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Welcome to the Nottingham Time to Change (NTTC) E-Bulletin. The aim of this newsletter is to enable people who are keen to reduce stigma and discrimination stay connected with mental health developments in the city and find out more about Time to Change developments and the activities of NTTC Champions.

Take Time for Your Mind

The 2019 Nottingham Mental Health Awareness Weeks (NMHAW) take place from 7-18 October. The unique annual awareness weeks aim to reduce stigma and promote a greater understanding of mental health and wellbeing. Started by a group of enthusiastic volunteers with lived experience in 1992, this is the 27th?year of fun, informative?and friendly events and activities, so why not ?take time for your mind? and join in? Our thanks go to the hard work and dedication of Pam Abbot who continues to drive the coordination of NMHAW. There are over 30 activities taking place this year - the full programme is available from www.mhaw.org.uk. Like @NMHAWs on Facebook to stay in the loop.

Ask Twice

Sometimes we say we?re fine when we?re not. Asking ?how are you?? twice shows that you care and want to hear an honest answer. If a friend, family member or colleague is acting differently, ask twice to find out how they really are. TTC suggest 5 ways to ?Ask Twice? if your mate says ?I?m fine?.

World Mental Health Day 10 October 2019

The theme for 2019 World Mental Health Day is suicide prevention and TTC have produced a range of resources. On 10 October, the Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust will publish a powerful blog by one of their service users about the impact of suicidal thoughts and how she dealt with them. It can be found here.

BAME TTC Champions Campaign Group Nottingham

We are a group of community champions of African Caribbean descent with lived experience of mental health problems. The group comprises of both men and women who are passionate about ending mental health discrimination and stigma attached to it, most importantly, the cultural stigma in African Caribbean communities. The Time to Change campaign has been enormously successful, and the programme has had a demonstrable impact in strengthening the African Caribbean communities. Our challenge is to continue the work we have started in African Caribbean communities and move forward; seeking to strengthen existing impacts and further consolidate their usefulness and effectiveness beyond 2020. As part of the Time to Change campaign and as BAME Champions our focus is to include awareness training to address the cultural stigma and socio-religious stigma of mental health problems. The BAME Champions Campaign Group meets on the last Saturday of each month, at the International Development Foundation, 6 Palm Street, New Basford, Nottingham NG7 7HS, ?from 11.00am ? 1.00pm.? The group also helps support other activities for the new arrivals and the emerging communities in Nottingham. For more information email [email protected]

Help shape the future of mental health services

If you have experience of a mental health problem, you can share your experiences of getting support in Mind?s Big Mental Health Survey. Whether you got support through a GP, nurse or voluntary organisation ? or if you?ve tried to access services but haven?t been able to ? they want to know.

Free Conference ?Let?s Get Talking? ? 26 October 2019

The Junior Chamber Nottingham is hosting a FREE mental health conference ?Let?s get talking? at the Institute of Mental Health Nottingham on 26 October 2019. The conference provides a day of learning supported by local and national guest speakers, where you can find out more about mental health and the challenges faced by those with mental health problems. To book a place click here or for more information [email protected]

Help Improve Mental Health in the City ? 5 November 2019

Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust would like to invite Time to Change Champions, mental health partners, service users, families and carers to join them in developing a collaborative approach to mental ill health prevention.?

The first workshop will take place on Tuesday 5 November, 2-5pm at Nottingham Community and Voluntary Service, 7 Mansfield Road, Nottingham, NG1 3FB. To secure a place, please book a free ticket here.

Refreshments will be provided.? If you are a mental health service user, or a family member or carer of a mental health service user, travel expenses will be reimbursed up to the value of ?5.10.

If you have any questions, or?if you are a TTC Champion who is willing to be on the TTC stall,?please contact Caroline Keenan (Insight Specialist ? Public Health, Nottingham City Council) on 0115 956 5765 or email [email protected].

Beyond Shame, Beyond Stigma

At the launch of Nottingham Mental Health Awareness Weeks at the Nottingham Contemporary on 7 October, attendees heard about a new charity ?Beyond Shame Beyond Stigma? which aims to provide the help currently lacking in mental health provision by giving grants to organisations and charities that work with young people, their families and educators.

NTTC encourages older citizens to talk more about mental health

NTTC champions attended an event on International Older People's Day on Avoiding Scams and Online Fraud for citizens aged 50+.?

Slavery and Mental Health Event - 19 October 2019

A NTTC Champion?has been successful in applying for a TTC Small Grant to hold this event as part of Nottingham Black History Month.? There will be an open discussion on the historical impact of enslavement on the mental health of the people of African Caribbean descent.? Strategies to break down the stigma and discrimination in these communities will be explored.?? The event will be held on 19 October between 12 noon and 2.00 pm at Palm Street Business Centre, 6 Palm Street, New Basford, Nottingham NG7 7HS.? Light refreshments will be served.

For more information please contact 0115 978 0848.

Nottingham Time to Change Resources

One of our community champions has been successful in securing a small grant to purchase Nottingham Time to Change t-shirts, tablecloths and banners to help promote mental health anti stigma and discrimination ?at local community events. They're being produced over the next month or so.? Do you have an event you could use them at? Just book them out by contacting [email protected]

Nottingham Libraries sign the TTC Pledge

Nottingham libraries want to help break the silence and end the stigma around mental health. By signing the TTC Employer Pledge, they are committing to change the way they think and act about mental health at every level of their organisation. They are determined to create an environment where both staff and customers can talk openly about mental health.

Reading Well Resources in Nottingham Libraries

Libraries have a great selection of Reading Well Books on Prescription? to help you understand and manage your health and wellbeing. There are books for both adult and children?s mental health (plus other conditions). Anyone can drop in to?one of our libraries?and borrow these titles ? you just need a normal library card. Details of the titles in each collection can be found on the?Reading Well?website.

Free TTC Employer Pledge Workshop ? 13 November

Would you like to join other employers who will be developing an action plan that demonstrates your commitment to change how people think and act about mental health in the workplace and make sure that employees who are facing these problems feel supported?

If so, click here to reserve a place at the next TTC Employer Pledge Workshop which will be held at the Nottingham City Council Headquarters at Loxley House NG2 3NG. The event will run from 1.30 pm to 3.30 pm on Wednesday 13 November. For more information email [email protected].

Employers also benefit from the FREE, ongoing specialised support and training offered through Time to Change.

Construction Industry Peer Support (CIPS)

Nottingham City Council is working closely with Notts County Football in the Community and Self Help UK to offer FREE health and wellbeing support to men and women working in any of the trades related to the construction industry. For more information phone Glenda on 07516110215?or email [email protected]

Blog on starting conversations from Micha, a local TTC Champion

It may come as a surprise to some, but we all have mental health. Sometimes we may refer to it as emotional health or wellbeing. But diagnosis or not we all have it and the impact of not looking after it can be drastic.

As a time to change campaigner I am asked a lot ?How do you approach mental health conversations?. So here are a few tips, whether you are sharing or listening, I hope they help. Either way, remember you are not alone!

• Avoid negative terminology ? phrases like ?committed suicide? imply a crime. A better approach could be to say ?died by suicide?.
• Other of the more obvious or derogatory words to avoid could be terms such as ?crazy? or ?nutter?. As someone with a diagnosis I try to rid these completely from my vocabulary for myself but also discourage others.

If you don?t know how to start a conversation or don?t want to speak about your own experiences, a great way to ease into a mental health discussion could be to

• Use a stat or fact to move away from yourself.
• Use a story in the news or a scenario of someone else.

We all have mental health and physical health ? Tell yourself and tell everyone. We talk about going to the gym, why not talk about mindfulness or even your trip to the therapist. The more we talk about it naturally the less likely others are to hide or feel ashamed.

Make mental health conversation the norm, not the exception. Because mental health does not discriminate, no one is immune. One day you may need the exact conversation you are avoiding to help you to know, its OK to not be OK.

Love and light, keep up the fight, we can break stigma if we unite.

Next edition of the NTTC Newsletter

We hope to produce an NTTC e-bulletin in November. If you would like to suggest an article/item for inclusion, please email it to [email protected].

To sign up to the Time to Change Bulletin please click here