Tuesday 26 October 2010

Mental Health Story - second version

By Yixiang Zeng

A Harrow charity has been organising a training project to get mentally ill people into work and help raise mental health awarenesses within the borough.

The project TrainAware, part of Mind in Harrow's Head for Work, has been recruiting people who suffer from mental illness to become trainers as well as helping locals understand how mental health problems can affect their work and daily life.

Training coordinator Chrystelle Heldire told The HA1 after the World Mental Health Day celebration: “Since September 2008, we were able to start paying our trainers on an hour rate and employ them on a bank basis.”

She explained that trainers' payment is generated partly from the companies who send their employees to the training sessions, and partly from the charity's reserves.

These trainers were educated through a series of methods and were accredited by Middlesex University, who are then able to give training sessions to local employees and help raise their mental health awarenesses.

Chrystelle said: “These methods include brainstorming, how to work with groups and give constructive feedback, how to share plans and goals, presentation and facilitation skills.”

According to her, so far the trainers have already delivered approximately 45 training sessions to a number of local companies and organisations, such as Jobcentre Plus and Aspire, a charity that offers support to an individual who suffers from spinal injuries.

Mark Gillham, Chief executive of Mind in Harrow, said it is important for the companies and trainers to work together, he said: “From the company side, the manager will have better understanding of employees' mental health issues, such as life stress and depression, or not be able to work to their best capacity. So it helps their businesses.

“Trainers will have real work experience, and be able to use their own experience of mental health problem to explain directly what they have been through.”

Another local charity Capable Communities, which co-ordinated this year's World Mental Health Day, also said they want to work closely with companies to get people with mental problems into work.

The president of Harrow in Business Allen Pluck said his organisation has a tradition of helping marginalised individuals.

However, he has his own concerns: “at the moment, the whole of the business support infrastructure is in complete turmoil. And we are struggling to obtain funding to support the survival of any local business or individuals wishing to become self employed.”

Tuesday 12 October 2010

Mental Health story - first version

By Yixiang Zeng

A local charity is calling on businesses to offer mentally ill people jobs.

Capable Communities, which co-ordinated this year's World Mental Health Day since Friday, wants to work closely with companies to get people who suffer with mental illnesses into work.

The four-day event offers an opportunity to raise awareness of mental health and provide locals with a range of suggestions on how to reduce stress and depression in order to keep healthy.

Steve Porter, director of the charity, believes people with mental problems could get jobs in box offices, he said: “At the moment many tickets are operating on the web, but people want someone to talk to when booking their shows.

“What I am saying is to get the companies involved in paying someone with mental health difficulties to sell the tickets.”

He also suggested that the box office could operate in a shift system with different people working in a different time slot.

In addition, they could do other jobs in marketing. “They could also distribute marketing materials like flyers or posters to community centre or residential addresses relating with any events,” he added.

Another local charity Mind in Harrow also participated in the event, its chief executive Mark Gillham told The HA1: “One in six of the population in Harrow will have mental health problems today, that is estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people will have such difficulties.”

The charity has been training mentally ill people to become trainers, who are then employed by local companies to help their employees overcome different symptoms of mental illnesses.

Mr Gillham explained it is very important for both the trainers and companies to get involved: “These people have been out of work for long time, because of the mental health being very disadvantageous.

“Being qualified as trainers, they will have real work experience, and be able to use their own experience of mental health problem to explain directly what they have been through.

“From the company side, the manager will have better understanding of employees' mental health issues, such as life stress and depression, or not be able to work to their best capacity. So it helps their businesses.”

However, when speaking to Allen Pluck, the president of Harrow in Business, about to what extent local businesses can give a hand to those people with mental health problems, he expressed his concern by saying:“at the moment, the whole of the business support infrastructure is in complete turmoil.

“We are even struggling to obtain funding to support the survival of any local business or individuals wishing to become self-employed.”

Tuesday 5 October 2010

Harvest Festival teaches children about plants



By Yixiang Zeng

Harrow children enjoyed a scarecrow hunt and a colouring competition at a local garden centre during the weekend.

The event, held at Harrow Garden Centre in Headstone Lane, was part of a Harvest Festival set up teach children more about plants and offer families tips on growing fruit and vegetables.

Children were encouraged to colour in pictures with a harvest-theme and find six scarecrows hiding inside and around the garden centre.

10-year-old Libby, was among the many children who enjoyed the activities, she said: “I thought it was quite a good idea, and I thought colouring and finding scarecrows are quite fun.”

Also taking part in the event was 6-year-old Laura, who added: “We decide what we’re going to do with the picture, like if we want to put stickers on it.”

Laura’s mum Maggie Sharrock told The HA1: “It’s important for children to understand the season, to understand how to grow plants.

“They prefer to enter the scarecrow hunt, if they win they can get a pack of seeds, like sunflower or daffodil, so they can understand how the plants grow.”

Mike Townend, manager of the garden centre, explained why it was important to organise activities for the children, saying: “It’s very important to connect our business with local community.

“Children are our customers’ future, so they are very important. It’s nice for children to have some activities while their parents are buying things.”

The 20 entries for the competition will be judged by the centre’s visitors this week and all three winners will be rewarded with arts and crafts products.

Monday 4 October 2010

Harvest Festival story

By Yixiang Zeng

Harrow children enjoyed a scarecrow hunt and a colouring competition at a local garden centre during the weekend.

The event, held in Headstone Lane, was part of the centre's Harvest Festival which invited families to attend and provided them suggestions of how to grow vegetables and fruits.

Children were encouraged to colour pictures of their own choice with a harvest-theme and find out six scarecrows hiding inside and around Harrow Garden Centre.

Libby Radford, 10, of West Street, Harrow-on-the-Hill, was among the many children who enjoyed the activities, she said: “I thought it was quite a good idea, and I thought colouring and finding scarecrows are quite fun.”

Along with Libby taking part in the event was 6-year-old Laura Sharrock of Nelson Road in Harrow-on-the-Hill, she added: “We decide what we're going to do with the picture, like if we want to put stickers on it.”

Laura's mum Maggie Sharrock, 40, told The HA1: “It's important for children to understand the season, to understand how to grow plants.

“Competition is always good and fun. They prefer to enter scarecrow hunt, if they win they can get a pack of seed, like sunflower or daffodil, so they can understand how the plants grow.”

Mike Townend, manager of the garden centre, explained why it was important to organise activities for the children, he said: “It's very important to connect our business with local community.

“Children are our customers' future, so they are very important. It's nice for children to have some activities while their parents are buying things.”

The 20 entries for the competition will be judged by the centre's visitors this week and all three winners will be awarded “painting by numbers” arts and crafts products.