Oakleaf Newsletter: Autumn/Winter 2023

NEWS

Autum n/ Winter 2023 It ha s b een a b usy p a st few m onths a t Oa klea f. We ha ve w elc om ed a new Trustee a s w ell a s four new m em b ers of sta ff; c eleb ra ted World Menta l Hea lth Da y; hosted som e fa nta stic events inc lud ing our Wine a nd Ja zz Fund ra iser; introd uc ed b ra nd new w ellb eing a c tivities a nd w orkshop s; rec eived hea rtw a rm ing stories a nd feed b a c k from c lients, a nd of c ourse sta rted looking to Christm a s!

We feel it is inc red ib ly im p orta nt to rela y the m essa g e tha t no m a tter w ha t, sup p ort is out there. Help is a lw a ys a va ila b le. We a re c ontinuing to offer vita l m enta l hea lth

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Oa klea f New s

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Fund ra ising Events

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Testim onia ls

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Client Stories

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Our Im p a c t

a nd w ellb eing sup p ort throug h w ork-rela ted tra ining , em p loym ent g uid a nc e, w ellb eing a c tivities, sup p ort g roup s a nd c ounselling servic es. These a re online a nd in p erson, so tha t every one of our c lients ha s a c c ess to the sup p ort they need .

Som e of the fa nta stic w ellb eing a c tivities a nd w orkshop s w e ha ve rec ently p rovid ed inc lud e Art, Wild life g roup , Sea sona l Yog a , 'The Mig hty Oa ks' Footb a ll tea m , Menta l Hea lth Sup p ort g roup , Wellb eing Ca fé a nd m ore. You c a n view our full c lient c a lend a r on our w eb site.

Our 'Pa thw a ys to Work' Em p loym ent Projec t ha s hosted som e g rea t events to help c lients a c hieve the skills, c onfid enc e a nd tra ining need ed to return to the w orkp la c e, inc lud ing g roup visits to a b ea utiful a rt g a llery a nd hea ling sa nc tua ry a s w ell a s ta lks from The Citizens Ad vic e Burea u, Na tiona l Ca reers Servic e a nd m ore.

We a re p roud to sha re tha t the Guild ford Sa fe Ha ven ha s a 70% revisit ra te, w hic h m ea ns tha t c lients w ho ha ve a ttend ed b efore, felt c om forta b le returning . The Sa fe Ha ven is op en 6-11p m , 365 d a ys a yea r to a nyone exp erienc ing a m enta l hea lth c risis. The Young Ad ult Sa fe Ha ven is a lso op en 5-9p m for 18-25 yea rs old 's fa c ing m enta l hea lth c ha lleng es or in need of em otiona l sup p ort.

To find out m ore, visit: w w w .oa klea f-enterp rise.org or if you ha ve a ny q ueries or c om m ents a b out our servic es, p lea se d o g et in touc h: info@oa klea f-enterp rise.org .

NEW OAKLEAF TRUSTEE Rob wa s a c ivil serva nt for 34 yea rs, the m a jority of it in senior a nd Boa rd roles with a n em p ha sis on lea d ership , op era tiona l d elivery, stra teg y d evelop m ent a nd risk m a na g em ent.

ROB LLOYD

"Follow ing a sig nific a nt m enta l ill-hea lth ep isod e, nec essita ting over a yea r off w ork, I returned to full-tim e em p loym ent b ut q uic kly rea lised I w a nted som ething d ifferent from life. I now b a la nc e a b it of freela nc e c onsulta nc y w ith c ha iring a na tiona l c ha rity, a nd youth a nd a d ult m entoring for tw o c ha rities. Along sid e tha t, I've b een tea c hing m yself w ood w ork, m a king na tura l rep la c em ents for household item s, p erform ing on sta g e, a nd m ost of a ll I love b eing out in na ture w ith m y d og , a ll of w hic h is p a rt of m y p la n for susta ining g ood m enta l hea lth.

After sp ea king a b out m y m enta l hea lth journey a t one of Oa klea f's reg ula r lunc hes for loc a l b usinesses, I w a s a sked if I'd b e interested in joining the Oa klea f Boa rd . For ob vious rea sons, I w a sted no tim e in sa ying 'yes' to the id ea of sup p orting this fa nta stic c ha rity."

ADDITIONS TO OAKLEAF STAFF We w ere extrem ely p lea sed to w elc om e four new sta ff m em b ers to the Oa klea f tea m .

Am a nd a Hend erson

Ka te Brooker

Ca rolina Trip oli

Ruth Osholiki

TRUST FUNDRAISING MANAGER

BRIDGE THE GAP WORKER

WELLBEING COORDINATOR

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING & AWARENESS Menta l Hea lth First Aid (MHFA) a re interna tiona lly rec og nised tra ining c ourses w hic h sup p ort you to m a na g e w ellb eing a nd m inim ise the im p a c t of m enta l ill-hea lth on w ork a nd life; to sp ot the sym p tom s of m enta l hea lth issues, offer initia l help a nd g uid e a p erson tow a rd s sup p ort.

We offer four tra ining op tions: a two d a y c ourse, one d a y c ourse, ha lf d a y c ourse a nd a ha lf d a y refresher c ourse for a nyone w ho ha s c om p leted their tra ining 3+ yea rs a g o.

We a lso offer b esp oke w orkp la c e m enta l hea lth sup p ort to g ive em p loyees inc rea sed know led g e, a w a reness a nd c onfid enc e to sup p ort the m enta l hea lth a nd w ellb eing of their c ollea g ues a nd them selves.

These inc lud e: Menta l Hea lth Awa reness For All, Menta l Hea lth Tra ining for Ma na g ers, Besp oke Menta l Hea lth Workshop s a nd Menta l Hea lth Coffee Morning s. To find out m ore or b ook your p la c e, em a il: jenc la y@oa klea f-enterp rise.org

WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY 2023: JAKI'S STORY This yea r?s them e for World Menta l Hea lth Da y is ?Menta l Hea lth is a Universa l Hum a n Rig ht?set b y the World Fed era tion of Menta l Hea lth (WFMH). The d a y p rovid es a n op p ortunity to inc rea se c onversa tions surround ing m enta l hea lth; how to look a fter ourselves a nd others, a nd red uc e stig m a w ithin our c om m unity.

Therefore, w e w ould like to sha re a story from one of our w ond erful c lients, Ja ki w ith the a im of c ontinuing a nd norm a lising the c onversa tion surround ing m enta l hea lth w hile offering enc oura g em ent a nd sup p ort to those w ho m ig ht b e strug g ling .

2023

"Three yea rs a g o I ha d a nervous b rea kd ow n, a nd I w a s a d m itted to a p syc hia tric hosp ita l for tw o w eeks. This led m e to b eing d ia g nosed w ith d ep ression a long w ith a nxiety d isord er, CPTSD a nd BPD; a nd so the next three yea rs w ere p ivota l to m y thera p y journey.

When I w a s in hosp ita l, it w a s hea vily und ersta ffed , a nd I c ould n't ha ve a ny visitors. I rem em b er a tim e w hen I rea c hed out for help b ut sa d ly no one c ould c om e to m y c a ll, a nd tha t la c k of sup p ort, a t a tim e w hen I need ed it m ost, c a used m e to rea c h b rea king p oint a nd sub seq uently try to ta ke m y ow n life. Fortuna tely, just over a yea r a nd a ha lf a g o Oa klea f w a s rec om m end ed to m e.

I w a s very nervous a t first. How ever, over tim e I m a na g ed to op en up m y w ing s a little. I w ould d esc rib e Oa klea f a s a sa fe sp a c e; w hen you g o there, sta ff d on't jud g e you, the other c lients d on't jud g e you a nd you a re enc oura g ed to b e nothing b ut yourself.

Com ing to Oa klea f instilled in m e a 'one step a t a tim e' m enta lity - tha t it w a s oka y to sta rt sm a ll, ta ke m y tim e, a nd eventua lly b uild m yself b a c k up a nd find the c oura g e to try new thing s. For this rea son, I rea lly sta rted to b lossom in m y m enta l hea lth journey.

I p a rtic ip a ted in Choir, Ta i Chi, online c ourses in IT. I a lso offered to volunteer a t Oa klea f's Wellb eing Ca fe every Frid a y a fternoon, w here I w ould eng a g e w ith c lients a nd help them to sha re their thoug hts a nd feeling s, a nd in turn feel seen, hea rd a nd und erstood . This is w hy I ha ve c hosen to g ive b a c k to Oa klea f. They ha ve g iven so m uc h to m e a nd to others. I a m inc red ib ly g ra teful for a ll they ha ve d one a nd c ontinue to d o for p eop le m a na g ing their m enta l hea lth a nd I look forw a rd to seeing w here this journey ta kes m e."

We w a nt to tha nk Ja ki for sha ring her story a nd hop e tha t it w ill enc oura g e others to sha re their ow n stories; a nd rem ind p eop le tha t they a re not a lone in the c ha lleng es they're fa c ing .

CLIENT BBQ CELEBRATION We w ere d elig hted to host our a nnua l Client BBQ a t Oa klea f on Thursd a y 21st Sep tem b er!

After soa king up a little b it of sun, w e a ll ha d to m ove ind oors d ue to a sud d en d ow np our, b ut everyone still ha d a g rea t tim e a nd g ot to enjoy a d elic ious b a rb ec ue, g a m es, a nd enterta inm ent from Georg e Alfie a nd Oa klea f's Everyone Choir.

We w ould like to sa y a m a ssive tha nk you to a ll 58 c lients w ho c a m e out for it a nd to our w ond erful sta ff a nd volunteers w ho help ed m a ke the event a suc c ess.

WINE & JAZZ FUNDRAISER Our Wine & Ja zz event on Thursd a y 14th Sep tem b er w a s a b rillia nt evening filled w ith d elic ious w ine, food a nd fa nta stic m usic .

Tha nk you so m uc h to a ll of the ind ivid ua ls, org a nisa tions a nd b usinesses w ho b oth sup p orted the event a nd d ona ted g enerously on the nig ht.

We w ould a lso like to tha nk a ll of our volunteers a s w ell a s our hea d line sp onsor Kelly's Stora g e for ena b ling us to c a rry out suc h a lovely event. Overa ll, w e ra ised a n a m a zing £6,452 a fter c osts. This w ill m a ke a truly m ea ning ful im p a c t on the lives of p eop le a ttend ing Oa klea f. We a re b eyond g ra teful for the sup p ort w e ha ve rec eived .

COUNSELLING At Oa klea f w e offer a low -c ost (from £5 p er session) a nd a c c essib le (fa c e-to-fa c e a nd online) c ounselling servic e of up to 18 sessions, w hic h g ives c lients the tim e to exp lore w ha t they need to w ork throug h. In our la test vid eo, one of our b rillia nt c ounsellors Sim one shines a lig ht on our offering : "Our service gives people hope that things can change, and enables them to grow in confidence and resilience, which can really make a difference to people's lives."

To wa tc h the full version of our c ounselling vid eo, visit: www.youtub e.c om / @Oa klea fEnterp rise1

JULIE'S STORY Julie b ec a m e a c lient with Oa klea f following a m enta l hea lth rela p se a nd wa s referred b y the hosp ita l a fter b eing d ia g nosed with m ild d ep ression. ?When I first joined Oa klea f, I rea lly enjoyed w orking throug h a ll the b ooks a nd c ourses IT ha d to offer. I w a s new to it a ll a nd d id n?t a lw a ys und ersta nd it b ut I found fa ith in the p roc ess a nd a c hieved severa l c ertific a tes a t the end of it a ll. ?The a rt c la sses a t Oa klea f a lso rea lly help ed m e to foc us, w hic h b roug ht out the b est in m e. They g a ve m e b a c k m y c onfid enc e."

Julie ha s a lso p ub lished severa l b ooks sinc e her tim e a t Oa klea f. ?Writing c a n b e g rea t for your m enta l hea lth; it stretc hes the m ind a nd d istra c ts COLIN CHLOE NORRIS you from the w orries of everyd a y life. It's so b rillia nt to b e a b le to c rea te som ething tha t is your ow n, w hic h p eop le c a n love a nd b e p roud of."

When a sked wha t m essa g e Julie would like to sha re with others who m ig ht b e strug g ling with their m enta l hea lth, she sa id : ?Try not to hurt yourself w ith your thoug hts. Be g entle w ith your m ind a nd your feeling s. Find som ething tha t you used to b e p a ssiona te a b out a nd reig nite tha t p a ssion a g a in. But a b ove a ll else, b e kind to yourself.?

ART AT OAKLEAF Here a re som e p hotos of our ever p op ula r a rt c la sses, a nd the b ea utiful end results:

MENTAL LEADERS NETWORK CLIENTHEALTH SATISFACTION SURVEY We c ond uc ted our b i-a nnua l Client Sa tisfa c tion Survey in July 2023, seeking feed b a c k from our c lients. It w a s g rea t to see the p ositive im p a c t Oa klea f ha s ha d .

"Oa klea f's w ellb eing a c tivities g ive m e som ething to look forw a rd to. They g ive m e routine.

Oa klea f ha s p rovid ed tools to help m e rea lise w ha t is b est for m e a nd to und ersta nd tha t m y feeling s a re va lid . Doing w orkshop s over Zoom ha s g iven m e the op p ortunity to m a ke friend s w ith sim ila r interests a nd I've b een a b le to m a ssively b roa d en m y know led g e too." - Oa klea f c lient

Ag ree

"I d on't know w here I w ould b e w ithout Oa klea f. It ha s b een a key sup p ort for m y m enta l hea lth a nd help ed m e b uild a life tha t I love for the first tim e I c a n rem em b er. I c ould n't b e m ore g ra teful." - Oa klea f c lient

Disa g ree Strong ly Ag ree

'Oa klea f ha s help ed m e feel less isola ted '

3% 32%

56.9%

41.3%

'Oa klea f ha s help ed m e im p rove m y m enta l wellb eing '

37%

42.8%

3%

57.1%

53%

1.7%

3%

38% 42.1%

53%

56.1% 53%

1.7%

'Oa klea f ha s help ed m e to feel m ore c onfid ent'

'PATHWAYS TO WORK' EMPLOYMENT PROJECT: YEAR TWO Betw een Ma y - Sep tem b er 2023 our 'Pa thw a ys to Work' em p loym ent p rojec t, fund ed b y the Na tiona l Lottery Com m unity Fund , ha s exc eed ed our exp ec ta tions b y p rovid ing sup p ort to 110 c lients, w ith 46 ind ivid ua ls g a ining a c ertific a te a nd 21 ind ivid ua ls p rog ressing into w ork a nd volunteering roles.

The p rojec t c ontinues to op era te a s a w a rm a nd friend ly servic e, offering c lients a sa fe sp a c e to a c q uire the skills, c onfid enc e a nd tra ining need ed to return to the w orkp la c e.

"In just seven m onths, Mike (Em p loym ent Ad visor) ha s help ed m e inc rea se m y sa la ry b y 150% in a field I love working in. He is a n exc ep tiona l m entor a nd a g rea t listener." - Oa klea f c lient For m ore d eta ils, p lea se visit our w eb site or c onta c t: m ikeover@oa klea f-enterp rise.org

SAFEGUARDING OAKLEAF'S FUTURE Our vision is a w orld w here p eop le a re em p ow ered to m a na g e their m enta l w ellb eing a nd sup p orted to a c hieve their g oa ls. As the d em a nd for m enta l hea lth servic es c ontinues to g row , w e a re c om m itted to our m ission of tra nsform ing lives throug h the p rovision of sup p ort, tra ining a nd w ellb eing a c tivities, b uild ing new futures w ith a d ults m a na g ing their m enta l hea lth.

1.8 m illion p eop le w ere on NHS m enta l hea lth w a iting lists ea rlier this yea r (Na tiona l Aud it Offic e, 2023), a nd w e know m enta l ill-hea lth is c om m on. We a lso know even g rea ter num b ers of ind ivid ua ls in Surrey w ill need exp erienc ed m enta l hea lth a nd w ellb eing sup p ort in the future. Our sup p orters a re c ritic a l in ensuring Oa klea f c a n c ontinue to p rovid e this.

One w a y of help ing ensure Oa klea f?s future is throug h lea ving us a g ift in your w ill.

If you a re thinking of m a king or a m end ing your w ill this w inter, d o c onsid er Oa klea f (a fter m a king p rovisions for fa m ily a nd friend s). Gifts in a w ill a re g enera lly free from Inherita nc e Ta x a nd c ould therefore red uc e the lia b ility for your loved ones a s w ell a s help ing Oa klea f.

THE MIGHTY OAKS

Tom , the c oa c h of our a m a zing footb a ll tea m ?The Mig hty Oa ks?sha res how p ositive a nd im p a c tful this role ha s b een for him :

Our Menta l Hea lth Lea d ers Netw ork a im s to b ring tog ether a w id e va riety of Surrey b usinesses c om m itted to a d d ressing w orkp la c e m enta l hea lth. It p rovid es events, tra ining a nd sup p ort a round w ellb eing a t w ork for loc a l b usinesses a nd their sta ff - a ll w hilst help ing m a ke a d ifferenc e for loc a l p eop le m a na g ing their m enta l hea lth.

?The role p rovid ed m e w ith To lea rn m ore, or if your p urp ose a nd a renew ed b usiness is interested in joining , p a ssion a nd d irec tion em a il: follow ing sig nific a nt p hysic a l jenc la y@oa klea f-enterp rise.org a nd m enta l hea lth c ha lleng es. Althoug h w e Mem b ership fees help fund d id n?t p la y in a ll the lea g ue Oa klea f's c ha rita b le a c tivities. m a tc hes, w e w ere the only tea m tha t w a s unb ea ten in the m a tc hes w e d id p la y. In the fina l fixture of the m enta l hea lth footb a ll lea g ue of the sea son, w e p roud ly finished in 4th p la c e!"

To find out m ore a b out our footb a ll tea m or a ny other wellb eing a c tivities, visit: www.oa klea f-enterp rise.org / c lient-c a lend a r Sc a n to sig n up :

CHRISTMAS AT OAKLEAF

Althoug h w e c a nnot p rovid e leg a l a d vic e, for a ny q uestions p lea se d o not hesita te to c onta c t Jen: jenc la y@oa klea f-enterp rise.org .

To find out m ore, visit: www.oa klea f-enterp rise.org / festive-jum p er-fund ra iser

We a re tha nkful for a ll our sup p orters a nd will c ontinue to d o a ll we c a n to look a fter the m enta l hea lth a nd wellb eing of the Oa klea f c om m unity.

If you a re a b le to m a ke a d ona tion to Oa klea f a nd help fund vita l m enta l hea lth, em p loym ent a nd w ellb eing

OUR

sup p ort, w e w ould b e m ost g ra teful. If you a re interested in sup p orting Oa klea f in a ny w a y, p lea se g et in touc h b y

COM P A N Y HISTORY

em a iling : jenc la y@oa klea f-enterp rise.org or p honing : 01483 303 649

For up d a tes on Oa klea f a nd a ll thing s m enta l hea lth, b e sure to follow us on soc ia l m ed ia :

@_Oa klea f @Oa klea f_Enterp rise Oa klea f Enterp rise Oa klea f

Web site: www.oa klea f-enterp rise.org Em a il: info@oa klea f-enterp rise.org

Oa klea f Enterp rise 101 Wa lnut Tree Close Guild ford GU1 4UQ 01483 303 649

Reg istered Cha rity no: 1064524 Reg istered Com p a ny no: 3388671

NEWS