Taking to the sky in aid of Oxfordshire Mind
About 1 in 4 people in Britain has a mental illness, which can lead to problems in the way they think, feel or behave. This can significantly affect their relationships, their work and their quality of life. It's difficult not only for the person concerned, but also for family and friends. Mental illness is one of the least understood conditions in society. There is a great deal of controversy about what it is and what causes it. Because of this, many people face prejudice and discrimination in their everyday lives - but it's important to remember that it's not their fault and it's not a sign of weakness.
Most people with mental illnesses can lead productive and fulfilling lives with appropriate treatment and support. Medical treatment may only be a part of what helps recovery, and not necessarily the main part. That's why I'm taking to the sky to help raise the £30,000 Oxfordshire Mind needs each year to provide services to support people with a mental illness. I'll be jumping 12,000 feet out of a plane and accelerating to 120 mph, covering each thousand feet in around 5 seconds. At 5,000 feet my instructor will deploy a parachute so that I can land softly and gently some four minutes later. I'm REALLY excited about this challenge and hope you'll support me!
Visit www.oxfordshire-mind.org.uk for details of the array of services Oxfordshire Mind has to offer.
In 2009/10 Oxfordshire Mind needs funds to develop various areas of its work. Your donation will play an essential part in this as it will help us:
Develop our evening services for working people, parents and students; in order to support more people need to develop and fund evening services.
Raise awareness about mental health issues.
Produce publicity materials; many people are still not aware of the services we have to offer.
Develop our CBT Group Work Programme; we are currently running groups on Coping with Anxiety, Challenging Depression, and Building Self-Esteem. The groups have proven to be very successful and are in high demand.
Train staff to deliver Cognitive Behavioural Therapy; there is a growing need for these courses and we would like to be able to train 3-4 staff on this course over the next year.
Access to a range of therapies and creative activities for people with mental health problems living on benefits; access to Massage, Reflexology, Aromatherapy, Yoga, Head Massage, Chi Gong, Meditation, Dance, Music, Creative Arts etc. can greatly improve people’s mental well being. £2000 would allow us to run 50-60 varied sessions for people with mental health problems within our projects.
Volunteer training; training volunteers is costly, but many volunteers go on to work in mental health which is good for those who live in our community.
Fund our rural transport service; we have a network of fifteen community resource projects throughout the county. To run this service costs approximately £15,000 per annum (including fuel, servicing, repairs, insurance, volunteer expenses etc). We will have to replace one of our mini buses in 2008/09 at a cost of approx £40,000 - We have raised approx £35,000 so far.
Refurbishment of Mind projects; some of our Community Resource projects are in desperate need of re-decoration and refurbishment. We need funds to refurbish and redecorate the projects, undertake structural work to support the development of community kitchens, renew key electrical appliances in the kitchens (e.g. cookers, dishwashers and fridge / freezers), develop and equip community ICT hubs providing internet access and access to learning opportunities, purchase comfortable chairs for group work and training activities, new tables and chairs for proposed community cafés, information and display racks and develop some new signage for the projects.
Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Oxfordshire Mind will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.
Your sponsorship will be gratefully received! Many thanks for your support. Ingrid
