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.