millenniumTIMES your news and views from the millennium centre in st helens - published quarterly - issue 1 (autumn 2011)
in this issue...
st helens wellbeing exciting new service for the people of St Helens
tackling self-harm the story of a group, No Secrets, helping others
calling all charities meeting room facilities available free of charge
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Millennium Centre update brochu
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Keep an eye out for the Millenniu m Centre update brochure, which outlines some of our achievements over the last ten years and how we have been meeting our charitable objectives. Copies are available from the Mil lennium Centre reception, or you can also view the brochure online via our new website.
Warm welcome to RASASC RASASC became the latest charity to be based within the Millennium Centre when they moved-in in July. The Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre work with victims of abuse across Merseyside and Cheshire, offering counselling and therapeutic work, an independent sexual adviser service, peer support groups and a signposting service. Catherine from RASASC said, “We’re really looking forward to welcoming clients to our lovely new office and counselling room.” For more information about RASASC please visit their website at www.rapecentre.org
DID YOU KNOW...? In 1906 Charlie Chaplin appeared at the Hippodrome before it became a cinema
OPENING TIME
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Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Radar (NKS) keys are available from the Millennium Centre reception for £3.50, offering disabled people independent access to locked public toilets around the country.
7am - 10pm 7am - 10pm 7am - 10pm 7am - 10pm 7am - 10pm 7am - 10pm 9am - 10pm
St Helens to gear up towards wellbeing EXCLUSIVE: For the first time we can reveal some exciting news about plans for a new website to be launched in Spring 2012. St Helens Wellbeing will act as a one-stop signposting service for all health and social care information, services and frequently asked questions for the people of St Helens. Independently run by the Millennium Centre, the site is aimed at being easily accessible and completely free to use.
It is also part of a wider initiative to make the people of St Helens more proactive about their attitude to their own health and wellbeing. The site will profile services available from local charities and voluntary groups; in turn promoting the work that they do and raising awareness of the essential contribution that they make to help everyone in the local community. Plans have already been welcomed by local professionals
working in the health and social care sector; Sheila Frediani from Mencap commented, “We really need something like this in St Helens because people have a demand for information, but usually they just get passed from pillar to post before they eventually find the information that they need.� More information about St Helens Wellbeing will be released in the next edition of Millennium Times in the winter.
Calling all charities... Within the Millennium Centre and Millennium House buildings are various meeting room facilities that charities and voluntary groups are able to use free of charge. Being positioned next to St Helens’ central train and bus stations makes us a very convenient place for the general public to be able to access. The Ryan Suite board room is a smartly presented flexible space suitable for a variety of different functions, capable of holding up to 30 people - the room can also be partitioned in to two separate spaces for smaller meetings. The Drop-in Lounge is very popular with local groups because of the relaxed
atmosphere and comfortable furniture, and can hold up to ten people. There is even an adjoining therapy room to carry out treatments, massages or meditation. We also have a number of other small meeting rooms that are suitable for one-to-one sessions or small group meetings. To obtain further information, room availablity and bookings S4 please contact our reception desk on 01744 675 131 or e-mail contact@tmcsh.org.uk
Board Room
Drop-
in Lou
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What is the Millennium Centre? We hear a lot of people say that the Millennium Centre is owned by the NHS and consists solely of the NHS Walk-in Centre - but that is far from the truth! We are actually an independent registered charity that owns the Millennium Centre building, and we allow other organisations (including the NHS) to use our office space and meeting room facilities. As
well as the Walk-in Centre there is also a Pharmacy, Citizens Advice Bureau, Visually Impaired Resource Centre and Housing Options. Also, charities RASASC and Alcoholics Anonymous have a base in St Helens through the office space that we can offer in Millennium House. We are proud to allow all local charities and voluntary groups to use our meeting room
facilities free of charge, and over fifty organisations have taken advantage of this offer since we first opened our doors over ten years ago - this allows them to continue the fantastic work that they do whilst operating in a difficult financial climate. Without this service, many local charities and voluntary groups (such as No Secrets, profiled overleaf) would struggle to exist.
every issue we take a look at the work of charities/voluntary groups who use the Millennium Centre’s facilities
No Secrets Willis House Unit 23 Cumber Lane Whiston L35 2YZ t: 0151 477 2068 m: 078 468 893 00 w: www.nosecrets. moonfruit.com e: kerri86@gmail.com No Secrets is a voluntary group that provides support to those affected by self-harm in St Helens, Halton and Wigan.
nder of Kerri - Fou No Secrets
Focus on.. No Secrets
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elf-harm is notoriously regarded as a taboo subject; it is something that many people misinterpret and still don’t fully understand. This was the case for Kerri when it became apparent that she was struggling with self-harm. She felt that there was a distinct lack of support available in St Helens, and not many people seemed to have much knowledge about self-harm or how to deal with it. She decided that the best way forward to help people understand self-harm better was by setting up a group herself, called No Secrets; encouraging others in similar situations to come together to support one another. Kerri strongly feels that No Secrets is unique; every member of the group has been affected by selfharm in some way, whether that be personally or indirectly. Some members of the group are still selfharming, while others are able to use healthier coping mechanisms. A common misconception about No Secrets is that they sit around in a big circle and hold hands, discussing self-harm in great depth and singing scary chants! The main positive about the group is reassuring people that they’re not alone, and that there are
so many others struggling with selfinjury. The support groups offer a nonjudgemental environment for people to come and be accepted for who they are. Reflecting back on the progress of No Secrets, Kerry said, “We have made great strides since we first started back in 2007; we’ve gone from having two volunteers to ten, and from one support group to four. We are continuing to grow and expand in order to reach as many people as we possibly can, because we know that the work that we are doing is so important to those affected by self-injury.” Kerri and the No Secrets group have used the Millennium Centre’s Dropin Lounge facility on a weekly basis since their inception, something that they have been very grateful for, “Thank you to the Millennium Centre, who have supported us right from the start and will continue to support us in the future; it’s this type of support that has helped us to be where we are now.” The St Helens No Secrets group currently runs on a Wednesday evening at the Millennium Centre in the town centre - if you are interested in going along to one of the groups please contact No Secrets via the details on the left.
quotes from charities/vol. groups who use the Millennium Centre
View from a few...
All information printed in this newsletter was accurate at the time of printing (September 2011). If you have any comments or suggestions about the Millennium Times newsletter please get in touch with us via the details below. Millennium Centre, Corporation Street, St Helens, WA10 1HJ t: 01744 675 131 | f: 01744 675 138 e: contact@tmcsh.org.uk | w: www.tmcsh.org.uk Registered Charity No. 1089878