Click on this link to download a flyer about the conference final-announcement-recovery-conference-march-2012

A big ‘thank you’ to Awards for All/The Big Lottery - for funding the Employment Advice Fair and subsequent advisory sessions in legal, benefits and debt advice which has enabled us to take on a new team member, a qualified solicitor and trained In-Sight trainee, who is delivering confidential free advice helping many many people in issues that are barriers to their recovery and their return to work. This has also enabled our solicitor team member to apply for the first time for her legal practising certificate. Many employment advice sessions have also been delivered, giving individual specialised advice on employment issues: from preparing for interviews, to job-searching and letter and CV writing, as well as exploring how to tell an employer  about past mental health issues.  

The European Social Fund and the Skills Funding Agency, managed by TCHC, granted the social enterprise funds for a Recovery In-Sight training course and supervised office opportunities and job- and job-related skills training in the offices. This has enabled 24 people to access these learning opportunities and has already resulted in many volunteers taking up greater roles within the social enterprise, many of these also management team observer positions. It has also enabled several volunteers to receive paid work opportunities training others within the social enterprise, and enabled others to progress to interview stage applications with local firms, so a real boost towards getting back into work, feeling valued and developing confidence. As well as this, TCHC has also facilitated a Capacity Building grant to the social enterprise for an Investors in People Health & Wellbeing Award to be undertaken during Spring 2012, so a really big “thank you” indeed!

Special thanks to Hertfordshire County Council Adult Care Services Joint Commissioning Team, for funding the In-Sight training and Stevenage bipolar support group from the start of the projects in September 2008. With a 3-year contract until March 2014, many more trainees and group attendees will be able to access these opportunities and derive benefit.

Thanks also to Hertfordshire Workforce Development Partnership,

who funded the initial Training the Trainers courses in

In-Sight in 2008/9,which formed the initial group of trainers!

Special thanks

to the Allen Lane Foundation,

which has enabled us to pay our bills at the Old Free School,

and to co-deliver an In-Sight course next year as well as

job skills training and mentoring voluntary placements in our offices.

Thanks to 10 County Councillors from their Locality Budgets - Mark Watkin, John Lloyd, Matthew Hurst, Audrey Oaten, Nigel Bell, Stephen Giles-Medhurst, Seamus Quilty, Deirdre Anne Gates, Barbara Lamb and Morris Bright - and to a Grassroots Grant administered by Hertfordshire Community Foundation, we have been able to take offices and training facilities at the Old Free School, Watford and to welcome many volunteers to the project.

Thanks also to Hertfordshire Community Foundation for their grant to enable us, jointly with the Allen Lane Foundation, to co-deliver the In-Sight course next year.

Thanks also to the Watford Borough Council’s Annual Fund 2010 which will enable us to purchase the vital office and training equipment so that we can enable people to progress in their office skills and as trainers, as well as provide trainees with professionally-delivered courses.

A big thank you to Mayor of Watford Dorothy Thornhill, for nominating us as the organisation to receive all sponsorship and donations from her Christmas cards in 2010 which will go towards welcoming volunteers to build the capacity of the project. Thank you to all the companies who donated: Harlequin Shopping Centre, Watford Football Club, the Saracens, Sigma Pharmaceuticals, West Herts Golf Club, Freedom Communications, Brasier Freeth, Prince of Bengal, Presence and Geo. Ausden. Thanks also to all the staff at Watford Town Hall who gave from their Charity Card Wall this year.

A huge thank you to MP for Watford Richard Harrington whose kind support and interest in our project has been deeply appreciated by all the team.

And thank you also to the Stevenage Community Trust for their kind donation which will be used for administering and promoting the Stevenage bipolar support group.  

Thanks also to the Jill Franklin Trust for similarly providing us with the equipment to administer and promote our support group in Watford.

Thanks also to the companies who donated at our launch in April 2010 and our office warming in October 2010: Boots, Neal’s Yard, Sainsbury’s, Tesco’s, Marks & Spencer, and John Lewis in Watford for their recent Xmas donation.

And last but by no means least, a big thank you to the University of Hertfordshire’s FLARE organisers, who enabled us to start off in free offices and training and meeting rooms, as well as provide free running costs and business advice from Ruth Badger, after our win of Best Business Plan in 2009.

All our kind funders and sponsors have made it possible for us to locate in the heart of Watford, at the Old Free School and bring this listed building alive to welcome the community and enable the recovery of people with mental health problems.   Thank you all !

In Hertfordshire, there are two Recovery In-Sight self-help groups in Watford and Stevenage.

Both groups are run by people affected by bipolar disorder for people affected by bipolar disorder, whether they are service users or carers.

Over 400 people have used these self-help groups or followed the recovery training at some time since the creation of the first group in Watford in January 2006 and the second group in Stevenage in October 2008.

About a quarter of our members are carers of people affected by bipolar disorder.

The groups run monthly and organize a variety of events (see below).

If you wish to receive advice on setting up a self-help group in your area, or suggestions on offering peer support to service users or carers, then please email the Recovery In-Sight team.

Hertfordshire Recovery In-Sight Bipolar Self Help Group Meetings & Events

Winter - Spring 2012

Training News:

The next Recovery In-Sight course commences Saturday 21st April, held over 8 consecutive Saturdays 10am - 5pm, finishing on Saturday 9th June 2012. There are still places left for this course which will take place at the Old Free School in Watford. To enroll, you must be a service user or carer wishing to improve your recovery or the recovery of your family member, and you must be a Herts resident. Contact 01923-297122 to find out more and to arrange for a short interview.

Watford Group News

The monthly self-help group meetings and venue for the events is every SECOND Saturday of the month from 10.30am - 12.30pm at the Friends Meeting House (Quakers), 150 Church Road, Watford, WD17 4QB. The group welcomes people with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and their supportive carers and friends. We alternate speakers and training with self-help group sessions and ideas for these come from group members. We ask for a £1 donation for tea/coffee we provide at the break. A library of useful literature is available to borrow free of charge. Go to multimap.com for free directions/map.

* 14th January - self-help meeting. 

* 11th February - self-help meeting.

* 10th March - self-help meeting.

* 14th April - Dr Stephanie Sadler, consultant psychiatrist, returns by popular request from members, to speak about the latest developments in bipolar disorder. All members across both groups are welcome to what has proven to be ‘the’ most popular annual group event.

Stevenage Group News

The Stevenage Recovery In-Sight group meets at The Friends Meeting House (Quakers), Cutty’s Lane, Stevenage, also every SECOND Saturday in the month, 2pm - 4pm. A contribution of £1 per person is requested for refreshments. A library of useful literature is available to borrow at no charge.

Ideas for events, speakers and self-help sessions come from group members. 

* 14th January - meeting cancelled due to ill health. Stevenage members are invited to attend the Watford support group (see above).

* 11th February - self-help group meeting.

* 10th March - Qualified solicitor and benefits/debt trained advisor, new team member to RISE, presents on the free individual advisory sessions that are available to members in the areas of legal, benefits and debt advice. No housing advice queries are taken as these are referred to the CAB where housing specialists can be reached. The legal advisor will also be on hand to arrange private assessments with members with a view to on-going advisory sessions. You do not need to be working to benefit from these advisory sessions, only that these issues present as barriers to your recovery or to the recovery of your family member coping with mental health issues who you are supporting.

* 14th April - self-help group meeting.

If you are a member of one of The Recovery In-Sight Centre’s Bipolar Support groups - let your committee know about your suggestions for future guest speakers, workshops or events or if you want to get involved in helping to run one of the groups!

For further information on peer support or self-help, please contact: the Recovery In-Sight team.