Oakleaf Newsletter: Spring/Summer 2024

NEWS Sp ring / Sum m er 2024 As w e p rog ress throug h 2024, w e a re c ontinuing to offer w ellb eing a c tivities, w ork-rela ted tra ining , em p loym ent g uid a nc e, a nd c ounselling to hund red s of c lients every m onth.

Rec ent w ellb eing a c tivities inc lud e our w eekly Wellb eing Ca fe, Wom a n's Circ le, Thera p eutic Da nc e, Yog a , Art Journa lling , Ma na g ing Stress & Anxiety, Footb a ll a nd m a ny m ore. You c a n view our full c lient c a lend a r of a c tivities on our w eb site.

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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

With our three-yea r 'Pa thw a ys to Work' em p loym ent p rojec t c om ing to a n end this yea r, w e a re d elig hted to a nnounc e sub seq uent fund ing from The Na tiona l Lottery Com m unity Fund for a new five-yea r 'Pa th to Suc c ess' em p loym ent p rojec t in p a rtnership w ith fellow loc a l c ha rity Guild ford Ac tion.

The Na tiona l Lottery is a lso sup p orting our Counselling for All p rojec t, w hic h help s p rovid e a c c essib le c ounselling sessions to c lients w ho often w ould not otherw ise ha ve a c c ess to this sup p ort.

While w e w ere sa d d ened to c lose the p ilot of the Young Ad ult Sa fe Ha ven a t the end of Ma rc h, the m a in Guild ford Sa fe Ha ven w ill c ontinue to p rovid e out-of-hours sup p ort for ind ivid ua ls a nd their c a rers exp erienc ing a m enta l hea lth c risis or em otiona l d istress. Ba sed a t our Oa klea f p rem ises, the d rop -in servic e runs in p a rtnership w ith Ca ta lyst a nd the NHS a nd is op en to a ll 6p m - 11p m , 365 d a ys a yea r w ithout the need for a n a p p ointm ent.

Every yea r, w e c eleb ra te Menta l Hea lth Aw a reness Week a nd this yea r's them e 'Moving for our Menta l Hea lth' is rec og nised throug h a c tivities to sup p ort c lients a nd out in the c om m unity ra ising a w a reness a nd fund s.

Tha nk you for ta king the tim e to rea d our b i-a nnua l new sletter.

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 .

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK: AT THE FRIARY The them e for MHAW 2024 is 'Movem ent: Moving More for our Menta l Hea lth.'

For MHAW 2023, we introduced our 'Wall of Kindness', where we asked the general public to leave a message to encourage or inspire. Due to its success, we have decided to continue with this concept this year under the new name: 'Wall of Positivity'.

Our goal is to cover the wall with kind and positive messages over two days. The event will take place at The Friary in Guildford on Friday 17th and Saturday 18th May. We also plan to host some additional activities to raise funds and awareness of Oakleaf, giving people the chance to win a prize from our Oakleaf raffle, kindly donated by retailers at The Friary.

If you will be in the Guildford area during this week, please do stop by and say hello to our team - and of course, get involved in our activities to help support hundreds of individuals managing their mental health in Surrey.

Here are some messages from our Wall of Kindness last year, w hich we have since framed and displayed in t he Oakleaf office:

We are looking for volunteers to help us promote our activities at The Friary on Friday 17th and Saturday 18th May (9am-12pm, 12pm-3pm or 3pm-6pm). If this is something you might be interested in, please get in touch with Enya: enyagalway@oakleaf-enterprise.org

PHYSICAL WELLBEING ACTIVITIES AT OAKLEAF Regular exercise can have a profoundly positive impact on both your physical and mental health and can provide our clients with both immediate and long-term health benefits.

Oakleaf hosts plenty of physical activities to get clients 'moving more for their mental health', including: Yoga, Karate, Walks for Hope, Football, Fitness, Therapeutic Dance and more.

To find out more about our wellbeing activity offering, please visit our Client Calendar: www.oakleaf-enterprise.org/ client-calendar

BRIDGE THE GAP: A CLIENT'S STORY Oa klea f is a d elivery p a rtner of the Brid g e the Ga p Allia nc e, p rovid ing sp ec ia list 'tra um a inform ed ' outrea c h sup p ort on a one-to-one b a sis, 4-8 hours p er week p er c lient, 10a m -8p m , 7 d a ys a week.

Our b rillia nt tea m , c onsisting of Brid g e the Ga p Sup p ort Workers: Tom m y, Colin a nd Ka te, w ork inc red ib ly ha rd to em p ow er ind ivid ua ls tow a rd s ind ep end enc e a nd sta b ility.

CHLOE NORRIS

"In the fa c e of m a rg ina liza tion, stig m a a nd m isund ersta nd ing , our work b ec om es the b rid g e tha t c onnec ts these ind ivid ua ls to the sup p ort a nd em p owerm ent they rig htfully d eserve." ? Tom m y, Brid g e the Ga p Sup p ort Worker

We would therefore like to shine a lig ht on the a m a zing work tha t they d o b y sha ring a c lient's tra nsform a tive story:

This c lient is a 33-yea r-old with a lifelong resid enc e on the sa m e esta te in Guild ford , strug g ling with d eb ilita ting m enta l hea lth c ond itions a nd b ra in d a m a g e from a c a r a c c id ent.

Key Cha lleng es Fa c ed : ADHD, a nxiety d isord er, unsp ec ified non-org a nic p syc hotic d isord er, exec utive func tioning issues a nd c og nitive d ec line c om p ound ed b y p ost-tra um a tic b ra in synd rom e. Cop ing m ec ha nism s inc lud e extrem e a void a nc e, isola tion, oc c a siona l im p ulsivity a nd a g g ression.

They ra rely lea ve their a c c om m od a tion a nd ha ve d iffic ulty eng a g ing w ith sup p ort servic es.

They ha ve housing c ha lleng es (leg a l issues a nd housing insta b ility) inc lud ing : c losure ord ers, evic tion notic es, una uthorized oc c up ier sta tus, a nd a la c k of hea ting in their hom e.

Following sup p ort throug h Brid g e the Ga p ...

This c lient, d esp ite a p p rehensions, im p roved their rela tionship w ith sup p ort servic es d ue to a m ulti-a g enc y a p p roa c h. They w ere a b le to esta b lish short-term a nd long -term g oa ls, inc lud ing m ed ic a tion a d herenc e, ob ta ining PIP b enefits, a d d ressing housing issues, a nd a c hieving m ob ility throug h p urc ha sing a c a r. Our Sup p ort Workers a lso involved a Mem b er of Pa rlia m ent, w hic h, a long sid e evid enc e c om p ila tion, led to a n intervention w ith Guild ford Boroug h Counc il; resulting in p otentia l housing offers.

To rea d m ore c lient stories or to find out m ore a b out our Brid g e the Ga p sup p ort servic e, p lea se visit our web site: www.oa klea f-enterp rise.org / b rid g e-the-g a p /

NEW 'PATH TO SUCCESS' EMPLOYMENT PROJECT With our thriving three-yea r 'Pa thwa ys to Work' em p loym ent p rojec t c om ing to a n end , we a re very exc ited to a nnounc e tha t Oa klea f ha s b een a wa rd ed fund ing b y TNL Com m unity Fund to d eliver em p loym ent sup p ort throug h a new five-yea r 'Pa th to Suc c ess' em p loym ent p rojec t b eg inning June 2024 in p a rtnership with loc a l hom elessness c ha rity Guild ford Ac tion.

This p rojec t is a im ed a t help ing c lients rec overing from m enta l ill-hea lth a nd those fa c ing m ultip le d isa d va nta g e or c om p lex need s to reb uild their c onfid enc e, lea rn new skills, a nd em b a rk on a journey to susta ina b le em p loym ent.

Pop p y ha s b een a c lient a t Oa klea f for severa l yea rs, a ttend ing IT sessions w hile p rep a ring for a suita b le em p loym ent op p ortunity w ith the help of our Em p loym ent Ad visors. Pop p y w a s eventua lly a w a rd ed a p a id internship w ith the Op en University, resea rc hing the sub jec t of Historic a l Ma ths:

"I a m rea lly p lea sed a s this will b e m y first job ! Tha nk you so m uc h for your enc oura g em ent. I d efinitely b elieve Oa klea f's sup p ort over the yea rs ha s led m e to this suc c ess."

Follow ing this a c hievem ent, Pop p y c om p leted the Cisc o Ac c red ited Python IT c ourse throug h Oa klea f, a nd took a n a d d itiona l exa m for the Assoc ia te c ertific a te, w hic h she sub seq uently p a ssed . Oa klea f's em p loym ent p rojec t w a s a b le to help her w ith fund ing for the extra c osts.

With this q ua lific a tion, w e w ere d elig hted to b e a b le to sup p ort Pop p y w ith her a p p lic a tion for a sta tistic a l role w ith The Civil Servic e. Pop p y ha d a suc c essful interview a nd is now ea g erly w a iting to hea r if she's g ot the job .

If you w ould like to find out m ore a b out Oa klea f's Em p loym ent Projec t, p lea se c onta c t our Em p loym ent Ad visor, Mike: m ikeover@oa klea f-enterp rise.org

MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID (MHFA) TRAINING MHFA a re interna tiona lly rec og nised tra ining c ourses d esig ned to tea c h you p ra c tic a l skills to sp ot the trig g ers a nd sig ns of m enta l hea lth issues, a s w ell a s g a in c onfid enc e to step in, rea ssure a nd sup p ort a p erson in d istress. ?The c ourse is one of the b est I ha ve ever a ttend ed .

It touc hed on so m a ny d ifferent a sp ec ts of m enta l hea lth a nd g a ve us the c onfid enc e to b e a b le to a p p roa c h som eb od y a b out their m enta l hea lth.?

- Allen, MHFA c ourse p a rtic ip a nt To find out m ore or b ook your p la c e on a n up c om ing c ourse, em a il Jen: jenc la y@oa klea f-enterp rise.org

We offer the following c ourses: -

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2-d a y Ad ult MHFA Certific a tion c ourse 1-d a y MHFA Cha m p ions c ourse

Ha lf-d a y MHFA c ourse Ha lf-d a y MHFA Refresher c ourse

STEVE'S STORY Steve ha s fa c ed va rious c ha lleng es throug hout his life b ut a lw a ys found it d iffic ult to a sk for help . During the p a nd em ic , he c a ug ht Covid , b a d ly a ffec ting his p hysic a l hea lth. He then lost his job , a nd tha t a long sid e g row ing hea lth c onc erns, m ea nt his m enta l hea lth suffered even m ore.

After ta king step s to g et help , he found c linic a l sup p ort ineffec tive. He end ed up b eing p a ssed from p la c e to p la c e, felt like a 'p rob lem ' a nd d id n't trust a nyone. Steve w a s a t a very low p la c e in life. He felt hop eless a nd c ould n't see a ny rea son to c a rry on.

A c ha ir Steve p roud ly up holstered a t Oa klea f

Steve w a s eventua lly referred to Oa klea f a s a c lient a nd found the Up holstery c ourse. He sa ys,

"Com ing to Oa klea f ha s g iven m e m y self-resp ec t b a c k. It ha s sa ved m y life." He looks forw a rd to c om ing every Tuesd a y to b e c rea tive, lea rn new skills a nd rem em b er w ha t he is c a p a b le of. He is g ra d ua lly g etting his c onfid enc e b a c k a nd feels rea lly p roud of w ha t he ha s a c hieved : "Oa klea f ha s help ed m e b eyond word s. It ha s m a d e m e feel m ore hum a n a g a in."

FUNDRAISING EVENTS

www.oa klea f-enterp rise.org / event/ q uiz-2024

PERSONAL FUNDRAISERS IN AID OF OAKLEAF A hug e c ong ra tula tions to Sa sha from Chell Web & Desig n for c om p leting a 13-d a y trek to Everest Ba se Ca m p in Nep a l. Sa sha exc eed ed her fund ra ising ta rg et of £600 a nd ra ised a n a m a zing £745 for Oa klea f a nd Crohn's & Colitis UK. A m a ssive w ell d one to the tea m a t loc a l d ig ita l p rod uc t a g enc y, Kya n for ta king p a rt in the Fleet Ha lf Ma ra thon a s p a rt of their Fun Run Fund ra iser for Oa klea f. We a re p lea sed to sha re tha t they w ere suc c essful in rea c hing their fund ra ising ta rg et of £500!

MENTAL LEADERS NETWORK CLIENTHEALTH SATISFACTION SURVEY We c ond uc ted a Client Sa tisfa c tion Survey a t the sta rt of 2024 a nd rec eived feed b a c k from 88 c lients. It w a s g rea t to see the p ositive im p a c t Oa klea f ha s.

Ag ree Disa g ree Neither a g ree or d isa g ree

"I feel c onnec ted to a c om m unity a g a in. My c onfid enc e is b eing fed , m y thirst for know led g e sa ted , a nd m y a b ility to m a ke c onnec tions w ith p eop le ha s im p roved hug e a m ounts. I a m now on som e sort of a p a th in life a g a in."

"For the first tim e in m y life, I feel like their is som eone b ehind m e. Oa klea f ha s a g ood b a la nc e of c ourses tha t help m e w ith m y a nxiety, p a nic a nd stress."

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

6.8% 6.8%

56.9%

41.3%

11.5% 5.7%

86.4%

1.7%

56.1%

4.7%

57.1% 42.1% 82.8%

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

11.8%

1.7%

42.8% 83.5%

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

OAKLEAF'S IMPACT IN 2023

18,724 2,180 Client a ttend a nc es & m eeting s

Attend a nc es to the Guild ford Sa fe Ha ven

42 Clients p rog ressed into p a id or volunta ry em p loym ent

2,000+ 62 Counselling sessions d elivered

Clients g a ined a c ertific a te or q ua lific a tion

CREATIVE WELLBEING ACTIVITIES AT OAKLEAF We b elieve c rea tivity a nd m enta l hea lth g o ha nd in ha nd . So, d uring the m onth of Ma rc h, w e w elc om ed in Sp ring b y running a w ond erful va riety of c rea tive a nd sea sona l w ellb eing a c tivities inc lud ing Ea ster Wrea th a nd Ea ster Cra ft w orkshop s w ith a loc a l florist. Clients a lso c rea ted a nd ha nd -d esig ned som e lovely p ottery a nd p a inting s d uring one of Oa klea f's Art c la sses.

It d oesn't m a tter if you're a n a c c om p lished a rtist or if you ha ven't p ic ked up a p a intb rush sinc e sc hool. Lea rning to c rea te som ething just for ourselves w ith no jud g em ent a b out w hether it's g ood or b a d is d eep ly rew a rd ing . It b uild s c onfid enc e a nd self-esteem in our c lients.

If you'd like to find out m ore a b out our c rea tive w ellb eing a c tivities, p lea se visit our Client Ca lend a r: w w w .oa klea f-enterp rise.org / c lient-c a lend a r

LEAVING A LASTING IMPACT With the demand for mental health services steadily increasing, our dedication to transforming lives remains steadfast. We could not deliver any services or activities for local people without our many generous and longstanding supporters.

There are many ways to support our mission and clients, such as by donating, volunteering or raising awareness of our work.

Another impactful way to contribute to Oakleaf ?s future is by including us in your will.

As you contemplate making or updating your will, please consider Oakleaf (after making provisions for family and friends).

Gifts in wills are typically exempt from Inheritance Tax, potentially reducing the liability for your loved ones while supporting Oakleaf ?s mission.

Although we cannot offer legal advice, please feel free to reach out to Jen at jenclay@oakleaf-enterprise.org

GARDENING TRAINING Do you enjoy working with na ture? Do you work b est a s p a rt of a tea m ?

Oa klea f offers ha lf d a y ta ster sessions every Thursd a y w ith our g a rd ening enterp rise.

This Sp ring or Sum m er c ould b e the p erfec t tim e to try som ething new a nd b uild up your CV. If you enjoy the d a y, the g a rd ening tea m w ould love to ha ve you join one d a y a w eek, w here you w ill lea rn the essentia ls of g a rd en m a intena nc e a nd p la nt id entific a tion.

To find out m ore, em a il our Hortic ulture Ad m inistra tor Bea : b ea tric ec urtis@oa klea f-enterp rise.org

MENTAL HEALTH LEADERS NETWORK 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 w ellb eing . Mem b ership p rovid es events, tra ining , resourc es a nd sup p ort for sta ff a ll w hilst help ing m a ke a d ifferenc e for loc a l p eop le.

We rec ently w elc om ed three new m em b ers to the netw ork: IoT c onnec tivity c om p a ny Eseye; Couc hm a n Ha nson solic itors; a nd the Holid a y Inn Guild ford . We a re a lw a ys d elig hted to exp a nd our c om m unity of c orp ora te sup p orters a nd see m ore b usinesses d ed ic a te them selves to m enta l hea lth in the w orkp la c e.

To lea rn m ore a b out the netw ork, or if your b usiness is interested in joining , sc a n the QR c od e or em a il Jen Cla y: jenc la y@oa klea f-enterp rise.org .

Mem b ership fees help fund Oa klea f's c ha rita b le a c tivities.

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 w ould like 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, p lea se sc a n the QR c od e:

COM P A N Y HISTORY

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 w ith Jen:

jenc la y@oa klea f-enterp rise.org / 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 Enterp rise Web site: www.oa klea f-enterp rise.org Em a il: info@oa klea f-enterp rise.org If you or som eone you know is interested in b ec om ing a c lient a t Oa klea f, p lea se sc a n the QR c od e to a c c ess our referra l form s:

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