our structure and delivery to other organisations. The danger then comes in that they will just copy us.

Now, an idea is just one per cent of the overall product. The main thing is in the preparation, the concept, the foundations, and all the effort and work that goes into producing and creating an incredible intervention.

So far, Lazza has comes across five different organisations who have either taken our idea amd tried to do it themselves, or have adjusted their own intervention to include bits of our own. From the evidence he has received, all these bigger organisations have failed to replicate the success and feedback that HMHB has gained with its Ajani.  But without money, we cannot fully accomplish our potential.

It's like a vicious circle. We are asked to prove ourselves, but with no, or little, funds, and larger companies then take our idea, spend their money, and do not provide the same project!!!

All we want is a reasonable chance. An opportunity. It is more important than ever we do well between January and March in Camden and Islington.