May 10th – May 16th 2021 Mental Health awareness week activities
What is Mental Health Awareness Week and why does it matter?
Mental Health Awareness Week is an annual event when there is an opportunity for the whole of the UK to focus on achieving good mental health. The Mental Health Foundation started the event 21 years ago. Each year the Foundation continues to set the theme, organise and host the Week. The event has grown to become one of the biggest awareness weeks across the UK and globally.
Mental Health Awareness Week is open to everyone. It is all about starting conversations about mental health and the things in our daily lives that can affect it.?This year we want as many people as possible –?individuals, communities and governments?–?to think about connecting with nature and how nature can improve our mental health.
However, the Week is also a chance to talk about any aspect of mental health that people want to – regardless of the theme.
What do you?actually want?people to do during the Week?
The Week is an opportunity for people to talk about all aspects of mental health, with a focus on providing help and advice.
This year we want people to notice nature and try to make a habit of connecting to the nature every day. Stop to listen to the birdsong, smell the freshly cut grass, take care of a house plant, notice any trees, flowers or animals nearby. Take a moment to appreciate these connections.
We also want people to share images/videos/or just sound recordings of the nature on your doorstep (and how this made you feel) on social media using #ConnectWithNature and #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek
Why was Nature chosen as the theme for the Week?
The theme was chosen because being in nature is known to be an effective way of tackling mental health problems and of protecting our wellbeing.
This seemed particularly important this year – in the year of a pandemic. Our own research has shown that being in nature has been one of the most popular ways the public have tried to sustain good mental health at a challenging time.
Our hope is that by growing awareness of the importance of nature to good mental health – we can also work to ensure that everyone can share in it.
Nature is something that is all around us. It can be really helpful in supporting good mental health. Our ambition is to try to make that connection clearer for both individuals and policy makers.
How do you define Nature?
By “nature” we mean any environment in which we can use our senses to experience the natural world. This could include the countryside, a park or garden, coast, lakes and rivers, wilderness, plants or wildlife closer to home. It could also include nature that you can see or interact with in or from your home.
Aren’t there much more important mental health priorities than nature at the moment?
We are not saying that nature is the only priority that is important. And nature is not going to solve all mental health issues. But connecting with nature can play an important part in improving people’s mental health and make us feel better about ourselves.
During lockdown, nature has played a vital part in supporting mental health. According to our own research, last summer half of people in the UK said that being in nature was a favoured way to cope with the stress of the pandemic.
What about people who can’t access nature?
This will be a key part of the Week. Many people find it hard to access nature because of where they live or because they have no outside space. We will use the Week to launch new policy requests to enable greater access for people to nature. This can include making parks feel safer to use or planting more trees in our streets or asking developers to include plants and green spaces in their designs
Activities across Tees
Teesside Samaritans
Teesside Samaritans in conjunction with Community chest Middlesbrough Council throughout the month of May have organized for their telephone number to be promoted at 8 local petrol stations. Although this is not directly linked to nature and the environment it is hoped that it will promote the Samaritans to anyone who is travelling to enjoy nature and the environment.
- Sainsbury 32 Wilson street Middlesbrough TS1 1RP
- Morrison’s Berwick Hills Centre Ormesby road TS3 7PB
- Tesco Parkway Shopping Centre Coulby Newham TS8 0TJ
- Tesco Express Dixons Bank Stokesley road TS7 8NX
- Fleet point service (hgv) Cambridge road Middlesbrough TS3 8AG
- Fleet point services Cambridge road Middlesbrough TS3 8AG
- Tesco Stockton Extra Petrol Station Durham Road TS21 3LU
- Jet Teesside Service Station Norton Road TS20 2PN
North East and North Cumbria Suicide Prevention network (Tees’s suicide prevention network are part of this)
Student Emotional Resilience training.
MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK 10TH-16TH MAY 2021
Are offering university students attending North East & North Cumbria Universities the opportunity to partake in free online training in Emotional Resilience.
This 2.5-hour module will be delivered by two Connecting with People trainers using Microsoft Teams
There will be the opportunity to book onto one of the two sessions a day throughout Mental Health awareness week. (Tuesday 11th, Thursday 13th and Friday 14th currently available)
The course will enhance delegates emotional literacy and challenge stigma around emotional distress and tackles barriers to help seeking.
The visual “Watercourse Analogy” helps delegates understand different levels of distress and through discussion shares effective self -help strategies suitable for the different levels.
It promotes positive ways of coping with stress or emotional distress and equips the delegate with the knowledge of how to develop their own personal Safety Plan.
Places are limited to 20 per session, so early booking advisable.
Students can register online using the link below:
https://portal.connectingwithpeople.org/course_directory/gNxz
Mental Health Awareness Week-Emotional Resilience. (7 different sessions)
Each participant will receive a practical booklet after they have completed the module.
Focus day training
Mental Health Awareness Week » Focus Day Training
Take your phones out into nature and find a safe place to sit, then listen or watch these resources, begin to breath and listen to the sounds around you. This is a simple exercise (settling, grounding and resting) that any can do and the best way to approach it is without expectation or wanting. Once you are familiar with the exercise you can leave you phones at home and listen to the sounds of nature whilst being very mindful.
Redcar and Cleveland
Loftus Accord Walking Group
Ladies walk and talk on May 10th 2021
Mindful Scavenger Hunt (Loftus Town Council Facebook Page)
Sun Flower Competition (Foxwood Project)
| Monday 10th | Tuesday 11th | Wednesday 12th | Thursday 13th | Friday 14th |
| Wellbeing and Warblers Coatham Marsh, Redcar | Up High on Hummersea Hummersea Cliffs, Skinningrove 10am & 2pm | Painting picnic benches at Boro Park, Redcar | Wild herbs for wellbeing 10am & 1pm | Caring for garden wildlife 10am & 1pm |
| Guided cycle ride & bike maintenance Guisborough (Morning) | Bounce back with Nature Normanby Morning Walk | Water Voles and Wellies 10am & 1pm | Bounce back with Nature Saltburn Morning Walk | Bounce back with Nature New Marske Morning Walk |
| Wildlife Trust sensory stroll Coatham Marshes (Morning) | Guided cycle ride & bike maintenance Redcar (Morning) | Bounce back with Nature Guisborough Morning Walk | Guided cycle ride & bike maintenance Skelton (Morning) | Guided cycle ride & bike maintenance Saltburn (Morning) |
| Loftus Accord Bluebell Nature Walk Loftus (Morning) | Wildlife Trust Nature walk Skinningrove (Afternoon) | Guided cycle ride & bike maintenance Eston (Morning) | Loftus Accord Scenery, Steel and Sea Trail Loftus (Morning) | Guided cycle ride & bike maintenance Normanby (Afternoon) |
| Bounce back with Nature Kirkleatham Morning Walk | Guided cycle ride & bike maintenance South Bank ( Afternoon) | Guided cycle ride & bike maintenance Afternoon | Guided cycle ride & bike maintenance Loftus (Afternoon) | Bounce back with Nature Brotton Afternoon Walk |
| Guided cycle ride & bike maintenance New Marske (Afternoon) | Bounce back with Nature Skelton Afternoon Walk | Bounce back with Nature Eston Afternoon Walk | Bounce back with Nature Dormanstown Afternoon Walk | Can you Dig it? The Foxwood Project |
| Wildlife Trust Sensory Stroll Coatham Marshes (Afternoon) | Can you Dig it? The Foxwood Project | Can you Dig it? The Foxwood Project | Can you Dig it? The Foxwood Project |
Middlesbrough
Inward Bound
Inward Bound hold a weekly mindful walk in Stewart Park, Middlesbrough, each Monday at 11am.
We spend around an hour in the beautiful surroundings of Stewart Park. A time to contemplate the wonder of nature with a mindful walk, an outdoor meditation, a light hearted activity and a good old fashioned chin wag.
Why not join us during mental health awareness week? (Monday 10th May). We are a friendly group with a variety of ages and a very friendly therapy dog! Call Jan on 07936 948 196 or see our website www.inward-bound.co.uk
You will be very welcome!
(Please note, as a support group, current government guidelines allow us to meet in a group of up to 15, if demand is higher than this we will run a second walk on another day).
Barefoot Bellis
They are having some closed activities for their members, there is a basket weaving session on the 13th may 2021. There is also a talk at Chemoxy planned for that week and an activity on the 12th May in the Orchard.
Carers together
Horticulture session for unpaid carers and the person they care for on Tuesday 11th May 2-4pm in partnership with Middlesbrough Environment City at Jellystone Park, Grove Hill and Walk and Talk for carers at Fox Rush Farm in Redcar on Friday 14th 10.30-12. For more information or to book call Carers Together on 01642 488977