At YMCA Derbyshire, our teams work extremely hard to promote healthy minds and provide space for our young people to talk and feel part of a community. This week is Loneliness Awareness week and we wanted to share some of the ways YMCA Derbyshire help tackle loneliness.
The Opening of the Serenity Room
On the 27th of May we were honoured to have Liz Fothergill CBE HM Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire at Campus to officially open the ‘Serenity Room’.
Our Housing and Maintenance team have worked hard to bring this room into fruition. Housing Navigator Donna has led this project and said’
“I wanted to create a safe space for residents away from their bedroom or the communal areas. Whatever emotions our residents are going through, they can come here for some time out and work through it. We chose to name the room Serenity as that means, calm, peaceful and untroubled, and I hope this room will help residents to feel that way. ”
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Small Talks Big Difference
How are you? No really, how are you?
Mental health, like physical health, is something that we all have and yet speaking openly about mental health is not always easy.
Small chats with your friends, colleagues, and family members can go a long way to make sure you have a place to talk honestly about your feelings. We encourage when asking how someone is, to ASK TWICE.
We held our first ‘Small Talks Big Difference’ event at the Derbion Community Hub. We invited members of the public in for a chat and took part in wellbeing activities together.
Rosie from YMCA Derbyshire said, “It was great to be back out in the community and giving people the space to talk. We were so glad people felt comfortable to come and chat to us, and we are looking forward to holding more events like this.”
Community Meal
On the last Friday of each month, we host a Community Meal. The event offers the opportunity for individuals, families, community groups and businesses to come together, get to know one another and eat great food.
Each meal is run in partnership with Head High, a local mental health organisation, and is managed by a local business or charity.
Head High cooked for us last month, take a look at how the day went over on Instagram –
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Follow us on socials or check this page for updates on our community meal.
If you’re a business or community group, why not send a team of volunteers to run the meal one week? This is a unique team-building opportunity. Or you may have food you could donate!
Contact us if you would like to get involved: 01332 579558 or enquiries@ymcaderbyshire.org.uk
Men in Sheds
A hands-on project where participants can build, craft, landscape, repair, grow their own, and meet others who share the crafty bug.
Men in Sheds has proven for the second year running that change can happen out of a traditional support setting. Often participants on this project have disengaged or never engaged with needed support, from substance/alcohol services, mental health services, or employability and education opportunities.
Men in Sheds is a bridge to supporting individuals who are often hardest to reach, and acts as a catalyst for reducing loneliness, social isolation, improving mental and physical wellbeing, and developing skills to support employability.
We are currently looking for volunteers to run Men in Sheds sessions – apply here.
