Each Year a theme is set by the Mental Health Foundation, the theme this year is ‘Anxiety'. St Helens Wellbeing Service, have put together a timetable of activities to help you to improve or maintain your wellbeing.

We are living in unpredictable times which can cause us to experience stressful feelings.  We know it’s easy to say but try not to beat yourself up. In any year 1 in 4 people may experience mental ill health, so if you’re feeling anxious, you are not on your own!  If we beat ourselves up, this can add to our stressful feelings.  Anxiety can make us feel uneasy, worried or fearful and this can impact on our mental and physical wellbeing and on our daily life. 

So, what can we do to help ourselves and those around us with feelings of anxiety?  Connecting with St Helens Wellbeing can lessen the chance of our wellbeing being affected negatively. The service is based around 5 Ways to Wellbeing, which has been shown to help people to have better physical and mental wellbeing. 

Halton Borough Council has been allocated a small amount from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) in order to offer grants to local community and voluntary groups for small, local, environmental projects.

The focus of the scheme is to fund projects that increase or improve access to Green Spaces in Halton, connect people to nature or enhance the local environment. Projects must also engage with or benefit the local community.

Mersey Care serve more than 1.4 million people, offering specialist inpatient and community services that support mental health, learning disabilities, addictions, brain injuries and physical health, and they are one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

Elections to the Council of Governors will take place over the Summer, when they will be looking for a Halton/Warrington/St Helens Governor to represent members within their community. If you are aged 14 or over and want to join an influential group of people interested in the development of health services across Cheshire and Merseyside, please complete an online application form

Celebrating diversity and culture in St Helens Borough.

You are invited to a free cultural day showcasing art, music, dance, food, workshops and performances organised by the St Helens Borough Council's Refugee Resettlement Service.

Throughout September, Harmless is hosting its fourth annual online Suicide Bereavement Conference. To mark World Suicide Prevention Day, they will be presenting a series of live webinars examining practical applications for working in suicide bereavement. 

This unique CPD-accredited event will take place across eight short webinars, allowing you the flexibility to join as many as you like. And if you are unable to attend any sessions, don’t worry – they will be recording the whole conference and making sessions available for viewing from October via their e-portal.

This conference is designed to help those of us working with anyone impacted by suicide.

As part of Volunteers week from the 1st -7th June St Helens Adult & Community learning are running free mental health awareness workshops, first aid awareness both paediatric and adult and 1 day Emergency First Aid at Work qualifications (normally £110).  

Free places available for people aged 19+ living in the St Helens / Liverpool city region area volunteering in St Helens or working for a charitable organisation or community group. 

"We Are Survivors" (formally Survivors Manchester) are currently looking for an individual that has the passion, drive and determination to help them deliver their OUT Spoken Talking Therapy Services in Cheshire, Merseyside and Liverpool  (on a part-time basis) – As they continue to provide services in prisons across the Northwest

For the past 14 years, We Are Survivors has provided survivor-focused therapeutic and advocacy support to male victims/survivors of sexual abuse, rape, and sexual exploitation. They have developed a three-tiered approach to services and underpin everything they do with a ‘trauma and recovery’ framework pioneered by Dr Judith Herman.

St Mark’s Church is looking for someone to join their exciting team, someone who loves admin and is skilled in managing their time to help them reach more people with the love of Jesus.

This role partners with the Vicar and their small staff team, in the smooth running of the Church and taking a lead on seasonal events.

We Are Survivors (formally Survivors Manchester) are currently looking for two special and unique individuals to come and help develop and deliver group-based interventions within their OUT Spoken Services based in all prisons across the North West. You will also support and help bridge the gap between prison and community by helping facilitate and support Through the Gate into Community Support Services work.

Does this sound like you? Do you want to help in ensuring that No Survivors is Left Behind? Yes? Well, they want to hear from you!

Information on the St Helens Borough of culture events and funding opportunities

Nominations are now opened for the Business Awards St Helens Borough Business Awards 2023. Please note there Borough of Culture Champion Award - Business Hero - St Helens Borough Business Awards. It would be great to nominate any businesses in the Borough who are Champions for Culture.

There is funding open to organisations at: National Lottery Grants for Heritage – £3,000 to £10,000 | The National Lottery Heritage Fund

ReStore St.Helens is seeking volunteers to help restore furniture & lives of local people. If you have upcycling skills, customer service experience and an interest in promoting good mental health, this local social enterprise would love to meet you.
Situated in Sutton, their shop and workspace provides more than just a meeting place. They also want to build community, fighting loneliness and social isolation.

The shop, on Peckershill Road, Sutton is also full of lovely items for your home. You can buy new, used and upcycled items and everyone is welcome! Why not pop in and see the great range of furniture and furnishings, or get involved as a volunteer – there is something for everyone.

This year’s Africa Oyé festival will take place on June 17th and 18th 2023, in Liverpool’s Sefton Park from 12:30pm til 9:30pm both days and entrance is FREE.

Beginning over three decades ago in 1992 as a series of shows in the city centre, the Africa Oyé Festival has evolved into one of Liverpool's most beloved annual events, attracting artists and attendees from across the world.

Their commitment to being 'free and open to all' also means that the Access Tent, British Sign Language on-stage translators and Access Viewing Platform will also all return for this year's extravaganza.

Liverpool Arab Arts Festival are seeking to recruit an Administrator to join their small ambitious team. The role will be instrumental in maintaining and building upon their administration systems, tasks and processes to ensure the smooth, efficient and effective running of their.

Working individually and as part of a team, the post will support with a wide range of office, events and project administration tasks. You will often be the first point of contact handling communications with partners, audiences and funders. This is an exciting role for someone who is comfortable in working with the public, who is a great communicator, well organised and able to meet multiple deadlines in a fast-moving environment where no two days are the same.

The following organisations gained board approval at the last meeting:

Affiliated members - Paid membership entitled to full benefits (£10)  

Apex Charitable Trust Ltd
Chain Lane Community Centre
Cheshire Asbestos Victims Support Group
Cheshire Without Abuse
Connect
Domestic Abuse WA12
Focus Employment Hub
Footsteps 2000 Ltd
Friends - Play for Disabled Children
H.E.A.R.T.S. (Halton Entertainment's and Art Regional Theatre School)
Halton Play Council Limited
Hargreaves Dementia Trust
Hazlehurst Studios
Home-Start St. Helens
Hough Green Arts Group
Just Bee You Northwest CIC
Lucem House Community Cinema Plus+
Maharishi Foundation
Mersey Gateway Environmental Trust
Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Centre (Cheshire & Merseyside)
Recharge and Restore CIC
Select Training CIC
SPARC
St Helens Carers Centre
The Pilkington Family Trust
The Wonky Garden
Trinity Safe Space
Vision Support
Wat Phra Singh UK
Willowbrook Hospice

Non Affiliated members - Free (but only includes access to up to date information on current news, issues and events)  

Halton Veterans Legion C.I.C
Northwest Veterans Corps of Drums
St Helens Pedal Power

Associate members - Individuals / Statutory Oranisations who want to support VCA

Derek Maylor

If you would like to find out more about VCA membership and the full list of benefits, our website has all the details including the online membership form