As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting local causes, RiskSTOP Group has recently donated to a number of critical community services. These donations have been made due to our continued effort to address urgent mental health needs within the community and enhance community events.
Supporting Mental Health Services in Portland
£1,000 has been donated to The Sanctuary Crisis Intervention Hub, a vital facility addressing the mental health needs of Portland residents. Established in August 2023, The Sanctuary emerged to fill a significant gap in mental health services on the island, particularly for those without easy access to provisions in Weymouth.
The Sanctuary offers an array of services, including in-person crisis support, therapeutic sessions, and 24/7 text support. It provides a safe space for individuals experiencing various mental health issues such as bereavement, depression, anxiety, and mental distress. The facility's welcoming and secure atmosphere is designed to prioritise comfort over clinical formality, making it a crucial lifeline for many islanders.
"With our donation, we hope to support The Sanctuary's mission to alleviate loneliness and isolation among residents and promote ongoing conversations about mental health," said Natalie Joyce, Group HR & Social Responsibility Associate Director. "Their work in creating a safe space for individuals to share their concerns and be heard is vital for the wellbeing of the community."
To hear more about The Sanctuary Crisis Intervention Hub, have a listen to our recent People at the Heart Podcast below. Natalie sat down with Paige, service user and passionate supporter of The Hub, to talk about all the amazing work they do.
This episode comes with a content warning. This is simply to empower you with the knowledge you need to make healthy decisions about how and if you should consume this episode. Please note that mental ill health is discussed.
A transcript for this podcast can be found at the bottom of this article.
Locked Up for a Cause, Amy Raises Money for Weldmar Hospicecare
In April, Amy Lillington from RebuildCostASSESSMENT.com took part in Weldmar Hospicecare's Jail & Bail event, a fundraising event arranged to support the essential services provided by Weldmar Hospicecare. With only 17% of their funding coming from the NHS, Weldmar relies heavily on the generosity of the local community to continue offering critical care. During the event, the participants were challenged to raise donations as 'bail' money to secure their release from a ‘jail’ at Shire Hall Museum, Dorchester.
The bail target was set at a significant £999. However, through determination and overwhelming support from the community, Amy not only met this goal but exceeded it spectacularly, raising a remarkable £2,134, bringing the grand total from all participants to just shy of £6,000. This substantial contribution will help Weldmar Hospicecare continue its invaluable work of providing care and support to those in need.
Enhancing Local Events with Hanger's Heroes
In addition, RiskSTOP Group has also contributed £1,000 to the Hanger's Heroes Challenge 2024, a local event that raises funds for various charitable causes. This donation covered the cost of Timing Monkey, a professional event timing service that ensures the smooth operation of races and challenges.
Hanger's Heroes is renowned for its engaging community events, which not only raise significant funds for charity but also foster a spirit of camaraderie among participants. Timing Monkey's services will enhance the event experience by providing precise timing and results for all participants.
"We are proud to continue our support of Hanger’s Heroes with this contribution. The work Nina and Roger do for local charities is admirable and has benefited many people’s lives," added Natalie.
A Commitment to Social Responsibility
These donations are part of our promise to engage with and support the communities in which we operate. Our commitment to social responsibility is reflected in the ongoing efforts to make a positive impact through charitable giving and community support.
"We believe in giving back to the community and supporting initiatives that make a real difference in people's lives," said Danny Lillington, Managing Director at RiskSTOP Group. "Our recent donations to The Sanctuary and Hanger's Heroes Challenge are just a few examples of how we strive to fulfil our social responsibility and contribute to the wellbeing of our community."
For more information about RiskSTOP Group's charitable activities and community involvement, please visit our About Us page by clicking the button below.
People at the Heart Podcast Transcript
Natalie Joyce 00:00
This episode comes with a content warning. This is simply to empower you with the knowledge you need to make healthy decisions about how and if you should consume this episode. Please note that we'll be discussing mental ill health today. Two-thirds of people in the UK say they have no one to speak to about mental health. Who would you turn to? Hi, everyone. I'm Natalie Joyce, and I'm responsible for people and social responsibility at RiskSTOP Group. Welcome to another episode of our People at the Heart podcast, where we like to chat about all kinds of things, both serious and light-hearted, connected with our team and our work here at RiskSTOP Group. Let's get straight into it and introduce our guest today, Paige Jolliff, who is an assessor for RebuildCostASSESSMENT.com and she is here today to discuss mental health. Hi Paige, thank you very much for joining me.
Paige Jolliff 00:59
Hi Nat, thank you so much for having me.
Natalie Joyce 01:01
I'd like to start by thanking you, Paige. You introduced me to the Sanctuary Crisis Intervention Hub in Portland and the owner, Isabel, and off the back of that meeting, RiskSTOP Group donated a thousand pounds to the charity. Can you explain what The Hub does and what services they provide?
Paige Jolliff 01:16
So The Sanctuary is a crisis intervention hub. It's not an actual charity. It's not registered as a charity. It needs to be built up to be able to get funding. So they literally rely on funding from their clients or from charity work that is done in and around Portland. They're there to jump in for those who need help, to give you advice, you can have therapy with Izzy, who's a therapist there; they've got the wellbeing lounge, where you can just go and sit and have a cup of tea and chat with some of the volunteers and chat with other clients that come in as well. And it's nice. I like going there; I can just be myself and just relax for a couple of hours and just have a cup of tea. And it doesn't feel like you're in a crisis where someone's prodding and poking you. Just feels like an everyday conversation, really, and then you feel comfortable enough to open up. They don't prod and poke you with questions like, "How are you feeling?", "What's this?", "What's that?". They wait for you to come out and say it first. So it's really, really nice and really just a calm atmosphere.
Natalie Joyce 02:12
So why did you make the introduction then between RiskSTOP Group and then the actual hub itself?
Paige Jolliff 02:17
Because I know that RiskSTOP Group is very big on mental health. I've never known a company so strong about mental health before, and I knew that the sanctuary needed help, so I kind of put two and two together, and I was like, I wonder if they can donate money or even just advertise the place, that it's there and people can turn to it. They're always looking for new clients, new volunteers, just anyone that can help. And I feel so strongly about this place. It's probably the one place that has made me believe that actually there is help out there, and actually you can get better in your mental health. And I want to support this place with my life, basically.
Natalie Joyce 02:59
Thank you. It's interesting because you and I visited the hub together; thank you for that opportunity; it was amazing to see it; Izzy's actually been putting her own money into it, hasn't she? And the actual site itself is beautiful, the way she's set it up. So thank you for that introduction. Now, if you're comfortable, Paige, would you be kind enough to let us know how you know about The Hub?
Paige Jolliff 03:20
Yep, so I've suffered with mental health for about 14 years, and been at the worst, where I've been in hospital, but then I've been at the best, where I've been absolutely fine. I think I was struggling with CMHT and Steps to Wellbeing. No disrespect to them. They just don't have enough funding and enough time to spend time with us and actually get to know us. So my mum mentioned The Hub to me, and I was really against it at first, because I was like, it's just gonna be another mental health charity. They're gonna go, “Go make a cup of tea”, “Go have a bath”, you know? And I was like, I don't want to do it. So I went to one session. I wasn't really keen on Izzy to start with because she doesn't tell you what you want to hear. She tells you what you need to hear. Sometimes it can be like, "Oh, that's a bit rude", but then when you go away and digest it, you're like, "Okay, actually, she is making sense", and she's made me view mental health in such a different light that I don't know where I'd be or be the person that I am without Izzy making me change so much. But I don't feel like it's an impossible change. It's slowly, but surely; I'm making changes that I didn't even know I was making, and Izzy was spotting them. She's like, "You made this." And I'm like, "Oh yeah, I have." It's one of the best counselling and the best therapy I've ever been to.
Natalie Joyce 04:36
That's incredible. It's interesting what you say about Izzy, because I have spent some time with her, and she's an ex-police officer, isn't she? So she's quite matter-of-fact, but she's still got a warmth about her, hasn't she? So you've directly benefited from the services of the hub, which is pretty incredible. So what's your involvement with them now?
Paige Jolliff 04:53
So I am still a client under Izzy. She does therapy for thirty pounds, and that's any type of therapy. She'll do CBT, DBT, Hypnotherapy, CAT therapy she does as well. Then, sometimes I'll go to the wellbeing lounge. I've made a couple of close units with the volunteers there. And I'll just go down and have a sit, chat with some of the clients that come through. I was looking to be a volunteer myself, but I'm waiting till I'm a bit more stable to deal with other people. They've also got a Crowdfunder that I keep sharing, that I'm probably going to put on IRIS and just try again to raise money. Maybe like what Amy did with the bake sale. I'll try and do that for the sanctuary, because I really just want to keep them up and running. If this place goes, then a lot of people are going to suffer from it.
Natalie Joyce 05:41
Thirty pounds for therapy is really good value for money.
Paige Jolliff 05:45
For a private therapist, yeah.
Natalie Joyce 05:46
I absolutely agree with you. What's CAT therapy?
Paige Jolliff 05:49
CAT therapy is mostly used for people that have borderline personality disorder.
Natalie Joyce 05:54
Okay.
Paige Jolliff 05:55
So it's about managing your emotions. It goes side by side with DBT therapy. It's managing your emotions and how to manage them in certain scenarios, where CBT is all about training your brain to look at things differently. Where CAT and DBT tend to go into what you do in those moments and how you react to them in those moments.
Natalie Joyce 06:16
Thank you. So if somebody wanted to reach out to The Hub, how would they go about that?
Paige Jolliff 06:20
There is tons of ways to reach out to them. You've got emails, they've got a 24/7 phone that you can just message whenever or call. They will pick up, literally, 24/7. I mean, the whole time I've been under them, they've only not had the phone once, and that's because they had a Christmas party where they were drinking, and they were like, it's not suitable for us to be on the phone. And I'm like, fair. You guys need time out as well, you know? So, yeah, you can either text their number or even just email me. I'm happy to put you through to them, you know. I don't think there's a referral on their website. But I'll message Izzy on a daily basis, even when I don't have appointments with her, and be like, "Izzy, I'm not doing great," and she'll take time out to talk to me, and it's not even a therapy session at that point, she's just taking her time out to talk to me. She's there, 24/7, or the phone's there 24/7. You can even walk into the wellbeing lounge. You don't even need to tell them you're going. Just walk in and go, I feel like I need some support. They'll be like, "Yeah, come on in, do you want a cup of tea, coffee?" Then they've even got lunch down there. So they make you lunch. They make sure that their clients have eaten. They've helped somebody who was homeless actually get home. He was very on the I want to end my life side, so they managed to boost him up to be in a house. And he is not on the mend, but he's in full recovery, and fingers crossed at the moment, there's not been any talk of it for at least a month, since he's moved into his own place. So they don't just help with mental health; they can help with finances as well, as well as where to go. And Izzy will do stuff for you as well. If you're uncomfortable speaking to people, Izzy will do it for you and be like, "Right, I'm here. I can either talk to them for you, or I can support you through it", kind of thing.
Natalie Joyce 08:01
We're really lucky that we've got that service and a lady like Izzy in our community. Do you have to live on Portland in order to access the service?
Paige Jolliff 08:08
No, you can live in Portland, Weymouth or Dorchester. I was talking to Izzy about this yesterday, actually, and she said the problem is, is that clients in Dorchester, do they really want to drive all the way to Portland? Izzy can do home visits, but they tend to be for deeper emergencies, for people that are in an immediate crisis and just don't want to leave their house. I mean, Izzy, the other day, broke her ankle while climbing up a cliff edge, trying to save somebody who was on the edge of the cliff. You know, that's not for her to do, but that's how much she cares. And she's completely inspired me; I want to look into maybe going into counselling as well and be a therapist because she's completely inspired me to do this. And I'm just like, wow, you've made such a difference to me. I want to make that to other people now,
Natalie Joyce 08:56
What a special lady. Now I'm aware that you're one of our Mental Health First Aiders here at RiskSTOP Group. Tell me a little bit about that please, Paige.
Paige Jolliff 09:03
So the Mental Health First Aid course is very, very sort of, brutal is not the right word, but it is very triggering in what you do. But Peter Larkum is amazing, even though it's not a funny subject, he made it fun. He made it lighthearted. He made us laugh. You know, there was obviously a section where we talked about suicide, and we all left for lunch, and we were all just out in the car park, all of us just crying. And we were like, why are we crying? What's going on? We went back in, and Peter just made us feel so safe. And he was like, "If you need to leave, I'm not going to ask where you're going. I'm not going to ask what you're doing. If you need to leave, leave. If you need to sit there and cry at your desk. Sit there and cry at your desk." It was amazing. It was very touchy, but he made it very lighthearted, and we weren't all sitting there, like, "Oh God, this isn't good. Help!" It was really nice. I'd happily do it again and again and again.
Natalie Joyce 10:02
I've done the same course, and Peter Larkum has been a friend of RiskSTOP Group for many years now. And I second everything you've just said; he is brilliant at what he does because some of the subjects are incredibly emotive, and the way he delivers them sticks, doesn't it? It really does. So I'm with you, absolutely. So has the course helped you, and has it helped you to help other people?
Paige Jolliff 10:22
Yeah, it's definitely helped me see a lot that I didn't really know. I always thought I was quite strong on mental health, but there were a lot of statistics I didn't know that Peter said to me, and I was like, "Woah". Like when he said something about more people dying by suicide a year than dying in a car accident. And I was like, wow, that's a lot, and it's also given me so much support of how I can help other people. I just thought you had to give other people advice to help them. You don't. You just need to guide them in the right direction. So rather than me giving people advice that could make them worse, I've now learned to be like, I'm here for you. But there is the Samaritans, there is the GP, there is this, there is that, that I didn't know about before. I generally thought you just had to be someone's therapist for them. Where Peter taught me, no, you don't. You just need to give them a little bit of a nudge in the right direction. And he taught me that having a bad mental health day isn't a bad mental health day, and it's best to reach out for help when you're having more bad days than good days. Everyone has bad days and good days, but when you're having more bad than good, that's when you need to go; please help me; I need some help.
Natalie Joyce 11:34
Yeah I absolutely agree with that. And you're right; the training we receive as Mental Health First Aiders is about support and then signposting. You're right; we're not trained therapists and counsellors, so I think you've described that really well. You've touched on this already, Paige, but what advice would you give to someone who might be suffering from mental ill health or someone who's concerned about a colleague, friend or family member?
Paige Jolliff 11:55
If you're suffering yourself, and I know we live in a generation where people can't talk about it, but please, please, please, do. Coming from someone that's been at my worst and felt like nobody cared about me and I was better off not being here. Seeing what that did to my family and friends absolutely destroyed me, and now I'm sort of coming out the other side. Just speak out, and if you're worried about somebody, I remember Emma Kenny said this, and it's stuck in my head. She's a criminal psychologist that I watch. She says, "Don't be afraid to offend people." So she talks about, when you hear an argument of the couple next door and then you hear glass smash, don't be afraid to call the police. It might be nothing, but you could also save someone's life in that moment. He could be killing her for all you know. You don't. So I stick with that, don't be afraid to offend people. If you think someone's struggling and you go to someone else about it, they might get upset with you. They might because they might be like, "No, I'm absolutely fine", but all it takes is that one person to notice, and that's it. I remember somebody sitting on a cliff with me for over an hour, someone I didn't even know. Random stranger saw I was struggling, came and sat with me and saved my life. And that's what I want to do for somebody else.
Natalie Joyce 13:14
So talking about mental health can help reduce stigma. It creates supportive communities, and it helps people feel empowered to seek help. Now this year's World Mental Health Day is on the 10th of October, and the theme is, 'It's time to prioritise mental health in the workplace.' So we're going to continue to prioritise mental health here at RiskSTOP Group, and Paige, I really want to thank you for being so open and honest and for sharing your story with your colleagues.
Paige Jolliff 13:39
Thank you so much. And honestly, if anyone needs to talk, speak out to anyone, literally anyone. We are all here.
Natalie Joyce 13:44
And that's all for this episode of our People at the Heart podcast. Thank you for listening in. I, along with one or two other presenters, will be back soon with all kinds of things to talk about with different guests. So keep your eyes peeled for more episode announcements on IRIS. And remember, here at RiskSTOP Group, it's all about keeping people safe and secure and believing in social responsibility and sustainability. Until the next time, everyone, goodbye for now.
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