Machynlleth Makerspace – learn, socialise and collaborate

Keys to the new premises in Machynlleth!

Pat Cook has been a volunteer at Makerspace in Machynlleth since the start of 2024. She says: “I can’t even begin to describe how important it has been to find such a welcoming space here and I want to do everything I can to ensure its success and continued growth.”

I asked Pat to tell us more about the work of Machynlleth Makerspace, also called Machspace. Cassian, one of the directors at Machspace, contributes too.

What is a Makerspace?

Pat: It is what it says - a space where there is the room and equipment and advice, if necessary, for members to make, mend or repair. Often people don’t have the room or the equipment they need to make or mend and this lack of facilities contributes further to the amount of waste that our throwaway society produces.

Cassian: There are lots of makerspaces (sometimes called hackspaces) all over the UK and the rest of the world. The Hackspace Foundation is a UK organisation helping people to set up and run makerspaces.

How did Machynlleth Makerspace come about?

Cassian: It was 2021 when Katy Fowler, a former director, suggested the idea in a local WhatsApp group. Me and Avery were immediately interested, because Avery had been a member of Swindon Makerspace and had been wishing for one in Mach since he moved here just before the first Covid lockdown. I went with him a few times as a guest and enjoyed it very much.

Many people were interested at first, but there were four of us who were very dedicated. We met weekly to chat about how to move it forward. None of us had done anything like this before, but in early 2022 we formally founded the Community Interest Company (CIC) - me, (they/them), Avery Rowe (he/him), Katy Fowler (they/them) and Chris Richards (she/her). We met regularly and held semi-regular "open days" at the local Bowling Club's function room, but really struggled to find a venue in Mach to settle full-time.

Then in Summer 2023 there was a sudden flurry of action: we learned about the Social Value Forum Development Fund a month before its deadline at the same time as we found an empty shop that wasn't properly on the market for new tenants yet - it was a very intense month of writing the grant application. Then the grant was awarded, we signed the shop lease, and worked very hard to make the kitchen and bathroom suitable for member use as quickly as possible. The grand opening was on 20 October 2023. The group went from no venue and no money to opening our makerspace in about 3 months!

That was just under 6 months ago. The SVFDF target was 50 members in 18 months, and now at only 6 months we have over 70 members already! It's been a whirlwind. I still haven't caught my balance, but when I stop and catch my breath I feel in awe of what we've achieved.

Pat: I know from personal experience both the emotional and time consuming costs and benefits of such altruism and how exceptional it is to find there are still people who care about the community they live in and want to improve it for everyone’s benefit.

Demolition work to improve the space!

Where is it based?

Pat: It’s in the centre of Machynlleth in the Old Town Hall almost opposite the Clock Tower. The ‘Happy Bench’ is directly outside, a useful space to sit and think and talk to other people.

Tell us how you got involved and about your role

Pat: I moved to Machynlleth two years ago from Brecon. Lockdown was horrendous for me personally, it destroyed what was left of my limited mobility and everyone on the estate was impacted by the open selling of drugs and the resulting fights and antisocial behaviour. Two years earlier I had to have my horse put down and the year before that the Community Art Workshop I had helped to set up and run had to be shut down. I had already applied for a transfer and when my best friend and neighbour died I moved to Machynlleth.

I now live in a beautiful town, with views of the mountains from my living room window, but I didn’t feel ready to be old and wanted more from my life. I found Machspace by accident when, on one of the days I could walk, I was on my way to a Credu Coffee Morning. I couldn’t believe my luck. Here was the opportunity to be involved again with a community of Makers, only this time without the responsibilities.

My physical limitations prevent me from being more active but I have run an Open Day and helped people explore the potential that lino printing offers. It was great to once again see people experimenting with new ideas and techniques and to meet people in such a friendly and sociable space.

What kind of equipment is available for members to use in the space?

Pat: Considering the limitations of space the variety of equipment available is amazing. Woodworking tools, including a mitre saw. It was this that really excited me as now, once I have bought the materials, I can frame the pictures that I’ve painted. Sewing machines, including an industrial one for heavy duty fabrics, a peg loom, a soldering station, lino cutting tools, and a newly acquired laser cutter and 3D printer are available. It really is a Makerspace in being able to provide access to equipment that you wouldn’t have at home, as well as the space to use it.

It’s a members-only space – why, and what are the benefits of membership?

Pat: Machspace is available for members to use 24/7. Because it is a totally free and unsupervised space it is important that both the space, the equipment and any other people present are treated with respect and consideration. It is easy to join as a member. There is a 30 minute induction during which the conditions of membership are made clear, then you sign an agreement to abide by these conditions. After this the new member is given a key fob which means you can access the space at any time that suits you. Especially useful if you’re an insomniac or work antisocial shifts or you’re a night-functioning person.

How is being a volunteer at Machspace different?

Pat: I seem to have spent a lot of my life volunteering for different community groups and organisations. Perhaps the biggest difference is that being a volunteer for Machspace is the inclusivity. There are regular volunteer meetings and a WhatsApp volunteer forum which provides the opportunity for volunteers to be actively involved in the development and plans for Machspace’s activities and growth as an important asset to the community.

What happens at the fortnightly Open Events?

Pat: The Open Events provide an opportunity for anyone who is interested in finding out more about Machspace, the equipment available, how to become a member and to answer any questions. Usually there is a making activity taking place during the 2 hours of the Open Event and anyone is welcome to join in and meet other makers in a friendly and welcoming environment with the added benefit of drinks and snacks.

Roz, Pat and Stu lino cutting

Tell us how being part of Mach Makerspace has impacted on your mental health

Pat: When I found Machspace my head was not in a good place. My GP had referred me for counselling and I had just been for my third session. I was trying hard to overcome my anger, despair and grief at having to accept that I was no longer able to know where my youngest son had been placed by the mental health services.

My youngest son was diagnosed with schizoid-affective disorder in 2000. I haven’t seen him since 2014 when he decided I was not his mother. He took this decision as a result of being able to access amphetamines despite being on a section 3 and under the ‘safe’ care of an inpatient mental health unit.

Previously I was able to accommodate the distress this decision caused me by riding my horse, making pots and printing at the workshop and talking to my neighbour. Now that none of those options were available I didn’t know how to deal with it.

Finding Machspace has provided me with the help I needed to accept the loss of my son. It has provided me with friendship and most importantly made me want to start printing again. It has helped me to begin the process of healing myself and to regain a positive, rather than a negative and anger-filled state of mind. I know that my mental health has improved because I am now able to look forward to making my lino prints. Rather than dwelling on the negativity of grieving for something that cannot be changed I can remember my son’s achievements with admiration for what he managed to do despite his devastating mental illness.

Why is accessibility important at Mach Makerspace

Pat: Everyone is different and has different needs. By being accessible 24/7 and with the wealth of equipment available Machspace caters for the needs of people who might not feel comfortable in a more formal environment and enables the development of individual skills and confidence.

What are the interaction badges and why did you introduce them?

Pat: Not everyone wants to talk to other people, some people want to talk but lack the skills to initiate a conversation with someone they don’t know. The badges provide a clear visual signal to anyone of each individual’s needs and requirements when in a social space so that everyone respects each other without having to endure sometimes painful and difficult discussions.

Cassian: I first encountered interaction badges at Autscape, which is an annual conference run by and for autistic people. It's a neurodivergent-default space, which is to say, it's assumed by default that most of the people there are neurodivergent and the space is primarily designed for neurodivergent people - the opposite of the rest of the world, really! The interaction badges are intended to allow autistic people to clearly and non-verbally self-regulate comfortable social interaction with each other.

We introduced them because they're so helpful and important in neurodivergent spaces like Autscape, and we want to be inclusive of neurodivergent people. I'm autistic and I have ADHD, so it's close to my heart.

Are there currently, or plans for, other Makerspaces in Powys?

Pat: There should be. I believe that physically making, mending and repairing provides an invaluable resource for developing self-confidence and respect for your own and other people’s achievements. Making and developing skills with different equipment and materials is an essential part of what it means to be a social human being. It provides a means to overcome the feelings of negativity that living in such an unequal society can often induce.

Cassian: I definitely agree, every town needs a makerspace as much as it needs a library or a community centre. Humans have been making things together for as long as there have been humans! Creativity and art and problem-solving are all hardwired in us, and humans are an incredibly social species. In makerspaces you can really see that we all inherently understand that sharing skills and materials is good for everyone involved. It comes so naturally to us; we've been doing it for thousands of years.

Many thanks to Pat and Cassian for telling us about the work of Makerspace in Mach. If you want to find out more you can contact the organisation by emailing hello@machspace.org or check out their website – machspace.org

NHS 111 Press 2 - mental health support in Powys

We recently welcomed Marielle Restall, NHS 111 Press 2 Team Lead for Powys Teaching Health Board, to our Health & Wellbeing team meeting to give us an update about this relatively new service in Powys.

What is 111 Press 2?

111 Press 2 is a mental health service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for all ages. People can use the number if they have an urgent mental health concern for themselves or someone they know. It provides access to a mental health professional without the need for a GP referral. It can help people to support mental health crisis and in many cases be an alternative to attending emergency departments or calling the police.

The service can be accessed by calling NHS 111 and selecting option 2. Callers are then transferred to a dedicated member of the mental health team in their locality. The call includes an assessment of needs and a telephone based intervention to reduce stress. Where appropriate individuals can be referred to mental health services, given self-care advice or signposted to other support.

Why do we have 111 Press 2?

It came about following the publication of a report called Beyond the Call. This took a snapshot in Wales of where people presented in mental health crisis. People presented to 17 different places in total, including the police, Welsh Ambulance service, C.A.L.L. Helpline, Psychiatric Liaison Teams and others, which shows that it was not clear how to access mental health services appropriately.

The idea was to provide one number across Wales that’s easily accessible and people know they can rely on to access mental health support. This would then also reduce pressure on police, ambulance and other emergency services.

Beyond the call report, 2020

Who can call 111 Press 2?

Anyone, any age, registered with a Powys GP or visitors to Powys, can call 111 Press 2. If you are calling about someone else the staff can only give advice, they need to speak to the person directly concerned to make referrals to other services.

We take calls from any person registered with a GP in Powys, or visitors to Powys, whether they are known or not to mental health services. 111 Press 2 can refer on to any of the services within mental health. They are encouraging people to call 111 Press 2 as an alternative to attending their GP. People are triaged by a mental health practitioner and onward referral is made if required. Some GPs are actually redirecting people who call in to surgeries to access support. It’s important that the general public know that if they call 111 Press 2 they can be referred anywhere and receive any support. An exception would be if it is a medication query, for example, the person may have commenced medication and want to discuss this further with the GP.

We are working with the Powys Child & Adolescent Mental Health Support (CAMHS) Schools In-Reach team to help spread the word in schools about the service, and CAMHS teams are also promoting it.

There is a separate dedicated Professionals’ Line which is prioritised in the call queue. So far in Powys it is available to GPs, the police and the ambulance service. Currently an average of 2 calls a day are received by this line, so further promotional work is required to spread the word.

The call handlers are using an interpreting service called LanguageLine to provide support to people who speak a language other than English or Welsh. The issue is whether there is a translator available at the time of the call.

There are two Welsh speakers in the team. People can request a Welsh language speaker when they call which would take them directly to a Welsh-speaking call handler.

What can 111 Press 2 do?

• Conduct a mental health triage to assess a person’s needs.
• Provide a therapeutic conversation.
• De-escalate crisis situations (and reduce pressures of A&E and emergency services).
• Give advice on how to improve and maintain your mental wellbeing.
• Signpost to Third Sector services.
• Refer directly into mental health services for a mental health assessment, eg: Local Primary Mental Health team, Community Mental Health team, Crisis Resolution Home Treatment team, Perinatal team, Early Intervention Psychosis, Eating Disorder Services, Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services single point of access.

What 111 Press 2 cannot do

There is no face-to-face or video calling service available. Staff cannot prescribe medication - a referral would be made to mental health services or advice to attend the GP surgery or call ShropDoc out of hours.

111 Press 2 does not call people back at others’ request - the person must call themselves.

Is 111 Press 2 a listening service?

The service is different to CALL Helpline or other listening services. It is a mental health triage service so you would expect a person to ring with a mental health need.

The practitioners will always listen to the person calling and seek to support them with their mental health need whether that be through de-escalation or onward referral to an appropriate service. Callers who are not presenting with a mental health need will be advised to call another helpline or listening service if they wish to.

111 Press 2 seeks to reduce the distress felt by the caller - practitioners use a measure called the Subjective Unit of Distress Scale. It is used as a reflective tool at the end of a call to find out if there has been a change in how people feel from the beginning to the end of the call. If nothing has changed it could be that this highlights areas that have been missed. It gives control over to the person. Nobody’s distress has gone up since the Powys service began. It is about a 50/50 split on - stay the same or decreased. However, not all callers want to engage with this scale, and it is not appropriate for third party callers.

Who’s in the 111 Press 2 team?

7 x Band 5 Wellbeing Practitioners (Support Workers, Psychology graduates, therapists & social care staff).

1 x Band 5 Service Coordinator (administrative).

6 x Band 6 Senior Mental Health Practitioners (with a professional registration in Mental Health Nursing, Social Work or Occupational Therapy).

1 x Band 7 Team Lead (Mental Health nurse).

1 x Band 8 Service Manager (Mental Health nurse).

In a normal shift one of the senior practitioners will be supporting two of the wellbeing practitioners.

Triage scale

Practitioners use a triage scale as a guide to decide how quickly a person needs support.

The majority of the calls (over 60% May 2023 - January 2024) are for advice and information, or advice to contact alternative providers. Emergency responses made up 11% of the calls.

Live Data (May 2023 - January 2024)

We have gathered information about the number and type of calls the team have been receiving since the service started in Powys:

• 3421 calls received in total.
• Calls equally distributed across Powys
• Averaging 19 calls a day.
• On average calls are answered in less than 2 minutes.
• Calls are evenly spread throughout the week, with peak times - 6 - 8pm.
• Age range of callers - 11 years to 95 years.
• Average caller is male, 44 - 65.
• 53% callers active to mental health services, 24% closed to mental health services, and 23% no mental health history.

Highlighting gaps in service provision

The new service has already highlighted the need to the health board of certain gaps in current mental health services, for example out-of-hours crisis care. The Crisis Care team is not available after 9.30pm so by default 111 Press 2 are taking many crisis calls during the night time, as the only out of hours contact for Powys Teaching Health Board.

The team is working closely with other services to identify where the service gaps are so that they can really focus on developing those areas. It’s finding what is working for individuals and what isn’t. 111 Press 2 is in the early stages at the moment but has amazing potential to do great things. In fact, 111 Press 2 is at the forefront of transforming how services are operating!

In summary

111 Press 2 is a single point of access into mental health services for the general public.

111 Press 2 is for everybody.

111 Press 2 provides quick access to a mental health professional 

for advice, support and / or a referral.

Many thanks to Marielle for telling us more about the NHS 111 Press 2 service.

You can find out more about 111 Press 2 on this Welsh Government website.

Rekindle Ail-ddeffro 2024

Reg Cawthorne – High Sheriff of Powys with Michele Humberstone (Administrator), Jodie Hughes (Service Delivery Manager & Counsellor), Lindsay Cameron-Brown (Administrator) and Cristina Roberts (Recovery Practitioner and Activities Officer).

Rekindle - supporting young people aged 16 - 25 

to improve their mental health and wellbeing

by Jodie Hughes

Service Delivery Manager

We were thrilled to kick off 2024 in our new location in Newtown, just a stone's throw from our previous building. The new facility provides a warm and welcoming atmosphere for young people including outside space, a communal area for activities and three therapy rooms allowing us to expand our capacity offering more appointments to young people. 

We have recruited a larger team to help us to meet demand for our counselling services, one-to-one support and to develop our activities programme.

Our counselling service remains person-centred, meaning the sessions are guided by our clients, giving them the power to talk about the things they want to. After receiving counselling sessions with our team, a young person shared:

"I'm super-duper grateful for all the help and support. It's really improved my life."

Dafydd Llewellyn – Police and Crime Commissioner, speaking at Rekindle's opening event

Our one-to-one recovery team continue to support clients with housing, finances, employment, education, health, self-confidence, friendships, relationships, self-care, life skills, resilience, and more! One of the young people who uses the service shared:

“A friend is in need of help, and I told them to come straight here, as you actually help”.

Rachel Wright (Lead Recovery Practitioner), Jodie Hughes (Service Delivery Manager / Counsellor) and Robin Brierly (Chair of Rekindle) with local Police Community Support Officers.

In further development of our services, we have recently teamed up with Beam, a social enterprise charity, to assist our 18 - 25 year old clients with dedicated career and employment support. The project will offer bespoke career coaching and wellbeing support to help people climb the career ladder with support to access skills and qualifications alongside financial assistance to make finding a job that little bit easier.

Anyone can make a referral to our services by completing our referral form available on our website or by speaking to a member of the team.

Want to know more about Rekindle?

Follow us on social media:

Facebook rekindlecharity

Instagram @rekindle.charity

Linked-in REKINDLE CHARITY

Visit our website – www.rekindle.org.uk

Speak to our team – 01686 722 222

Check out our new space: 2-3 Ladywell Centre, Newtown, Powys SY16 1AF

Spring into gardening with a new Tir Coed course

by Alice Read

Powys Co-ordinator, Tir Coed

There is no doubt Spring is in the air with blossom bursting and birdsong floating on the breeze. Time to stretch our limbs and make some friends.

Last April the learning and wellbeing outdoors charity Tir Coed launched its Sustainable Horticulture course at Cultivate in Newtown, North Powys. This 20 week course covers 4 AGORED units growing a range of crops for people and nature, over a growing season. The course covers everything you need to know from assessing a site through to harvesting practices. Purposeful practical learning can build confidence and lead to employment or volunteering.

Tir Coed’s mantra is to connect people to the land and woods with a focus on improved wellbeing through practical outdoor training. Everyone engaging with Tir Coed gets outdoors, meets new people and develops their appreciation for nature, all of which have wellbeing outcomes.

Tir Coed is experienced in working with some of the hardest to reach in our society and over the last twenty years has developed a comprehensive engagement model that supports people as they develop, from first step engagement through to employment. 

As the plants start producing in the developing garden participants take home the food they have grown to cook, store or share with friends and the project mentor also opens up avenues to explore on other projects, work or courses. 

You may have seen some of the participants recently on the popular BBC television programme Countryfile as they take their next steps volunteering at Ponthafren’s community garden at Powis Castle. You can read about this garden in a post from June last year - Wellbeing Wednesdays at Powis Castle.

The incredible tutors on this latest horticultural course will be Rhiwena Slack from Cultivate and Emma Maxwell from Ash & Elm Horticulture with mentoring from Tir Coed's Powys Mentor, Matt Sheldon.

In 2024 we will be doing some trips out later in the season to visit market gardens and enterprises to think about scaling up food production, how to save your own seed and different ways to share produce. 

Every week the participants have the option of getting together with the site volunteers for a shared hot lunch thanks to Cultivate, which brings a real sense of community at the gardens.

It can be nerve racking to join a new group but what we find on our courses is that people really support each other and forge friendships. There is a gentleness to gardening alongside people. Through this activity people can be quiet or open up, it’s up to the individual.

Not sure if you want to complete the whole course? Join up for the first 5 week unit and see how it goes. In this first unit you will learn:

• Organic soil management.
• Assessing a site for growing.
• Understanding and making compost.

Feedback from previous course participants

One of last year’s participants said: “If I wasn’t here each week I would be sitting on the sofa playing computer games and watching TV. Now I am outside with people, I have structure in the week and it helps me forget about some of my pain.”

“Some days I wouldn’t feel like going out but gradually through the course I have arrived earlier and earlier and now (by the end of the course) I wish I had been on time every week and made the most of it.”

Three of the participants continue to volunteer at other projects together, supporting each other and helping with transport and new ventures.

If you would like to join this free course starting on April 9th please contact the co-ordinator Alice Read by emailing powysdevelopment@tircoed.org.uk, or tel: 07415 752 583, or visit the website to see all of the Tir Coed courses. Courses include woodland and growing courses. 

All Tir Coed courses are free.

Llandrindod Lakers: An Invitation to Play.

by guest author Jimi

I would like to invite you to play basketball with us. You’re probably thinking “don’t you need to be 7ft tall?” and the truth is no, you really don’t.

My name is Jimi and I run a social basketball group in Llandrindod Wells. As an adult on the autism spectrum, access to sports, especially competitive sports, has always been challenging. After what was a dark, difficult and strayed 24 years of my life, I was eventually diagnosed with autism less than a year ago and I remember how unhelpful and overwhelming the post-diagnosis support thrown at me was. I was also in a pit of depression and constant anxiety at the time and my bipolar was running free and naked in the boggy marsh of my mind.

Through many other coarse experiences with mental health services, I have found that they can be congested with inflexible bureaucratic principles, galactic waiting times, a lack of resources as well as education and empathy, mountainous referrals and far too clinical to make a real and natural connection with an individual. There is also an addict-like reliance on prescribing pharmaceuticals: the irony.

The signposting on signposting on signposting played out like Dr Seuss’ Green Eggs & Ham, except my ending left Sam-I-Am to his rare refreshment and I decided to go it alone to start writing a new book to break the cycle (neither literary nor literally, just to make that clear).

I’d been in this state too many times for too long, repeating the same patterns that I knew could lead to a fifth suicide attempt. I’d had enough and it was up to me to do something about it or rot. I set off with my figurative notepad and pen to discover what positivity and wellbeing meant to me. Now I must mention here that I didn’t start playing basketball again and my mental health problems disappeared overnight, I don’t want to say it would be impossible but (reluctantly) this would be impossible.

“Know thyself.”

After a men’s process work retreat facilitated by a very dear friend of mine, Scott McGregor, and his counterpart, Laurence Johns, I decided to completely unmask. Simply put ‘masking’ is a strategy many neurodivergent, especially autistic, people do to appear neurotypical in front of others and, in terms of energy and wellbeing, it is decimating.

For me, unmasking has been arduous yet rewarding and I’m still working through it. The retreat itself was at the height of last year’s summer set in the gorgeous hills of Llanafan Fawr, disconnected from the noise of modern life and totally wholesome. This part of my life was a major turning point and with the support of other vulnerable and beautiful men, it showed me that the answers and contentment I’ve been desperately trying to latch on to were actually within myself, not out to the exterior world or with material objects or romantic relationships. I’d been unwittingly running away from that truth my entire adult life.

Enter basketball.

I’ve always enjoyed playing since my friend introduced it to me in primary school. It was different to the other mainstream sports on the playground; the play was faster, more intense, more tactile and we didn’t need to face rejection, we could just pick up our ball and play. It was at the height of the Michael Jordan/Chicago Bulls fever that was gripping the globe and a popular interest in basketball was gaining traction here in the UK. Other kids soon took notice and, of course, we let them all join us.

Fast forward to 2023. I mentioned in passing to a then work colleague, now teammate, how I wished to play again: serendipity rides shotgun. He invited me to come along to play with a group down the road, the Builth Bulls, and after that first session back my fire was reignited.

Once a week could not sate my appetite for hitting those sweet buckets so a few of us ‘Llandodites’ decided to set something up closer to home and more regular throughout the week. Within a month I was finding a direct correlation between the progress I was making during practice and the progress in the rest of my life.

As more players were stepping onto our court, I kept thinking about all the other people in similar situations to me who perhaps felt that the system was letting them down, especially in a rural area such as ours. I feel obligated to do more to let them know that all their eccentricities, fears and insecurities are so welcome on our court. Basketball can take you through a lot of emotions and feelings; frustration and elation, fatigue and determination, inflation and deflation, anger and humour. It’s good to recognise them and work through them in a safe way. You work a lot with action and reaction which are very valuable tools you can then use out in the world beyond the court.

So this is what I’m offering my fellow neurodivergent peers; the opportunity to play in a space where it doesn’t matter who you are or what’s going on off the court, for an hour only basketball matters. A supportive environment to compliment whatever care or health journey you find yourself on. If you don’t relate to any of the issues I’ve spoken about, that truly is wonderful and of course you are welcome to play with us.

Psychologists and teachers say that children learn through play, but I find that to only be a half-truth: people best learn through play. I’ve learnt more about myself through sharing experiences where my sense of humour and curiosity can move freely and being inspired through connecting with others, Llandrindod Lakers has been a huge part of that and I hope anyone reading this will find their power within to do something new. Play.

Helping Mental Health With A Ball - a member's testimony

Becoming a resident to Powys in 2021 I had reached out to several sports and social clubs. Dishearteningly, most of which never got back to me. I re-attempted late 2023, predominantly from a physical health viewpoint and came across a post on a local group solution page regarding basketball. I’ve always been an admirer of the sport from afar but was typically pushed towards either football or individual workouts, for which I had no affinity.

Since joining, I’ve been taken aback of how much the group has helped mentally, from the initial welcome and the encouragement thereafter. I’ve found myself eager and excited for not only the session but week ahead. Which has translated to each aspect of my life. I’m proud to have found great friends here and an outlet for stress, anxiety and healthy competition.

Combining a welcoming group of local people with a sport that has a rich, diverse and inclusive history has surely been a winning experience for me.

Llandrindod Lakers have open basketball sessions on Mondays 6 – 7pm and 

Fridays 6.30 – 7.30pm at Llandrindod Wells Sports Centre.

Find out more on the Llandrindod Lakers' Facebook page.

Powys Substance Use Harm Reduction Plan launch

Linda Hutchings, Brecon peer support worker

“Developing a partnership response to Harm Reduction across Powys 

to meet the needs of people with drug and alcohol concerns.”

The first thing I picked up at this Harm Reduction Plan launch recently was a flyer about nitazenes (synthetic opioids known for their potent nature) and the changing face of heroin. I hadn’t even pinned on my attendee badge. The bizarre names of drugs like naloxone (a potentially life-saving medication) and nitazene (an extremely harmful drug) were scattered throughout the day and I realised I had a lot to learn.

Fortunately this highly informative day at the Metropole Hotel in Llandrindod brought together a multitude of statutory and voluntary sector agencies with a wealth of knowledge and experience around substance misuse. But perhaps even more importantly it called upon those with the lived experience of the harm that can be caused by substance misuse - be that alcohol or drugs - and the often catastrophic effects resulting in damaged mental and physical health, relationships, living arrangements (homelessness and debt being extreme but not unusual outcomes) and an increased likelihood of coming into contact with the criminal justice system.

Jan Roberts (Suicide Prevention, Harm Reduction & Postvention Quality Improvement Lead), Joy Garfitt (Interim Executive Director of Operations, Mental Health Services) & Carol Daly (Harm Prevention & Reduction Lead - Substance Misuse)
Powys Teaching Health Board

Joy Garfitt, Interim Executive Director of Operations - Mental Health Services in Powys, and chair of the Area Planning Board, welcomed everyone. She explained that the APB brought together agencies across the county with the shared ambition of reducing harm from substance use. (There is a longer definition in the Welsh Government document Working together to reduce harm). The APB plans, commissions and delivers services and also brings networks together. As Joy explained, Powys is actually as long as the distance between the Severn Bridge and the Marble Arch, so this is quite challenging!

What is harm reduction and how can it benefit Powys - Rick Lines, Public Health Wales, Head of Programmes, Substance Use

Rick described how he was first introduced to harm reduction 30 years ago in his hometown of Toronto in Canada. He worked supporting prisoners who, he explained, were inevitably using drugs. His experience supporting people who had been traumatised by early life events, and went on to use drugs, led him to ask in court: “Have you heard this woman’s story? Why is the state looking at it through the context of drugs?” Rick highlighted that putting this particular woman in prison repeated the trauma she had experienced from authority figures when she was a child.

Rick saw the same scenario play out when he later worked in Eastern Europe. He said 90% of drug use is not problematic (how many people do we know who use alcohol on a regular basis socially…?) and asked what we can do to reduce deaths, to show that we care whether people live or die, and to help reduce the risk of using drugs in a risky fashion. We should be respecting the dignity of people who use drugs by providing services, and reducing feelings of vulnerability and stigma.

Recent concerns are around changes in the drug market whereby synthetic and highly dangerous drugs (like nitazenes) are increasingly coming onto the market. Rick championed the ongoing work in the 3rd sector and community pharmacies to provide harm reduction services - “it is the people on the ground who are making the difference”.

Welsh Government policy is committed to harm reduction, and is unique in the United Kingdom, and rare in the world. This policy influences how the police, prisons and partners regard substance use and filters down to the statutory and community organisations.

Current position in Powys and the focus of Harm Reduction - Carol Daly, Harm Prevention and Reduction Lead (Substance Misuse)

Carol’s aim is to set up a multi-agency Powys Harm Reduction sub-group (one of seven across Wales) to drive action across the county. This would draw on the knowledge of local organisations to deliver the key priorities, including:

Supporting the work of the Health Board in working to the World Health Organisation's global aim of eliminating Blood Borne Viruses by 2030. Powys is rolling out treatment and testing for people at risk of Blood Borne Viruses such as HIV, Hepatitis B and C.

• Training up peer supporters and carers.
• Developing pharmacy services to increase the uptake of Needle and Syringe Provision and Blood Borne Virus Testing.
• Raising awareness of the real risks of synthetic drugs coming onto the market.
• Increasing availability of Naloxone across partner agencies.
• Addressing the stigma (it was again pointed out that most people use some sort of substance, for example, alcohol).
• Prevention - the APB has commissioned services to educate children and young people about drugs, and Carol is working with Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to increase knowledge of new synthetic opiates.

This important agenda would save lives - and has saved thousands of lives already with the information and tools to help people who take drugs do so in a safer manner.

During discussion Barry Eveleigh from Kaleidoscope (the local substance misuse service provider) highlighted the financial element - if you can keep someone out of A&E you can save £2000. A liver transplant is £150,000. It costs £1000 a week to keep someone in prison. In comparison to these figures the costs of providing safe drug alternatives are minor.

There were also questions about decriminalising drugs as has happened in other countries such as Portugal, where the person using drugs is regarded as a patient rather than a criminal. Michael Curties from the Welsh Government explained that the criminal justice system is not devolved to Wales so this is not an option open to the Welsh Government.

What’s already being done and what are our priorities? - Neville Brookes, Area Planning Board Manager

Neville asked: “how can co-production work with this agenda?” We need to learn from people with lived experience, and spend time with individuals in the treatment system. “Who better to talk to when waiting for a service than another peer?”

Peers design relapse prevention programmes - they know what works. If people become part of a peer mentor programme they often give back to services and there is an onward pathway to work within the field if they choose.

He also said:

• Harm reduction should be on all our agendas - not just thought of as a clinical intervention.
• Out of hours community support is needed (this was identified by focus groups).
• We need to simplify the service so that individuals have a single pathway.

The overall outcome would be to enhance and improve systems and processes for everyone involved.

How we use peers, with lived experience, to enhance service provision - Elwyn Thomas, Co-production Lead, Kaleidoscope

Elwyn has been in post for 18 months now. He started as a peer on a script in a prison cell. He worked on a Welsh Government peer to peer support project providing the heroin substitute naloxone - over an 8 week period 237 kits were delivered! Amazingly eighty people did not even know that it existed.

There are now seven teams across Wales delivering this important service. Everyone was trained in just a year, and other initiatives have also been put into place including creating pathways to treatment and needle exchange schemes. Elwyn spoke of how people’s esteem and self-worth was raised after having access to the training, with peer uniforms (branded “ask me about Naloxone”) and lanyards breaking barriers.

In 2 years the delivery of harm reduction has changed massively in Wales, from prescribed scripts from nurses to working alongside peers.

Linda Hutchings, a Brecon peer, has lived experience for many years using drugs but is now drug free. She agreed that people can be the best they can be with training and involvement. She is now accepted in her community, not as a drug addict, but as someone with lived experience. “I built up belief in myself as I didn’t have any.” Linda started work with peer mentoring service Cyfle Cymru on 8 February.

Round table discussions & feedback

In round table discussions we looked closely at Powys challenges and priorities. The top three challenges on our table were: rurality, silos and stigma. We were very keen to promote the idea of a support bus which could travel the whole length of the county, the distance from the Severn Bridge to Marble Arch - and back again!

Our priorities were - prevention, communication and collaboration. We agreed that it was important to reach out into the community (it’s that bus again!) rather than expect people to come to us.

Overall it felt that there was a great enthusiasm in the room for genuine collaboration and partnership working to make real change so that people using drugs and alcohol, for whatever reason, could live well in the county.

Closing remarks - Michael Curties, Substance Misuse Policy Team, Welsh Government

Michael raised many relevant and important topics in his summing up in relation to the APB, data sharing, working more closely with GPs and prevention, etc. To finish off I’ll highlight just a couple of his comments that particularly resonated with me:

The Harm Reduction challenge is the same as it is for all other services - we solve it by working together. “How do we get to the point where there is no wrong door? Where people walk in and get a service wherever they are?”

“Coproduction is about learning - what do we say that gets in your way? We need to hear if there are those barriers. Ask - can we do it differently?”

I look forward to finding out more about developing drug and alcohol services in Powys as Carol continues her vital work on the Harm Reduction plan.

You find out more about Alcohol and Substance Misuse resources

on this Powys Teaching Health Board website page.

Area 43 – Powys schools & community-based counselling services

Lisa Head is the Communications & Engagement Manager, she has been at the charity Area 43 since 2017. She joined the organisation as a Senior Youth Support Worker, then moved to Centre Manager, Services Manager and Operations Manager, before commencing her current role. Area 43 provides safe spaces, information, support, counselling and training to young people aged 11 – 25 at their flagship Youth Café, Depot in Cardigan in West Wales. Their counselling services span the whole of the mid and west Wales area supporting children and young people aged 3 – 30.

In October 2023 Area 43 became the new provider of Independent School and Community Based Counselling Services for Powys.

I recently met up with Lisa to find out more about the work of Area 43.

What drew you to your role at Area 43?

It’s a long story. I am a single parent of 2 girls, one of which was particularly challenging when she was younger. They are both in their 20s now, but when they were little, I was so disillusioned by the lack of support available to children, young people and their families that I embarked on an Open University degree to learn how to support my children better. It began as something I was doing for my own personal interest, but the more I learned, the more I realised I could do to help others in my community.

In 2011, I set up a youth club in the village where I lived, the young people wanted to launch the club with a mini music festival, so they worked with me to plan, coordinate and manage the event. I had a background in Arts Marketing, so I had the marketing and events management knowledge and plenty of contacts who were happy to perform. We attracted over 1000 visitors and the youth club went from strength to strength. I ran the club for about 8 years and over that time we expanded on the music festival idea to re-establish a village carnival, with young people in the lead. We ran that event 3 times.

I had known about the work of Area 43 for a long time, but at that time they only worked with 16 – 25 year olds and my children were much younger. However, when I saw the Senior Youth Support Worker role advertised early in 2017, I jumped at the opportunity to join the team and put all my learning and experience into practice.

During the lockdowns of the Covid pandemic, Area 43 took the opportunity to conduct a large-scale consultation with young people in the Ceredigion area to ask them what they felt they needed in Cardigan. They overwhelmingly told us that they needed safe spaces and an affordable café, where they could hang out and socialise without the pressure of having to spend money or feeling that they are not welcome… And so, Depot was the result.

Tell us briefly how Area 43 came about

Area 43 was born out of a community needs-led project in 1996. Back then there were 30 odd pubs in Cardigan and all the young people were hanging around playing pool and there were issues with them not going to school or college. It was identified that they really needed a place to go to that was not alcohol-fuelled or potentially putting them at risk. A group came together to put in a lottery bid to establish Cardigan Youth Project. They were successful in receiving lottery money and it snowballed from there.

From the early days, we had volunteers and eventually staff – including counsellors and support workers. We were quite early in offering counselling to young disadvantaged people in this area. When it became statutory law in Wales to offer counselling in schools in 2008 we were successful in tendering for a couple of those contracts because of this experience, and have held on to most of those ever since.

We now deliver services throughout Powys, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion and will see in the region of 5000+ individuals this year.

There are a total of 30 counsellors and therapists in Powys and another 28 covering West Wales. When Area 43 recently took over the contract from Kooth, most of the staff transferred over, so they all have plenty of experience with young people in the Powys area.

How can counselling help children and young people who may be struggling with their mental health?

Area 43’s counselling service is delivered by highly trained professionals and managed by people who fully understand the values, aims and limitations of counselling.

Counselling can allow a space for children and young people where they feel they are not judged and offers the opportunity to increase self-awareness, develop personal resources and understand their problems. It is a skilled way of helping those with personal, emotional and developmental issues or difficulties that takes place in a safe and confidential environment. This allows them to explore, discover and embed strategies to cope with change and live in a more satisfying, resourceful way.

By helping children and young people to share their worries and concerns with a counsellor or therapist, the young person can gain a better understanding of themselves, making sense of what they are experiencing, which helps them gain clarity and build resilience within themselves.

How is the school counselling going in Powys and what do you offer?

Thanks to the great team that Area 43 inherited from the previous provider, our service is running seamlessly. Area 43 will continue to provide counselling services for all eligible young people to the age of 25. The Powys model works slightly differently from the west Wales model, but essentially there are counsellors and therapists in all the secondary school settings and selected primaries.

Counselling is predominantly delivered face to face with the flexibility for online provision for those aged 10 – 19 (year 6 to Year 13) in education settings, but there is also an option for up to 25 year-olds to access counselling support either online or in the community.

All young people in Powys up to age 25 are eligible to access the counselling service.

We have 20 counsellors and therapists available for 37 days per week in secondary schools, 11 counsellors and therapists based in 15 of the primary school settings and we provide at least 3 days per week of online or community counselling sessions.

How are children and young people in Powys referred for counselling support?

Whilst parents and professionals can use our referral forms, any young person can register in exactly the same way and we encourage self-referral. It helps young people to feel ownership of the counselling support and let’s be honest, counselling or therapy isn’t something that can be done to somebody, it’s a meaningful, emotional process that takes a lot of commitment and vulnerability.

Referral forms, support resources and counselling information to help children, young people, parents and education staff to have discussions about counselling and decide whether it is suitable for them can be accessed through the Area 43 website page Powys Counselling.

Tell us more about the Youth Café you run in Cardigan

It’s about driving young people’s dreams forward, allowing their voice, hearing them and acting upon their needs. We utilised the lockdown scenario to do some online consultation and canvassed young people in the whole of our area as well as external services, to see what they would like from Area 43. Young people told us overwhelmingly that they needed safe spaces to hang out and socialise with friends where caring professionals could offer alternative views and provide additional support.

They also explained that they didn’t feel welcome in the town centre cafés - they felt stigmatised walking in as a group. The result of the consultation is Depot, which is led by young people for young people - it is their space, we just facilitate it and keep it safe.

In the youth café, young people don’t need to buy anything, they can just come in to keep warm and see other people. We heavily subsidise the cost of food and drink. We have managed to access some food poverty grants to keep costs as low as we can, and we work with Neighbourly and Fareshare for surplus foods, so we are often able to offer free meals.

Our Cardigan building is open 6 days a week up to 7pm for 14 – 25 year olds, we also hold transition sessions on Saturday mornings for 11 – 13 year olds. There are young people out there essentially living independently at the age of 14 – 16 including homeless young people, sofa surfing or sleeping rough. They come to Area 43 to stay warm, have human contact, receive support from our team, and link up with existing specialist services - drugs and alcohol, or housing options, and we facilitate this.

We also offer supported paid work placements for young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) to help them develop the skills to progress into the workplace from a safe, supportive environment where they can make mistakes and learn from them without dire consequences.

Do you have plans to develop and expand your offer in Powys?

We are working closely with Powys County Council, watch this space…

What are the main challenges working in this field?

I guess the main issue is securing consistent funding to provide these essential services. There is no doubt that the need for mental health support is very real. Whilst talking about mental health difficulties more openly has decreased the stigma, it has also opened the floodgates, and the need for support and counselling services means the demand is great and waiting lists across the sector are growing.

Contracts for counselling services go through a competitive tendering process and although we support the campaign by Young Minds and Dr Alex George (UK Youth Mental Health Ambassador) to obtain statutory funding for early intervention mental health hubs, we are still heavily reliant upon grant funders like the National Lottery.

Tell us about some of the most rewarding work you have done at Area 43

Seeing the Youth Café come to fruition is a proud achievement, we see over 200 young people every week, and last year had over 1600 visitors, it’s amazing and proves how much the safe space is needed by young people.

The most rewarding work is the direct work with young people, slowly building trust, and learning about them, their needs, background and challenges. Then having the honour of being permitted to walk with them on their journey and see them grow as they navigate the obstacles, dramas and emotions that fall in their way. I have seen some young people come from the most distressing situations where they have a lack of supportive adults at home, a tough time in education (if they attend), and substance misuse, bullying or other abuse in their lives, manage to find themselves and their strength because they learned that they had someone they could trust, who believed them and wanted the best for them. It’s amazing what young people can achieve with the right support if they want to.

How do you like spending your time when you’re not working?

I like peace and quiet and the opportunity to rejuvenate when I’m not working. I love a spa day! I also like to curl up in a cosy armchair with a book or to get out in nature, walk with my dogs on the beach or through the woods.

Feedback from children & young people who have been supported by Area 43 

About counselling and therapy

"Helped me release all me feeling and emotions."

"It has been helpful to be able to talk to someone. It has helped all the negative energy and thoughts to disappear."

"It helped me by boosting my self-esteem and giving me more confidence in making the right choices for myself, it also really helped with my family and friends relationships which i am thankful for."

"It was good to have someone to talk when my anxiety was a problem. I was able to work out how to control my anxiety and now have way to stop it."

About the Youth Café

“The first time I went to the Youth Café I was an upset teenager determined not to speak to anyone. But after a Youth Support Worker coming up to chat with me I opened up more than I had in a while. I felt a lot lighter when I left.”

“Coming here (Depot) for the past 3 years has done more for my confidence than almost a decade of support groups.”

“I feel that Depot youth café is a treasure to the community for young people, as a mental health sufferer this place has helped me get out of a dark place, the support I have received from the youth workers has changed me massively in ways I didn't think was possible. I've made new friends, I've learned to accept myself for my self with my mental illness and I don't feel like I'm figuring it out anymore. I have started to come out the house more as I'm less anxious of the outside world."

Many thanks to Lisa for telling us about the work of Area 43. 

If you want to find out more you can contact Lisa by emailing lisa@area43.co.uk

There is also further information on the Area 43 website including an online referral form.