Shawmind Updates

We are searching for brilliant Christmas card designs from talented Primary School artists to use in our Christmas Card Campaign to highlight the importance of children’s mental health and wellbeing. 

Four designs will be chosen from the entries, and printed Christmas cards will be made available to purchase from our website to raise funds for the charity’s work in schools around the country.  

We are working to deliver training to 151,000 teachers across the UK in the basics of mental health support, giving them the skills to teach the new mental health curriculum and the confidence to be the mental health front line in the classroom.  

How to get involved 

If you would like your pupil’s designs to be considered, pictures must be of one of the following themes and how you see it tying in with mental health and wellbeing: 

• The Great Outdoors 
• Friends and Family 
• Animals  
• School Days 

For example: a picture of their favourite place to visit, because it makes them happy, a drawing of someone who makes them smile, a picture of their pet that reassures them when they’re nervous or scared or a drawing of their best day at school.  

There is no limit to the number of pictures / entries by an individual or a school. Please title the jpegs with the pupil’s first name and your school name – for internal identification (between you and us) when the winners are announced. The names of the four winner’s schools will be printed on the back of all the cards.  

Completed pictures (scanned or photographed and saved as JPEGs) must be sent by email to cardscomp2020@shawmind.org by the closing date: Friday 2nd October 2020. Note: due to COVID safety rules, we will not accept posted pictures. 

All entries will be shown to our special panel of judges who will pick their favourite four. Winners will be informed by 16th October 2020. 

The designs will then be turned into Christmas cards and ready to purchase from the Shaw Mind website from 19th October 2020.  

So what are you waiting for? Grab your pens, paints or crayons and get creative! 

Conditions of entry (please read) 

By submitting an entry you agree to letting us use the name of your school in publicity and on social media, however, we can confirm that the names of the individual children involved will NOT be shared by us on any platform.  

Judges are appointed at the discretion of Shaw Mind and their decision is final. No correspondence regarding their rationale for decision-making or criteria for selection will be entered into. 

Neither the schools nor the children creating the pictures will be eligible for any compensation and by submitting a picture for this competition the artist and the school grant Shaw Mind a royalty-free license to use the image in its original form or in amended form on our Christmas Card design for 2020. 

Winning Schools offer 

Each of the winners’ schools will be eligible for a free teacher training place on a two-day Mental Health First Aid  course presented by Shaw Mind’s MHFA England-registered trainer. 

In addition, we’re delighted to be able to gift each of the winner’s schools with six children’s picture books, published by Trigger & Upside Down Books, all of which promote positive mental health and wellbeing and are approved by a mental health professional. 

We look forward to receiving your entries. 

From Thursday 10^th September 2020, Shawmind is inviting people to take part in its month-long activity to encourage gentle exercise, raise funds and increase awareness around suicide, mental health and wellbeing.

The campaign, Walk a Mile in My Shoes, aims to get people thinking -and most importantly- talking to one another about mental health and emotional wellbeing while they walk a mile between World Suicide Prevention Day (10^th September) and World Mental Health Day on 9^th October.

Supporters will walk alone, with members of their household or with a friend, while adhering to the latest Government advice on social distancing. They might chart their miles throughout the month or simply build themselves up to a couple of miles by the end of the month. The campaign is open to all abilities.

Peter Wingrove, CEO at Shawmind, said: “As well as providing an opportunity for people to get out and enjoy some fresh air we hope participants will use Walk a Mile in My Shoes to address the stigma surrounding mental ill health and talk more openly about their wellbeing needs.

“Funds raised through this campaign will go directly to training primary and secondary school teachers in basic mental health support, which is important because they are the front line of mental health in our classrooms.

“75% of diagnosable mental health conditions present before a child’s 18^th birthday, so it’s crucial that teachers are well prepared to deal with mental health and can recognise the signs of children in distress”.

“It costs £100 to train each teacher and we would like to train 151,000 in the next five years, so that they can make a real difference to the lives of young people now and in the future. To achieve this, we are asking people to get behind us and Walk a Mile in My Shoes.”

How to Take Part

At the end of their first mile, walkers are encouraged to upload a photo or video to their social media channels and tell everyone about Walk a Mile in My Shoes, before challenging four friends to do the same.

Walkers are invited to tag @Shawmind_ in the posts and use the hashtag #WalkAMileInMyShoes. Shawmind will share as many posts as possible during the campaign and will release a montage video featuring as many posts as possible on World Mental Health Day on 9^th October.

How to Fundraise

Fundraisers are welcome to set up their own fundraising page or they can call for donations to be made directly through Shawmind’s Just Giving or Go Fund Me pages or through Facebook.

Similarly, if they prefer to collect donations in cash and transfer it to the charity, they can send cheques or a transfer via PayPal, or via BACS/EFT into the charity’s bank account. Visit shawmind.org/donate for more details.

Need some inspiration to take part?

 Walk with Donna*

Donna is walking a mile with Shawmind in memory of her father, Graham, who she lost to suicide in 2008. Donna has attended one of our suicide prevention sessions and has found it has brought her some peace as she’s been able to think more about what her father might have been thinking and feeling in the final weeks and days of his life.

Donna knows that she could not have done anything to change the outcome of her father’s choices, but now she has attended the training she feels better equipped to be able to offer help to someone else if she spots the signs. Being empowered to help someone when they need it the most has helped Donna process more of what she has been through and fills her with hope for the future.

Walk with Mandy and Chris*

Mandy and Chris are walking a mile with Shawmind to celebrate the support they have both received from the charity and a range of other healthcare providers following Chris’ OCD diagnosis in 2015.

Chris often joins our Mancave men’s mental health group to share his experiences with others and has the ongoing support of one of our volunteers when he needs it. Both keen walkers, Chris and Mandy use their time outdoors to talk more openly about the challenges they both face and to boost their wellbeing. The pair are aiming to clock up the miles this month and get other people to join in.

Walk with Maryum*

Maryum is a published author and mother to two boys, who experienced post-natal depression after the birth of her second child. Maryum has written a book about her personal experiences and shares her journey on a popular parenting blog.

Maryum is one of Shawmind’s incredible champions and often mentions us, and our support services, when she is speaking to the broadcast media and giving talks.

Along with her family, Maryum is taking part in the Walk a Mile in My Shoes campaign to highlight the importance of talking more openly with family and friends about your mental health.

Walk with Luis*

Luis is 10-years old. When Luis was eight, he started self-harming as a coping strategy after months of being bullied at school.

Having previously loved being at school, Luis’ parents noticed a huge change in his behaviour and when they realised what was happening sought professional help.

Luis’ mother regularly drops into our Breathe Café to seek reassurance and additional signposting from our team of volunteers.

The whole family are only at the very start of their journey, but they will be taking part in Walk a Mile in My Shoes to raise awareness of mental health among other families in their community.

Join Donna, Mandy, Chris, Maryum, Luis and the team at Shawmind as they challenge the stigma associated with mental ill health and suicide, together.

We’ve just renewed our partnership with Savoo, a money-saving and online fundraising website with thousands of great exclusive discount codes and deals from the UK’s biggest retailers.

How do I start raising money for Shawmind?

First, select Shawmind as your chosen charity, simply click ‘support this charity’ here: http://www.savoo.co.uk/charities/shaw-mind

Then start searching for deals and vouchers for the products and stores you love.

Every time you make a purchase using one of these vouchers or promotional deals, Shawmind will receive a small contribution which will build up over time, without costing you a penny!

So, what are you waiting for? Have fun shopping, knowing that you are supporting a good cause!

Sign up here today

http://www.savoo.co.uk/charities/shaw-mind 

With awareness of the support needs of children and teenagers growing, we are calling on the nation to ‘pay it forward’ and donate to ensure the next generation has the best mental health support available.

The WHO reports that half of mental ill health conditions start by the age of 14, though many go undetected and untreated, and 75% develop by the age of 18. Pre-Covid19, British children as young as five years old were being diagnosed with anxiety and depression.

Launching on Wednesday 26th August, our Give Five, Save Lives campaign aims to raise funds to enable us to train more teachers in mental health and wellbeing as the topics become part of the curriculum in the UK from September.

Peter Wingrove, Operations Director at Shawmind, said: “We owe it to the next generation to do all we can to help prepare them to live happy, balanced and resilient lives. But we have to equip them with the knowledge and support to be able to do that for themselves. We do this in three distinct ways: reaching out and training the children themselves, training the parents, and training the teachers who are in effect the ‘front line’ for children’s mental health at school.

“We’ve been working in schools since our successful Headucation campaign led to a discussion being tabled in parliament in 2017 to get mental health and wellbeing included in the curriculum.  

“Now our interactive online training courses for teachers will prepare them to confidently deliver the new curriculum as well as identify possible signs of distress in the children under their care, while at the same time taking into consideration the limited time that teachers have available to take on additional training.”

Thanks to financial backing from the National Lottery Communities Fund, Alchemy Foundation, Charities Aid Foundation, Souter Charitable Trust and the Mary Robinson Trust, we have been able to start offering this training to schools.

However, to enable us to train anywhere near enough teachers to make a significant difference to the next generation, we are asking the nation to dig deep and get involved in our ‘Give Five, Save Lives’ campaign on the Aviva Community Fund site.

Peter added: “Its costs £100 to train one teacher in one school, but that teacher will go on to support hundreds of pupils during their career. We want each teacher to be well-equipped and confident in offering that support to pupils, whether it’s now, or in ten years’ time.”

To make a donation to ‘Give Five, Save Lives’, click here.

Simultaneously, we are calling on schools to get in touch to take up the offer of training to equip more teachers and support staff within the education system to feel confident in teaching this vast subject and supporting their pupils.

For more information about our courses for teachers visit our Get Trained pages or call us on 01636 600830 to discuss your needs.

We are delighted to invite you to join our Mindful Meander walking group.

The group has been established thanks to funding from The National Lottery and Sport England, delivered through an active partnership with Active Notts.

The first bi-weekly group will meet by the back of the registry office in the Newark Castle Grounds at 10am on Tuesday 8^th September.

The walk will begin at ten past the hour and will take in the Castle, Riverside Park, Trent Locks and Millgate before returning to our starting point. We estimate the walk will take no more than an hour.

Together, we will enjoy some exercise, share our lockdown stories, and perhaps lean on each other for some peer support.

There will be a trained Shawmind Mental Health Champion on hand if you want to make use of the opportunity to talk.

Please wear appropriate clothing and footwear and bring along your hand sanitiser, sunscreen, a bottle of water and a snack, as appropriate.

If you need any further information please call us on 01636 600830.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Teenagers and their parents are set to benefit from free mental health and wellbeing taster courses thanks to a partnership between Shawmind and Newark & Sherwood District Council.

The East Midlands mental health and wellbeing charity and its associate trainer, Tana Macpherson-Smith from Clearminds Education, are offering one-hour taster sessions of their Monkey Wisdom courses to teens and their parents over the next two weeks, as the summer holidays begin.

Awareness of the importance of good mental health and wellbeing had been on the rise even before Covid-19 struck, but the pandemic has pulled the looming crisis into sharp focus, particularly in young people.

Research by MHFA England suggests that half of mental ill health starts by the age of 15 and 75% develops by the age of 18.

To address this and to help reassure pupils and parents ahead of the planned return to school in September, Shawmind has partnered with Newark & Sherwood District Council to deliver two free  live sessions for parents and their children on YouTube.

The first Monkey Wisdom session, for teenagers, will be streamed live on Shawmind’s YouTube channel on Thursday 30^th July, 6pm-7pm. Parents will have access to their own dedicated session a week later, on Friday 7^th  August, 6pm-7pm.

Anyone who is concerned about their teenager’s emotional and mental health or who would simply benefit from some pointers on how to start conversations about mental health with their children, should join the free session. 

Tana Macpherson-Smith, Founder of Clearminds Education, said: “At a time when we are experiencing health concerns and conditions previously unknown to most of us, the anticipated return to school in September has caused many children and parents to become understandably anxious about the possible impact of the new-look school system under the Covid19 regime.

“This one-hour training will address the key areas of concern for both teenagers and parents; explore the prevalent emotions at this difficult time and provide seven simple steps to help support your child as they prepare for their return to school.” 

Peter Wingrove, Operations Director at Shawmind, said: “We are delighted to be working with Tana and Newark & Sherwood District Council to offer these free sessions to teenagers and parents.

“We are aware that anxiety can have a lasting impact on an individual’s mental health and long-term wellbeing, so by equipping teenagers and their parents with the tools to acknowledge, address and resolve anxiety, we’re hoping that young people will return to school in September feeling much more reassured.

“The Monkey Wisdom courses have been proving popular with children, teenagers and parents across the country, but thanks to our partnership with the council, we’re excited to be able to offer these taster sessions to our community.”

Anyone interested in watching the free sessions should tune into the Shawmind YouTube channel from 6pm on either Thursday 30^th July or Friday 7^th August to watch the live stream, here: https://bit.ly/2ZTGtrm

For more information about Shawmind’s extensive training courses for children visit the website https://www.shawmind.org/online-training-children-mental-health/

In these challenging times, extra pennies can have a big impact and therefore Shawmind is proud to be available on Pledjar – a new and innovative mobile app. Through Pledjar you can securely connect your bank account and round-up your transactions and pass on your ‘spare change’ to benefit our charity.

Shawmind aims to provide resources and support to those experiencing poor mental health and their families. As well as our popular text and telephone support service, we are making mental health training available to everyone from children, their parents and teachers to employees, HR staff and business owners. We believe that everyone should have a better understanding of the different mental health disorders, in order to help themselves and others when a crisis looms.

With Pledjar you can follow our recent campaigns and give one-off donations with a tap, without changing how you spend. Please download the app and use code SMF001 when asked during sign up, so you can select Shawmind as your charity of choice.

Signing up is simple, and only takes a few minutes: https://youtu.be/zd7X_UVJIv0

Sign up today

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pledjar.app&hl=en_GB

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/pledjar/id1504894760

Our ManCave group was developed to encourage guys to open up, talk to and support one another.

The next group meets this Wednesday, come along and talk or bring along a friend who needs to.

The guest speaker this month is Fabian Devlin.

Fabian Devlin biography

Communications Consultant & Co-author of ‘Big Boys Don’t Cry?’

Fabian has worked in communications for nearly 20 years, publicising major organisations like Sky, ITN and The National Lottery, heading up the comms team for national children’s charity Chance to Shine and, most recently, setting up his own freelance consultancy, Devlin Communications.

Fabian is passionate about mental health and, following his own experience of anxiety and depression, he has co-curated a men’s mental health book, ‘Big Boys Don’t Cry?’. The collection of 60 stories from men from different backgrounds with lived experience of a range of mental illnesses, was launched in May 2020 (bigboysdontcry.co.uk).

Fabian lives with his wife and daughter in South West London and enjoys mindful meditation, playing cricket and walking his King Charles Cavalier Spaniel Star.

When: 15th July, from 5.30pm
Where: Via Zoom

Please register for your free place here: bit.ly/2ZmOLWX

Men’s mental health was high on the agenda during Men’s Health Week (15^th – 21st June) for mental health and wellbeing charity, Shawmind.

Shawmind, which is based in Newark, Nottinghamshire, kicked off a week focusing on men’s mental health by hosting its first virtual men only ManCave group, via Zoom, on Monday 15^th June.

The charity, which had been hosting bi-weekly ManCave meetings at a local Newark venue before lockdown rules kicked in, was pleased to see men from as far away as London, Grimsby and Manchester join the hour-long interactive meeting.

On Monday, 10 men from across the country joined the group and heard from guest speaker Dave Cottrell from Mindset by Dave.

Dave, a long-standing supporter of Shawmind, is a mindset coach and host of the mental health podcast Master the Mind Master Anything.

After his talk, the “room” was opened up and participants asked questions, listened to one another’s stories and offered advice and support.

Peter Wingrove, Operations Director at Shawmind, said: “Our ManCave meetings have proven popular from the start and before lockdown we were regularly welcoming around 15 men from as far away as Lincoln, Hull and Nottingham.

“The statistics around men’s mental health are truly shocking; one in eight men have a common mental health problem, but men are often more reluctant than their female counterparts to ask for help or disclose their concerns to loved ones.

“Tragically, men are three times more likely than women to die by suicide in the UK. And men aged 45 – 49 have the highest age-specific suicide rate.

“Having a space to talk freely about their feelings, worries and anxieties with other men in a safe environment can help guys to process what they are going through and start to see a way forward. The ManCave was set up specifically to support that first step.”

The ManCave group will now take place in the middle of each month, with the next one already in the diary for Wednesday 15^th July. Those who want to attend can get the registration link for the online session from our website.  

Peter adds: “There are no expectations that those who join us for ManCave are expected to share their story unless they want to. Similarly, people regularly benefit from listening to others or offering advice to the group, so there is no pressure to speak up if guests don’t want to.

“That said, the group is a great place to share what’s on your mind. I strongly encourage all those who join to get involved and participate. That way everyone benefits.”

Motor racing is more than just being able to drive fast, it’s about consistency, preparation, strategy, mental stamina and more. Excelling at anything, at work or home, calls for these keystones.

When I started racing at 11 years old, I very quickly realised that I would need to deal with disappointment: being pushed off the circuit; not achieving my goals; and not being on the top step. These setbacks all called for mental resilience, not that I knew what that was at the time.

The resilience I developed from this young age helped me understand that life is bigger than that one moment, even though it may not seem like it at that time.

Despite the title, racing is more than just being fast, you need to have the ability to react to ever changing circumstances, with more than one opponent to consider in your strategy for passing them with the aim of winning. 

Almost all of the mind work is undertaken off the circuit. You know that there are drivers who will use different techniques to try and unsettle you. You blank that out.

Simulation runs help with getting the circuit imprinted into your sub-conscious. This is reinforced with quiet “visualisation” and “mindfulness”. The visualisation is not just of the circuit and racing around it, it is also thinking of opportunities and options, identifying how to make a move and what to do when this may not work, maximising the input of limited time on the track.

These techniques can drive areas where you need a focus into your subconsciousness. Combined with the mindfulness it creates “normality” in your sub-conscious freeing up space in the conscious brain for the out of the ordinary, sudden things. Lots of people have this sub-conscious operating state without realising, how many of you have driven home and not remembered what happened en route? It was your sub-conscious that got you there.

Meditation and yoga help to clear the mind, centre you and control your breathing. They can help to remove and block out the negative thoughts, keeping emotions in check, stop the mind wandering and train the sub-conscious to focus on the task in hand. 

I work on pressure training, created through artificial pressurised states. I develop an internal rhythm with that pressure state so that my mind learns to adapt to it, working and controlling it is all part of coping with pressure.

Fitness levels enhance the ability to control and stay focussed in the car as well as mental ability, so weights and cardiovascular workouts are part of my day to day life off the track.

You need to have continuous self-belief without being arrogant. Internalised self-proclamation and belief adds to your positive mental strength and wellbeing.

All of this preparation helps to free up space in your conscious mind to deal with the unknown variables in the multi-player chess game of the race.

At the race meeting elements of the above are recounted in my head, just to provide final preparation. I use music to help me focus and get my mind into the “zone” for the race before I head to the grid and get into the car.

With an installation over and before the lights come on, I sit there with the mind free and the car set up ready to go. Once the lights go red there is nothing else in my mind or vision, my sole focus is on them and my reaction time to get off the line.  

Lights out – “go go go” the brain kicks into the zone. I know what is coming up circuit-wise but not what may happen with the competition. There’s no adrenaline rush, whether on pole or at the back, as the mental training and control puts me into the right space and focus on the task in hand with no nerves. So begins the first move of the chess game, look at what is happening in front and behind, assess what others are doing and maybe thinking of doing, have no fear as to what may happen and make your move. You only know if you have it right when you get out of the corner. That’s why you need a clear mind as to the “normal” and a consciousness that is at its optimum for “out of the ordinary”.

Incidents happen, it’s racing. This is where the mental strength comes in. It’s happened, blank it out and keep a positive statement of mind focussed on what needs to happen next. What has happened is gone and consigned to history on that lap or maybe the whole race.

It may be worth a brief mental review as you approach the location again or more than likely only worth the analysis of what has happened to learn for the next race.

Matthew Cowley is a professional Racing Driver/Driver Coach – Mustang British GT4 Driver – and mental health champion at Shawmind