Category: News

The government has announced that Monday 19th September will be a Bank Holiday, and we will not be providing our adult or children’s counselling or support group activities on this day.

For more information, please contact counselling@wiltshiremind.co.uk

Our information and support pages provide more resources on wellbeing and taking care of yourself. This also includes details of other organisations who provide free support any time. 

If you are in crisis, you can contact Samaritans on 116 123. This number is free from any phone. www.samaritans.org. 

Information on Coronavirus (COVID-19) is available from the NHS website

Wiltshire Mind is an independent charity supporting people in Wiltshire who are experiencing mental health problems or emotional distress. The charity was founded in 1993 in Devizes, supporting those living in long-term care to live and work in the community – following the closure of many mental health residential units. At this time, the charity was fully funded by the governing local councils across Wiltshire.

Nearly 30 years on, Wiltshire Mind continues to support the community, however, the funding has completely changed. Now affiliated to National Mind, Wiltshire Mind remains an independent charity, but they must raise every penny through fundraising or voluntary donations. The charity does not receive any statutory or commissioned income, and they rely on the community to help raise much needed funds. To provide its counselling, support groups and training services Wiltshire Mind must raise £465 each day of the year.

Ashford Homes is proud to support Wiltshire Mind and we took a visit to the charity’s new office in Trowbridge to see the new furniture the charity bought from our donation. The furniture will used to provide its adult and children and young people’s counselling services. Wiltshire Mind helps over 250 people a year through its therapeutic counselling, offering between 12 and 24 sessions for their service users. All counselling is free for children and young people, and low-cost for adults (£10 a session).

Paul Mills, CEO Wiltshire Mind said, “Thank you, Ashford Homes, for the very generous donation. We have put the money towards new furniture for our low-cost counselling service. Our clients, adults and children, will benefit greatly, making a real difference to their mental health support”.

Mental health charities are needed now more than ever, and mental health is a particular issue that is dominant in the construction industry. According to Mates in Mind (2022) – men in the UK are three times more likely to die by suicide than women. However, in construction – a male dominated industry – men are three times more likely to die by suicide than the national average for men.

Stuart Morgan, MD Ashford Homes said, “The construction industry is suffering from a serious mental health crisis, and it’s imperative that we take major steps to change things. We are looking forward to Wiltshire Mind providing Ashford Homes with training on how to spot the signs and triggers of mental health problems and how to provide the best support to our team.”

For more information on Wiltshire Mind, visit their website.

Help raise money for Wiltshire Mind in your community.

Wiltshire Mind provides mental health support to our communities across Wiltshire. We rely on the generosity of our supporters to raise money which pays for low-cost counselling for adults and children and young people, and support groups that are accessible to anyone locally.

We want to build a team of Volunteer Fundraisers to be the friendly face of Wiltshire Mind across Wiltshire, raising awareness of better mental health, and our services to help those who need support. Most Importantly, raising money to keep our services going into the future.

Becoming a Volunteer Fundraiser offers the chance to meet new people, make friends and have fun! By using your skills, you can help others by arranging and contributing to local events, talking to local businesses, shops, and other organisations and raising money for a cause that is close to your heart. You’ll gain experience in the charity sector too.

Our new Volunteer Fundraiser roles are flexible and rewarding, and can be shaped around your existing commitments. You will make a real difference for those needing support with their mental health. All monies raised through our fundraising activity go into improving lives for our beneficiaries – our service users.

The pandemic has had a real impact on our income, and with increased cost of living, its becoming harder to fund projects. The demand for mental health support has increased though. With your help, we can continue to raise awareness of the importance of good mental health too, and raise much needed income through local community engagement – which funds our services.

If you enjoy communicating with others, and have some time to spare to help, drop us an email for an information pack today.

Help us put the ‘fun’ in our fundraising, and make a real difference to our community.

Contact us today.

Email fundraising@wiltshiremind.co.uk

Last year, across Wiltshire, we held just over 1000 counselling sessions for children, young people and adults to support them with their mental health. This year, the demand is even greater.

There are an estimated 67,000 people struggling with a common mental health problem in our county. No one organisation or agency can meet this growing demand singularly, but together we can be there for everyone needing to access support.

Wiltshire Mind is an independent charity. We provide counselling and also offer peer support groups in the main towns countywide. Our services are lifelines to many, and offer a safe and confidential space to talk and share experiences.

 “Counselling has helped me realise that I am worthy, strong and deserve the same love, care and respect that I give others”. (Recent quote from an adult service user)

Sadly, the cost of providing services is increasing, yet the funding available for charities like our is in decline. We are facing an uncertain future if we cannot raise the funds to continue our work locally.

Government health and social care budgets prevent charities like ours being funded properly, and so the waiting list for support increases, and less people get the help they need.

We need to raise £465 a day.

Help us please if you can.

A £10 donation helps provide art materials for example for use in therapeutic support.

A £30 donation will fund an adult counselling session.

A £45 donation will fund a children or young person’s counselling session

A £75 donation will fund one of our peer support group meetings locally.

Your donation makes a huge difference to those needing support locally.

Our services are available to anyone living in Wiltshire, and you can find out more at www.wiltshiremind.co.uk

To make a donation now, please visit our Just Giving Page. Thank you.

If you, your friends or colleagues would like to help us fundraise, contact us today by email: fundraising@wiltshiremind.co.uk

On Thursday the 10th March, the Wiltshire Mind Charity Shop in Melksham closes its doors for the last time.

Over the last couple of years, the charity shop, which sells second hand clothes and bric-a-brac has struggled to cover its costs. The effects of the pandemic, reducing numbers of customers on the high street and increasing utility costs has meant the charity has had to make the difficult decision to close its shop in Melksham.

The Trustees and Management of the local charity are extremely grateful to the shop staff, volunteers and customers who have given their time and energies into trying to raise income through the local community.

The charity, like many, is seeing an increase in demand for its mental health support services such as counselling and local support groups, but with declining income. The charity shop closure does not affect the services of the charity, which continue to operate across Wiltshire for any one in our community who needs help with their mental health.

Wiltshire Mind provides counselling, local support groups and mental health training, and more information can be found on the website at www.wiltshiremind.co.uk.

If you’d like to support Wiltshire Mind, please visit the Just-Giving page: Wiltshire Mind – JustGiving

If you’d like to visit the shop and grab a bargain before they close, the shop is open Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th March 9am-4pm.

Traumatic events can have a massive effect on our mental health. Support for those struggling with trauma is often hard to access, and there is a lack of awareness around the subject.

Local mental health charity Wiltshire Mind is trialling a new trauma counselling service. Thanks to the Sarah Jayne Charitable Trust who are funding this service, those experiencing trauma can gain access to help through the charity. Offering between 16 and 24 sessions, the counselling is held weekly at Wiltshire Mind’s premises in Melksham. 

Paul Mills, CEO at Wiltshire Mind explains why the service is so important: “There is already a proven demand for this service locally, and with more and more pressure on the NHS, this will only grow.  We would like to thank the Sarah Jayne Charitable Trust for this backing, which will help the local community significantly.”

“Helping to establish a new service with Wiltshire Mind is really poignant. The Sarah Jayne Charitable Trust is also relatively new and was set up so we could make a difference in our community. Wiltshire Mind have identified a real need for mental health support as a direct result of trauma and we’re humbled that we could help them make it happen.”

Georgina Syrett, SJCT Trustee

The Sarah Jayne Trust are also funding online videos which raise awareness and help start conversations about trauma, and the help needed.

“We’re acutely aware that the pandemic has caused a huge demand for mental health services whilst fundraising opportunities have decreased. Many people don’t realise that local Mind branches are completely self-funded, so we’re delighted to be able to support them at such a challenging time,”

Paul Verwoert, SJCT Trustee

The Trust’s main corporate sponsor Hartsfield Financial Services are also donating much-needed IT equipment such as desktops and screens to support other volunteer counsellors at Wiltshire Mind. 

Wiltshire Mind is a local, independent charity, and their vision is of a society that promotes and protects good mental health for all, and that treats people with experience of mental distress fairly, positively, and with respect.

To provide mental health services locally, Wiltshire Mind relies on the generous work of supporters and fundraisers to raise much needed funds. To provide access and help, they need to raise £465 a day to provide their service across Wiltshire.

If you would like to donate, please visit Just Giving: https://www.justgiving.com/wiltshire-mind. Thank you.

Every week 1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem. In Wiltshire alone, there are around 68,000 people experiencing some form of mental health disorder. These statistics are eye-watering.

Wiltshire Mind provides support to the many people locally who experience mental health problems or emotional distress. We provide low-cost counselling for adults, and free counselling for children and young people aged 11+. We also run peer support groups across Wiltshire, offering a safe a confidential space to share experiences and gain support and confidence. Last year, we delivered over 1400 counselling sessions, 63 support group sessions, in total helping 238 people in our county towards better mental health.

As a local charity we receive all of our funding from our community. We are not commissioned, so we don’t receive any statutory funding. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters and fundraisers, we are able to offer accessible support for everybody. Last year, our community raised £79,000 towards the cost of providing these mental health services.

Covid-19 has had a dramatic effect on the demand for our services these past 18 months. We have seen an increase in the need for support, and waiting lists have grown across all providers. To meet this growing demand, we need to raise £465 a day.

If you or your business are planning a fundraising event, thinking about a regular donation or planning on having a dedicated charity of the year, please do think of Wiltshire Mind. From corporate golf days to local cycle relays, cake and bake sales to raffles, live music events to sports competitions or even Christmas Jumper days, there are so many fun ways to raise much needed funds for mental health support locally. Check out our social media posts too for more ideas.

Why not email us today at fundraising@wiltshiremind.co.uk and find out a bit more about how you or your company can help make a difference in this mental health crisis. Every pound raised goes towards providing better mental health for our community.

Nobody should face a mental health problem alone. We need your help so we can be there.

If you’d like to donate to Wiltshire Mind, visit our Just-Giving page today. https://www.justgiving.com/wiltshire-mind.

Thank you.

We have an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and experienced Operations Project Manager to join our team at Wiltshire Mind, based in Melksham, Wiltshire. The successful candidate will join us on a fixed term 6-month basis working 37 hours a week.

Wiltshire Mind is an independent charity supporting people in Wiltshire who are experiencing mental health problems or emotional distress. Our services are accessible for everybody in our community, and we provide one-to-one counselling support for people who are experiencing mental health problems including adults and Children and Young People from 11+. We also run peer support groups across the county.

We are seeking an organised, highly motivated Operations Project Manager with experience in HR, H&S and Governance, to help design and implement appropriate and effective processes in our charity. We have recently been awarded a quality accreditation and want to continue to drive change and future-proof our ‘business as usual’ activities. The ability to work efficiently as part of a small team, influencing and implementing change, and working to our charity values will be key attributes.

Previous experience in operational work is essential, as is a passion for the work of our charity in supporting people who are experiencing mental health problems.

If this sounds like you and you want to make a difference to our community and help towards better mental health in Wiltshire – contact us today by emailing us with a covering email and your CV to office@wiltshiremind.co.uk. You should include a personal statement in your email as to your suitability for the role, based on the job description. This application is open until 15 November, and a DBS check will be carried out for the successful applicant.

Thank you for your interest in Wiltshire Mind.

We have an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and experienced Support Group Facilitator to join our team at Wiltshire Mind, based in Melksham, Wiltshire. The successful candidate will join us on a permanent basis working 9.5 hours a week over 3 days, of which the days can be flexible and will be discussed as a part of the interview process.  The role is made of face-to-face groups in Trowbridge and Melksham and an online Evening Group.  The successful candidate will also be expected to attend the office, once a week in order to complete administration tasks and build relationships with the wider team.

If this sounds like you and you want to make a difference to our community and help towards better mental health in Wiltshire – download the details and application form below.

Dear Members and Friends of Wiltshire Mind,

Notice is given that the 2021 Annual General Meeting of Wiltshire Mind will be held:

Date: Wednesday 10th November 2021

Time: 10.00-11.00am

Venue: St James Centre, Devizes

Register: By emailing office@wiltshiremind.co.uk (Please put ‘AGM’) as the email subject. (No entry on the day at the door without pre-registration.)

or call 01225 706532 Monday to Friday 9am-1pm.

All interested parties most welcome. There are limited spaces at the venue due to social distancing restrictions.

We hope you can join us at our AGM, where you can hear about our years work. We remained operational through the pandemic, thanks to our members, funders and supporters.

We will also receive the accounts for 2020-2021, and appoint our Independent Examiner. Appointment of Trustees will also be undertaken.