Welsh Three Peaks challenge: raising morale, money & mental health awareness

 

Jamie Love works for the Newtown-based yacht company Makefast as the Health, Safety and Facilities Manager. Earlier this month he and 23 intrepid colleagues decided to take on the Welsh Three Peaks Challenge to raise money for three nominated charities (raising more than £3,500 so far), one of which is the north Powys-based mental health charity Ponthafren Association.

After spotting details of their adventures on social media, we decided to find out more about the company’s motivation in taking on the challenge, and what they learnt from their experience.

Jamie Love, Makefast's Health, Safety & Facilities Manager

First of all, what is the Three Peaks Challenge?

There are three different Three Peaks Challenges – a national one, a Welsh one and a Yorkshire route. We decided to take on the Welsh challenge which is ascending Snowdon, Cadair Idris and Pen y Fan in the Brecon Beacons. These are the highest peaks in Wales and include a total walking distance of 17 miles (27.4km) and an ascent of 2334 metres (7657ft). We talked about doing it in 24 hours.

What inspired you to take on the Challenge as a group of work colleagues?

After joining the company in October 2020 as Health, Safety & Facilities Manager I realised that because our staff are split between 2 buildings, there was an opportunity to bring people together and connect on a personal level as well as through their working day.

It was all about trying to find an event to get everyone together and this seemed to meet the bill. People have different fitness levels so there was definitely that sense of connection that you get with people supporting each other.

Llyn Llydaw on the route up Snowdon

Did you do much training prior to the Challenge?

As a runner myself I already take part in a lot of different events as do a few of my colleagues. However, the group was predominantly made up of people who went from doing nothing to doing some serious training for the Three Peaks.

Staff members trained at weekends and evenings, mainly by walking. We started initially in November 2020 when the Challenge was first announced. Training really picked up around March this year and when the weather started to improve, and the days were longer, we were able to get out even more.

It brought a lot of families together during the period of the Covid lockdown. People took their kids out walking and explored places that were local to them that they hadn’t seen before.

Tell us about the Challenge. How did it go?

It was hard work! It was really really good though! We set off at 6pm on the free coach (with driver!) provided by Tanat Valley Coaches and headed up to North Wales. Immediately as we started up Snowdon you could see groups forming of different people. Some were faster and headed off ahead with the slower groups at the back with a back marker.

The weather was quite bad - heavy rain and strong winds. Plus, the first ascent was through the night! But we made it! We finally finished at about 2.30am and were back on the coach for something to eat and drink before heading straight down to mountain number two - Cadair Idris.

Success on summiting Snowdon! 

On arrival at Cadair Idris the weather was even worse – the wind was more intense as we set off at 3am. Cadair Idris is not as high as Snowdon but a longer walk and definitely more challenging. It’s a lot more demanding on your body and we’d already done Snowdon. We picked up a few injuries along the way - people’s knees were aching by this point and some had blisters.

We arrived back at the bus after a successful climb and at 9am the driver took us straight down to South Wales to complete Pen Y Fan. Luckily the weather had eased off a lot by then. There was hardly any rain and it’s a bit easier – more of a steady walk. We took the route up from The Storey Arms and headed up over Corn Du to the summit. We talked a few strangers into sponsoring us up there and then took a different route back down to finish at 3.30pm. I had my dog Gilly, a springer spaniel, with me all the way – she runs everywhere with me!

Even with the travel back up to Newtown we’d completed the Welsh Three Peaks Challenge in 23 hours in total. One of the group needed help coming down from Cadair Idris having injured their knee but everyone else made it. Back at base at Makefast we enjoyed celebratory drinks and a hog roast, and handed out medals and certificates.

What was the most challenging part of the Challenge?

Probably Cadair Idris was the hardest part – it was definitely the longest. On a good day it’s one of the best walks to do as the views are amazing. But the weather and the time of day made it the hardest of the lot. Everyone would probably agree – people were cursing me for dragging them out! But at the end everyone was really proud of themselves for completing the climb.

What was the most rewarding part of the Challenge?

For me it was getting off the bus at the end and seeing everyone really happy and positive about what they’d done. Even though there were complaints of sore bodies and tiredness there was no one without a smile on their face.

Now I can see people round the factory walking past and talking to each other where before they just walked past and paid no attention. The Challenge definitely had the effect I wanted it to in bringing people together. Even people who didn’t take part played their part by talking about it and getting involved in it.

They made it! The summit at Pen y Fan

How did you choose the three charities that would benefit?

All three charities were chosen by the people taking part in the event whose lives have been affected in some way and helped by these charities.

Macmillan - a lot of people in the workplace have been affected by cancer – either themselves or their loved ones.

Designability – they make powered wheelchairs for physically disabled children. A small charity that played a big part in one of the team’s lives.

Ponthafren Association – I wanted to do something for a mental health charity. The whole challenge focused around mental health and wellbeing – bringing people together and lifting morale. I’m a mental health first aider – I was in the army and dealt with a different side of mental health in the forces. It’s a huge part of my life and something I’ve been conscious of through my whole working career from the age of 16. Ponthafren being local - and knowing the work they do – it couldn’t have been a better choice for me.

What was it like taking on the Challenge as a large team group?

Harder than I thought! When I first had the idea I thought it be easy – a walk in the hills for few people.

But there was a lot to think about - like making sure people had the right type of kit to cope with the different weather conditions. It was making sure people were aware of that, and checking they had the right food and nutrition.

I gave myself plenty of time to organise things which was good. And I couldn’t have asked for more support from Makefast. All the directors supported us all the way. They paid for all the food and the medals. They did so much.

How does taking part in a Challenge like this help reduce the stigma regarding mental health in our community?

When we started planning we asked people which charities they’d like to support. Many were not aware of Ponthafren. Once you explain it to them it leads on to more conversations about mental health.

Also people realised that doing something can help them feel proud of themselves. Suddenly they’re all talking positively and they know they can talk about mental health. I had my GoPro camera on for about 80% of the walk. Listening back there were lots of conversations that revolved around mental health. People realised that they can talk and that people will listen. It doesn’t need to be a trained counsellor you can talk to anyone about mental health. It’s helped a lot in that way.

What impact did taking on the Challenge have on your own and your colleagues’ mental health & wellbeing?

For myself it made me realise that I can do more than I thought through organising things, by bringing people together. I felt really good about myself. Doing something for so many people.

Everyone else has realised how much of a benefit getting outdoors helps. Lot of people have taken time out for themselves this year which has really benefitted them. Taking just half an hour a day to yourself can really help. You don’t have to shut yourself away from your family you can go for a walk. That’s all we really did was go for a walk.

Do you have any tips for other organisations or companies planning to take on a similar challenge?

Do it! Just don’t think about it. Just do it. Pick a challenge. Set a date. Go for it!

We’ll be doing something every year now with a focus on mental health.

I’ve had a few ideas about possible walks / challenges / camping trips / boat themed ideas to tie in with the company’s work. And we’ll be working on it for 2022’s challenge. So watch this space!

Big thanks to Jamie Love for telling us all about Makefast’s experience taking on the Welsh Three Peaks Challenge. You can still donate on the Makefast Sponsor Me page and see more photographs on the Makefast Facebook page.

Managing mental health as lockdown restrictions ease this summer

It’s officially summer and we’re easing out of lockdown and into ‘normal’ life. But if you need help managing your mental health and wellbeing during this period of change, you’re not alone, as the SilverCloud Wales Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) team can explain.

SilverCloud Wales is an Online CBT service designed to help people aged 16+, experiencing mild to moderate anxiety, depression or stress, manage their mental health and wellbeing.

CBT works by encouraging you to challenge the way they think and behave so you’re better
equipped to deal with life’s problems.

There’s no need to be referred by a GP – you can sign-up for and access SilverCloud Wales anytime, anywhere, on your smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer.

SilverCloud Wales is an NHS Wales service, run by Powys Teaching Health Board, and offers help for anxiety, depression, stress, sleep, money worries and more.

Choose one of the easy-to-use, interactive online mental health and wellbeing programmes to complete over 12 weeks and receive fortnightly feedback from a qualified SilverCloud Supporter, one of the mental health professionals whose role is to support users of the service.

SilverCloud Supporter Alexandra Birrell, explains why, if you need support managing your mental health and wellbeing, particularly with anxiety, as lockdown restrictions ease this summer, you’re not alone…

“The past 15 months have been unprecedented. None of us have ever experienced anything like this so no-one could have possibly known what to expect.

“At the core of anxiety is often a difficulty in dealing with uncertainty, and at the core of low mood is often feelings of powerlessness and lack of control.

“We were instructed to stay home, which impacted our interaction with our social support networks, which usually serve to protect us from difficult feelings. However, 15 months later and for many these conditions have become the new normal. Now, being able to venture out of the house and managing social interactions is what brings up feelings of uncertainty.

“Of course, people will have different feelings about this, depending on their situation.

"Some people are naturally cautious whereas others are embracing the opportunity to reconnect with loved ones. The difficulty is that these differences in boundaries are now something that we must learn how to communicate and navigate.

“The way that people navigate boundaries is often related to their self-esteem. People who struggle with their self-esteem tend to wonder whether their needs are important and may struggle to communicate them. If we struggle to communicate our needs, our needs may not be met which can then confirm the feeling that one’s needs are not important.

“SilverCloud Wales users choose one online programme to complete over 12 weeks, with fortnightly feedback from a SilverCloud Supporter. SilverCloud Supporters can give users access to additional modules if we feel they need more support in certain areas. The Communications and Relationships module is a popular one…

“The Communication and Relationships module starts out with a quiz to identify your unique communication style. For example, do you see your needs as more important, of equal importance, or less important than the needs of the people around you? Do other people know what you want and need?

“If you are struggling with communication, it may be that over the years you have learned to communicate in a way that is either too aggressive or too passive to get your needs met. This module offers support and advice around learning to communicate in an assertive, yet respectful way. It also focuses on strategies that may support you in improving the relationships in your life and making sure that you have a healthy support network to lean on when you start to struggle.

“The Self-Esteem module is another one that clients find useful and relevant to their experiences. This module looks at ‘self-talk’ - the way that we speak to ourselves.

“When we are struggling with low mood or anxiety, a common symptom is negative self- talk. We may find that we tend to berate ourselves or judge ourselves in a way that we never would with a loved one who was struggling. The Self-Esteem module offers support around building a practice of self-compassion by learning to offer ourselves kindness, support, understanding and tenderness rather than beating ourselves up, which only serves to make us feel worse.

“If we can improve our self-esteem and our belief that our feelings and our needs matter, this can also support us in navigating these end of lockdown boundaries with the people around us.

“The Relaxation module features a number of exercises that can be really beneficial. Users learn helpful relaxation techniques that can be used in day-to-day life to unwind and de-stress…

“In order to change longstanding habitual patterns or tendencies, we have to be able to slow down enough to notice those patterns. Many people struggling with anxiety feel that their mind is running a mile a minute, and that one thought seems to lead into the next which leads into the next and so on. These worries may be paired with physical sensations of anxiety such as a racing heart, difficulty breathing or a tight chest.

“When practising relaxation, many people report that as their body returns to a state of rest, their mind will slow down as well. It is from this place that we can catch what difficult thoughts are coming up, notice those patterns so we can start to challenge and change them.

“My advice for maintaining positive mental health and wellbeing for people trying to adjust to the ‘new normal’ over summer is…

“Each person will need to weigh up how they feel about the restrictions lifting and what is most beneficial for their own mental health. For some, seeing their loved ones will be supportive, whereas for others it will be a source of stress and will bring up feelings of awkwardness when trying to communicate this.

“Often, people find that their mental health starts to spiral and they don’t understand why it’s happening - they just know that they’re feeling increasingly distressed, low, or anxious, or a combination of all of these feelings.

“CBT provides a framework for understanding how some of the natural and automatic ways that human brains and bodies respond to uncertainty can actually serve to make us feel worse. In that sense, the journey of recovery can be about learning to focus on that which is still within our control, and finding empowerment through identifying coping strategies and ways of better managing our feelings.”

ONE SERVICE - THREE WAYS TO ACCESS

1.  SilverCloud Wales – The flagship service, available across Wales. 

This is a self-referral service which means that you can sign-up directly, without having to be referred by your GP or other healthcare professional. Choose one of the easy-to-use, interactive online mental health and wellbeing programmes to complete over 12 weeks and receive fortnightly feedback from your online SilverCloud Supporter, one of the mental health professionals whose role is to support users of the service. Find out more and sign-up here.

2.  SilverCloud Blended – A tailored version of SilverCloud for Powys residents. 

Choose one of the easy-to-use, interactive online mental health and wellbeing programmes to complete over 12 weeks and receive six face-to-face* sessions with an Online CBT practitioner whose role is to support users of the service. To find out more and signup, please contact: Ponthafren Association covering North Powys and Brecon & District - https://www.ponthafren.org.uk; Mid and North Powys Mind covering Mid Powys - https://mnpmind.org.uk/; or Ystradgynlais Mind - https://minditv.org.uk/.

*These may be telephone and email support sessions, depending on Covid restrictions.

3.  SilverCloud Workforce – A tailored version of SilverCloud specifically for NHS staff  

     and keyworkers. 

You'll have access to four online mental health and wellbeing programmes: Space for Resilience; Space from Stress; Space from COVID-19; Space for Sleep. This is an unsupported service so you will work your way through your programme of choice on your own, at your own pace. Sign up directly for the service without needing to be referred by your GP or other healthcare professional.

Visit https://cymru.silvercloudhealth.com/signup/ and enter access code WALES2020.

For more information about SilverCloud Wales online CBT

- If you have any queries, please email Silver.Cloud@Wales.nhs.uk or call 01874 712 428.

- Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SilvercloudW

- Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SilverCloudWales

The new normal for our Powys mental health charities

 

Back in July we had a really helpful roundup from our mental health charities in Powys, to find out how they had been innovating to ensure continued service provision for their members since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

We recently met with them again, and decided this would be perfect opportunity to do a further update to share more information about their services in this strange and challenging year.

Here is what they had to tell us about what’s been happening for them lately. 

Please note that this update was made earlier in December, before the Welsh Government's latest announcements about new Covid-19 restrictions were announced for Wales.

Ystradgynlais Mind

Ystradgynlais Mind has migrated the majority of its service to online platforms and telephone support. We have increased our social media presence. The result of expanding our social media presence has been the ability to engage with and support many more people, particularly young people. 

Gareth James & Iwan Evans raised £2000 for Ystradgynlais Mind on a running challenge

The impact of digital exclusion has become more apparent to us since the onset of Covid 19. We have attempted to overcome the impact of digital exclusion by the provision of some IT equipment via purchases made through ‘Computer Recyclers’ plus issuing repurposed mobile phones etc. We have also increased our one to one telephone support to those who are digitally excluded and provided pre-arranged ‘welfare checks’ for those who are not receiving the same level of support previously delivered via statutory services. 

Perinatal support is now being delivered via webinar alongside one to one counselling support and peer support groups. We have also extended perinatal support to partners. Counselling provision has been increased by 75% to address the increasing demand for counselling. Referrals to blended online SilverCloud CBT have increased, the practitioner is currently holding a waiting list. Active Monitoring has been able to fill the gaps left by blended counselling through the provision of printed supporting materials and telephone support - this service is operating at capacity. 

After receiving Zoom training a member is able to access online counselling

Yoga and Mindful meditation has all been migrated to remote delivery. These sessions are proving popular and participation has increased by 150%. Peer supporters are now facilitating twice weekly online/phone support sessions. This group is growing in size and service users involved are supporting one another to form their own social support networks, reducing social isolation and increasing their own personal resilience.

Brecon & District Mind

Some of the issues that have come up for Brecon & District Mind recently include employment, children with anxiety around school or Covid itself, and a lot of people are keen for the drop-in to restart, so we are doing that now ensuring people making appointments to attend. Also a lot of people are becoming agoraphobic because of the rules and regulations. And there is some worry about Christmas and issues around that.

We have returned to face to face meetings outside and walk & talk sessions, but had taken the decision not to open the centre before the firebreak lockdown. We are going back to 1:1 sessions (as well as the drop-in) by appointment only. We will continue our schools work with children and young people, ensuring that this is done safely. We are doing a lot of family work and safeguarding and are looking into extra/crisis support in the evenings. A recent survey has shown that people have appreciated the support they have received from us in the last year with comments like: “Don’t know what I would have done without (Brecon) Mind’s support”, “excellent service”, brilliant counselling."

Unfortunately as we speak the guidelines and regulations around Covid have changed yet again so we are now having to revert to remote services until the New Year when the Welsh Government will be reviewing the situation. There will be staff available over the Christmas period to offer support by phone should anyone need this. Our centre is now closed and staff mostly working from home.

The Green Minds project is continuing and Brecon Cathedral is funding this for 1 day a week. Our Mums Matter project is also continuing with a new Zoom course starting in January. Our blended work in partnership with the online SilverCloud CBT is quieter. However, we are doing more wellbeing calls by phone and having more referrals into that. A survey we did shows that people prefer 1:1/ face-to-face support and so we are busy with that.

We have been fortunate in securing funding to employ our first Digital Technical Officer who is helping us develop our digital service offering and upskilling staff and service users where needed.

Mid and North Powys Mind

Here at Mid and North Powys Mind we are seeing very high levels of demand overall across all of our services, including more complex cases requiring more time for our support workers. We expect this trend to continue through to Spring 2021.

An episode of THRIVE on Facebook

The team is providing a blended service of both online work, including blended online SilverCloud CBT, counselling and support work, as well as still providing face-to-face meetings as and when needed. This blended approach means we can still meet the high level of demand as phone sessions are usually shorter and do not require time for travel, whereas the face-to-face sessions are there for those clients who struggle with the remote support.

We had our first day back working in Builth and Llandrindod High Schools to offer support to students aged 16 and over - this support had been halted in January. We’re going in with a really open mind as obviously things have changed since the last time we were there. It’s a very different environment now and we are taking it slowly, working with the schools and students to co-produce the support for the greatest impact. We still have 2 weekly online youth group sessions that are well attended.

We were lucky to secure some space in the Armoury, thanks to Ponthafren Association, and have started to run our first face-to-face Mums Matter course in Welshpool. Seven mums attended, which is our highest number since lockdown started. Two more face-to-face Mums Matter courses will be running in January/February.

Our Outreach group in Knighton used to meet every week on a Friday, but has been operating via telephone support with help from dedicated volunteers since the first lockdown. Now with the help of Impelo (a local charity using dance to transform people's lives) we are hoping to run one face-to-face dance session a month in Knighton, giving group members a chance to meet in a safe and supportive environment.

In Llandrindod our Tai-Chi group is meeting again in Celf after not meeting for a time and briefly being held in the Rock Park. This group is going well and is supported by volunteers and a trained tutor.

Since March we have supported over 500 people through face to face or phone meetings. Live broadcasts have continued to be very popular. Our digital content on Facebook and Youtube has been well received and we have been producing videos on Mindfulness, Tai Chi, THRIVE tips and other wellbeing activities. On Facebook we have had over 68,000 minutes of our videos watched since March and have now reached over 30,000 people.

We continue to offer remote training via Zoom, this has been a huge success, with many people previously unable to attend due to travel now being able to access the support.

Ponthafren Association

At Ponthafren Association we have been continuing to provide our services. Face-to-face this is appointment-based only to reduce our numbers in the buildings. Zoom has become the go-to for most things which has been really positive. Two Zoom groups, crochet and afternoon tea, have been very popular. Plus the videos on how to make Christmas decorations. Life skills courses have been popular and there has been strong demand for anger management courses. We continue to see an increase for all our services whilst working in partnership with others such as the Newtown Network.

Lockdown has created the opportunity for some people to reflect and explore their gender and we are currently supporting a number of people around this.

The Armoury, our new building in Welshpool, is preparing to open which is great. The construction company Paveways provided free labour and materials to refurbish the building through their charity’s arm, and they have been fantastic. You can watch a video of the work here. 

It’s been truly magical how the community has supported Ponthafren to support others. Rory raised over £800 as Santa on a bike and Cathy Beech released a record to raise funds for us.

You can find out more about the services these organisations are offering on their websites (linked above) or Facebook pages where you will also see details of their Christmas and New Year opening times.

Wishing everyone a relaxing Christmas and a peaceful New Year, 

and hoping for brighter times in 2021!

The latest on SilverCloud - online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Becka Williams, Project Manager and Catrin Guest, Project Support Office & Online CBT Coordinator

by guest author Becka Williams

Project Manager, Powys Teaching Health Board

Following the implementation of our Online CBT service, SilverCloud, across Powys in May 2018, there has been a lot of work undertaken to develop the service and upscale it across Powys. 

We have received approximately 1100 referrals into the stand-alone service with referrals beings received from a range of different departments, services and healthcare professionals across the Health Board.

Work has commenced on the translation of the main Space from Anxiety and Depression programme and it is hoped that this will be ready for implementation by the end of 2019.

We were fortunate to win the Powys Teaching Health Board's Staff Excellence Award under the category of ‘Digital First’ in July which is a fantastic achievement. 

Becka Williams – Project Manager, Claire Cartwright – Director Ponthafren Association,
Jackie Jones & Sarah Dowler – Blended Online CBT Practitioners, Ponthafren

Blended Online CBT Service

We have implemented our Blended Online CBT service in partnership with Ponthafren Association in North Powys and the Mind Resource Centres in Mid and South Powys. The blended service offers access to the online platform as well as 6 face to face sessions with our Blended Online CBT Practitioners, during which they will review progress of the platform, signpost certain activities, tools and modules within the programmes and offer encouragement and support. The face to face sessions will be offered from the GP practices in Powys.

We are now ‘live’ with this service across nearly all GP practices, and where we have been unable to offer this from the specific practice, an alternative can be offered for the service users in that area should they wish to access this service.

Clinical referrals are required in to the blended service and these can currently be done through GPs of the Local Primary Mental Health Support Services (LPMHSS) within Powys Teaching Health Board.

We have currently received approximately 190 referrals into this service and are continuing to engage with the GPs and clinical teams to further upscale the blended approach.

Becka Williams, Project Manager & Catrin Guest, Project Support Office & Online CBT Coordinator raising awareness of Positive Body Image with PTHB's Occupational Health & Mental Health department during Mental Health Awareness Week

Positive Body Image

As part of Mental Health Awareness week, with ‘body image’ being the topic for 2019, we implemented our Space for Positive Body Image programme, which is now available for our healthcare professionals to refer in to.

This programme looks at the following topics:

• Improves understanding of body image and the impact on depression and anxiety.
• Focuses on what factors influence body image and how to improve perceptions of body image. 
• Introduces the known risk factors of eating disorders.
• Improves understanding of the effect of the media on understanding of the “ideal body”.
• Encourages reduction of individuals thin-ideal internalisation through analysis of media messages.
• Introduces self-esteem and focuses on where it comes from and how to boost it.
• Introduces the reciprocal relationship between how we feel and how we eat, using the CBT model of Thoughts Feelings Behaviours (TFB) cycle.
• Recognises emotional eating, mindful eating and how to have a healthy relationship with food.
• Recognises negative automatic thoughts and how to challenge them.
• Introduction to Mindfulness.
• Self-esteem enhancement through activities.
• Recognises the importance of social support in staying well.

Self-referral

We have designed, developed and recently implemented a self-referral option to this service. This service is available for all Powys residents and Powys patients that would like to self-refer onto an Online CBT Programme for depression, anxiety or stress. This service aims to offer services to those experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety or stress who want access to an effective Online CBT therapy without having to first have an appointment with their local GP or other health professional.

People will be required to undertake an initial self-assessment and on successful completion of the self-assessment, immediate access to the online programme will be given. However, if the self-assessment results are not within the appropriate threshold for this service, a clinician from the PTHB Online CBT team will contact the person in due course for a follow up phone call assessment to determine whether the service is suitable for that person.

Sign up to the self-referral service here.

Student Programmes

The referral age for this service has now been lowered and therefore we are now accepting referrals for young people aged 16 years and above.

We have also implemented ‘student’ versions of 3 of our programmes: Space from stress, Space from anxiety and Space from depression which all offer support that relates more specifically to students such as educational stresses, friendships, relationships etc.

We have started to engage with the high schools and colleges across Powys to increase awareness of this availability to students.

Fionnuala Clayton, Psychological Assistant & Online CBT Coordinator & Catrin Guest, Project Support Office
& Online CBT Coordinator

All-Wales Roll-out

One of the key aims of this project was to explore the opportunity of implementing Online CBT across Wales, including the other Welsh Health Boards and third sector organisations.

Work has commenced on this and we went ‘live’ with the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust (WAST) in December 2018 with this service being utilised within their Occupational Health and Staff Wellbeing teams.

We have also started working with Aneurin Bevan University Health Boards (ABUHB) with this service now being piloted within their Primary Care Mental Health Support Services (PCMHSS) and referrals being received since June 2019.

Engagement is still being undertaken with the other Welsh Health Boards, with a view to further roll-out this service across the different health board areas.

For further information on any aspects of the project or service, please check out this Powys Teaching Health Board website, or contact Becka Williams, Project Manager, on 01874 712 444 or becka.williams@wales.nhs.uk.

Music Therapy - A Young Man's Introduction

by guest blogger Evan Griffiths

Evan Griffiths is a Powys based 15 year old musician currently doing work experience at the Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations (PAVO).

His interests in music and mental health have led him to begin researching into the rising medical field of music therapy as a treatment for various mental illnesses such as depression and/or anxiety.

Evan has since decided to spend a morning of his work experience briefly outlining the benefits of music therapy as well as giving some information on it. He would also like to note he’s finding writing a third person introduction to himself a little bit weird.

So, what got you interested in this topic?

Well as anyone who knows me will tell you I’m a bit of a nerd for practical uses for music. I just enjoy seeing my passion being used to help people, so naturally I was drawn to the idea of using music as therapy like a moth to flame because I’d been using music as a kind of self therapy already for years. Because I already had an interest in this topic all I needed was a good excuse to do some research into it (as my spare time was already far too full with being a teenager) so then when we were told by the school to do a 2000 word project on something of our choice I decided then would be a good time to start digging my teeth into some research.

And so I started researching and I’m doing some more currently to fact check the rest of this blog post. The project is yet to be completed but I have so far looked into a fair few sources as well as asked a load of my peers for their thoughts so I will try and give data to fairly represent both the therapy itself as well as my generation’s opinion on it.

Can you briefly explain what music therapy is?

Yeah, sure. Music therapy is, to put it simply, people using music as a way of dealing with mental illness or other issues. It first began in the 1800s but has sat on the back burner of world of treatment for mental illness for many many years. However, recently it has begun to come into the limelight with very high success rates in the face of a mental health crisis. I believe that music therapy is the kind of innovation we need and Powys should have more facilities and support available for people who would enjoy and hopefully reap benefit from this treatment. It’s been shown to help everyone but especially young people and seniors who are exactly the people with highest demand for better mental health treatments.

Do you have any first hand experience with music therapy?

I do, however not from a formal organisation. I learnt music at a young age and have now learnt to write my own songs so I will often do that as a form of escapism when I’m in a bad patch. I have a few friends who have done/are doing the same and though it is helpful it’s nothing compared to the overwhelming success rates of formal music therapy. I’ve talked to my songwriter friends about this a lot and we’ve all agreed that encouraging young people to take up music and creating formal music therapy organisations, or supporting existing ones, would be excellent for the young people of Powys or anywhere really.

Why do you believe music therapy would be helpful, specifically to young people?

Well as much as I hate to admit it, it is true that young people spend far too much time on their phones and this has proven to have an incredibly negative effect on mental health. So encouraging teens to take up an instrument would provide them with something positive and productive to do instead. This would be as well as the positive effects music gives anyway as a distraction from a problem to help a person temporarily feel better. Or it could be used as a method of facing these emotions and communicating them through song, which for some people (including me) is far easier than talking about them to a therapist or counsellor.

So, not only would it be providing teens with a healthier outlet or distraction from their emotions it would also be keeping them off things that could (and probably will) damage their mental health.

What other benefits does music therapy offer?

Music therapy has also shown huge success rates with seniors due to its social benefits. Music has always had a sense of community about it and music therapy reflects that. It brings people together from all kinds of walks of life to share a love of music. And of course, loneliness is a huge problem amongst elderly people and a chance to come and hang out with some friends and sing some songs would likely be a great opportunity for elderly folks to get out of the house a bit, and jamming out to “Sweet Caroline” with the lads twice a month would give them something to look forward to. 

Music can also improve your memory and has been shown to reduce dementia risk which is excellent and only further shows why it’s important for people of all ages to get involved in music therapy if they want/need it. Also if you begin learning an instrument young you’re much more likely to continue with it into adult life so music therapy could turn a depressed teen into a lifelong musician. I think anything that can inspire that kind of change in a person needs to be at the forefront of mental health treatment.

Do the benefits of music therapy carry over to other forms of art? 

That hugely depends on what type of art you mean but generally yes, it seems they do. Many of the things I discussed in my last answer are music specific such as the memory and social aspects. However, many of the emotional therapies offered by music do carry over to traditional art, poetry, acting, or any other kind of art you can think of. It seems that just to create can be a therapy for people as a way of venting emotions.

However I think music therapy is the most widely beneficial of the types of art used in therapy (I know traditional art and poetry are also often used) as it also offers the social experience to the elderly and music can be more easily learnt than, say, drawing. However if you really cannot make music but happen to be an incredible poet then that can also have many of the same benefits for you.

Ponthafren Singing for Well-being - End of Term Showcase

Any charities that support this come to mind?

Off the top of my head I’d say if you want to support music therapy donate money to the Nordoff Robbins organisation. They’re the leading charity for music therapy in the UK and it would be excellent if they could open a branch somewhere in Powys.

But if you do want something more local Ponthafren are truly excellent. I was lucky enough to have the chance to see one of their showcases and talk to members of the charity as well as people the charity has helped. Everyone was really lovely and well informed as to the benefits of music therapy and how they benefited from it personally. There’s an excellent atmosphere at Ponthafren and I’d strongly recommend the organisation to anyone whether you want help with your mental health or if you want to listen to some music. Of course they also do other stuff to promote good mental health. 

Any closing notes or final thoughts you’d like to say? 

It seems like music therapy is a rising medium that just needs to be professionally recognised and implemented alongside traditional therapy methods. It has begun to grow exponentially in the past few years with small scale music events happening to raise money for mental health all over Mid Wales. I believe therefore that it will continue to grow further judging by the amount of advertisements I found for music therapist training courses whilst trying to find a Welsh music therapy charity (I could not find one but I imagine one will open in the near future). If Powys could have a place in this growing medium I believe that would be really cool and I’m certain more of these charities need to be created and supported.

Community Connectors working with Dyfed Powys Police

R - L: PCSO Daryl McWatt, Community Connector Suzanne Iuppa,
 Mental Health Information Officer Jackie Newey, PCSO Geraldine Jones

Llanidloes is a small market town in Montgomeryshire, North Powys. What appear to be thriving voluntary sector groups provide activities for all ages and interests. Friendly faces greet you on the streets and in pubs and cafes. There is a revitalised Saturday market. It is a hub for people living in outlying villages and on even remoter hill farms. Not a place you would regularly associate with law enforcement! But, the local police are busy. Finding out more about their day-to-day work helps throw a light on some of the social problems and issues facing small rural communities in Mid Wales.

In May during Mental Health Awareness Week I met up with Suzanne Iuppa, PAVO’s Community Connector for Llanidloes and District, and two local police community support officers (PCSOs) – Geraldine Jones and Daryl Mcwatt. We wanted to promote sources of information and support around mental health, and decided to base ourselves in the popular Coffee Bean café in the town. At the same time, we also caught up ourselves on some of the recurring themes affecting people locally who are struggling to cope - for whatever reason.

Police working with Community Connectors

If Geraldine or Daryl meet someone who needs support they contact Suzanne and she meets them at Llanidloes Police Station – “she’s in before we know it!” They will have already gained the consent of the individual involved to pass over details. The Community Connectors (a Powys-wide team) help people (18+) and their families or carers, “to access community-level services and activities that will help them maintain independent lives and which help prevent their circumstances deteriorating to a point where they might need higher level health or social care services.”

Suzanne receives referrals from various agencies as well as families and people can also self-refer for support from a Community Connector. At the time we met she had ten clients on her caseload, having closed eight earlier in the week. “The numbers are usually sitting at around twenty. There is always a mix of different cases.”

The PCSOs and Suzanne have made joint visits in the past – “people OK it first.” Then it is up to the individual involved whether they take up offers of support or links with the wider community. “Some people are very isolated and lonely. It is quite sad.” 

Signposting to voluntary sector services

Suzanne liaises closely with staff at the mental health charity Ponthafren Association (there is a weekly outreach session in the town) to support some of her clients. People seeking talking therapies might face a long wait for statutory counselling sessions and even a few weeks to link up with a counsellor at Ponthafren. However, Suzanne explained, if they have a specific condition such as multiple sclerosis that is affecting their emotional wellbeing, she can then call in a specialist service. This works well as often the client does not have to wait. 

Loneliness and isolation in older life

In the Dyfed Powys Police Strategic Equality Plan 2016 – 2020 it states that additional support and collaborative working is vital in order to ensure that the necessary support is provided to “elderly service users”. Older residents are much more likely to be victims of telephone scamming and other crimes and may not be regular users of social media where frequent alerts are posted about such crime.

One of the planned actions in the Equality Plan is to “raise awareness of the ‘ageing population’ and the impact on individuals, families, carers, communities and the increased demand on public services.” So it was no surprise to find Daryl and Geraldine promoting Powys County Council’s Llanidloes pilot Home Support Scheme.

This scheme aims to “provide support and practical assistance an individual may need in their day-to-day life to stay living at home, safely and independently.” As well as offering practical support such as shopping and assistance with prescriptions, the service can help with emotional support, including accessing local community groups and supportive networks. It’s a free scheme, but people need to sign up as a member in order to be able to access support. There are also pilots running in Llandrindod Wells and East Radnor, and a long-running successful Rhayader operation.

The Llanidloes PCSOs and Suzanne recalled instances of how the Home Support scheme had recently supported people, some with physical impairments who use mobility aids, and others struggling with emotional wellbeing and agoraphobia. 

Other issues that came up - in brief

Neighbour disputes – as in all parts of the UK neighbourhood disputes are fairly common in Powys, and the police work with individuals concerned to try and resolve issues. Suzanne’s involvement includes finding distraction activities for people caught up in the disputes and ways to boost their emotional wellbeing.

Hoarding disorder – updates were exchanged so that all were aware that whilst Powys County Council provide a deep cleaning service some people are now being offered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to address the underlying issue.

Domestic abuse – Suzanne has referred clients to Montgomeryshire Family Crisis Centre and the churches locally. The police are also sometimes involved in these cases.

Cultural differences and language barriers – we all agreed how hard it can be to try and find speakers of foreign languages such as Bulgarian and Croatian to provide interpretation when working with some clients.

Dementia – Llanidloes is working towards becoming a dementia friendly community – volunteers meet regularly to move this forward as has happened in other parts of Powys. The police and Community Connectors also receive dementia friendly training through the Dementia Friends’ scheme.

Missing people – individuals may end up in Powys after going missing from a community many miles away where the culture and way of life is very different. Adapting to life in a rural area can be difficult.

And with that it was time for Daryl and Geraldine to return to patrolling the streets of Llanidloes. 

Suzanne, Daryl and Geraldine plan to meet up more regularly in community spaces in Llanidloes so that local people can easily get in touch and voice any concerns they have, or find out more about support services that are in place for them, their family and friends. We at the PAVO mental health team hope to join them on occasion too. If you would like to find out more you can contact Suzanne by emailing: community.connectors@pavo.org.uk or ring 01597 828649.

Celebrating the One Powys Connecting Voices project

On a wintery Tuesday in late March, Carl Cooper, the PAVO Chief Executive Officer, spoke at the Powys COVERED (Connecting Our Voices Embracing Real Engagement and Dialogue) event which celebrated the achievements and legacy of the lottery funded One Powys Connecting Voices project. PAVO managed a portfolio of six projects over five years aiming to empower citizens to have a greater influence on the design and delivery of statutory services in Powys.

Over the past five years on this blog we have observed and recorded some of the achievements of one of the portfolio projects in particular: YAPS (Young Adult Peer Support project) run by Ponthafren Association (read The YAPS project at Ponthafren Association, Young Adult Peer Support project @ PAVO AGM and YAPS Sharing the Voice).

Carl summed up some of the achievements of the OPCV project as a whole at the event:

 “About 7 years ago the Big Lottery Fund in Wales had an idea. It wanted to try to support people in getting their voice heard and in influencing decisions that affected them. They then invited County Voluntary Councils such as Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations to put in a bid (it was a competitive process - not every area of Wales was successful), in relation to getting voices heard to make a difference, but also in a way that reflected the local context and local environment.

To be frank, I was surprised we were awarded the money. That’s not because I thought that what we set out to do wasn’t important, but our approach here in Powys has been very unique in that if you were to look at the projects elsewhere in Wales they have a very, very distinct focus. One was focussing exclusively on mental health. Another on learning disabilities and so on. We took a risk I think, in that at the time, together with the council and health board and other partners, we were developing the One Powys Plan. And the OPP was a diverse plan wanting to do lots of things. So we brought together a portfolio of projects to enable voices to have an influence on different aspects of the OPP. So as you will see around the room we have got people supporting carers, people that were focussing on neurological conditions, others that focussed on older people, others that focussed on the environment and sustainability, on younger people, on children and so on. 

My slight nervousness was that the Big Lottery Fund might look at this and say, hmmmnn, not sure about this because it feels a bit fragmented. It doesn’t really hang together very well. Gladly they didn’t, and I think what we have been able to do over the last five years is bring that diversity of people’s voices to bear on planning and decision making here in Powys. And it’s been a delight to work with our partner organisations represented in this room and I want to thank you for working with us so readily, so effectively and in a way that I think has built relationships between ourselves but also within the wider sector and partnership arena.

So what has this project actually done? Well, in one way it’s very simple. We wanted to try to support people in getting their views, observations, comments and concerns heard by Welsh Government, by the commissioners of services, by our statutory partners in the council and health board, by emergency services such as the police and many others. And I’m pleased to say that that was done and it was done well. Nothing is perfect and it would be invidious of me to stand here and pretend that things are ever perfect. But this project has made a difference. And that is crucial.

Barbara Perkins, OPCV Officer and Martin Nosworthy, Chair of the PAVO Board

So when I look at some of the evidence and information from this portfolio of projects, I see some of these things we know are true of Powys, for example how the geography of Powys is a constant challenge, particularly when it comes to access to services. But over the last five years, when you look at what has actually emerged, we now have virtual wards operating in Powys that the voluntary sector, health, social services and so on come together to realise and to run. We have video links, which connect patients to GPs and special consultants, be they local or a further distance away. That’s just the first of a number of examples really. I don’t want to claim that this project was the one and only influence on those decisions, but the crucial thing is that we can evidence that this project influenced those decisions.

You, and the people you represent, not only got your voices heard but your voices were listened to and they made a difference. That is crucial. Also the way in which young carers were brought into contact with social workers. The way in which those young carers were then involved in the training of social workers. So that workforce development, as well as operational delivery, was part of how the voice was mobilised to make things different. The commissioners for older people’s and children’s services have been involved in discussion and dialogue around transport, around social isolation, loneliness, and certainly if you look at some of the initiatives that have been taking place over the last years, and that will continue under the new area plan and wellbeing plans, then again things are different.

We’ve seen lots of other things develop. Again partly influenced by this project, be it around recycling and the involvement of communities and volunteers in recycling. So called upcycling. So, you take what might one time have been discarded and you give it fresh life for new use. We have repair cafes that have emerged over Powys over the last years. Again partly as a result of this project. 

Julia Gorman and Robin Green ran the YAPS Project at Ponthafren Association

Further examples include dementia cafes, and dementia support groups. Children have led campaigns about children’s rights. Young adults have provided services to local employers especially around training and workforce development. We’ve also seen in this project, and because of it, impact around helping people with shopping and making sure that particularly older people who find it difficult, if not impossible, to get out of the house, get affordable goods delivered to them. And we’ve been able to link that with some support around cooking and healthy eating and again that wouldn’t have happened, certainly not in the same way, had it not been for what this project was doing. 

My last example is around digital accessibility. We all know that transport is a perennial intractable problem here in Powys. But crucially we are very aware that people need to be plugged in digitally in the 21st century in order to be able to access health, social and commercial services at all times. And part of what this project has done is to help people in terms of upskilling and training and information when it comes to technology and internet services. Again another example of an accessibility barrier that has been overcome.

So, I’ve just tried to focus on literally ten or so examples of where what we’re doing today is not just saying well done and let’s go home, but well done and you’ve made a difference. Things are not the same in Powys today as they were five years ago because of what you and colleagues have done. And that’s a testimony not just to the project but to the value of participation, the effectiveness of public engagement, and to use a bit of more modern jargon, the importance of so-called co-production. 

And so I'll end my comments by saying that this work does not stop here. During the lifespan of this project we’ve had a so called Issues Log. And each of the projects has added issues to that log and so we have been able to see what issues and what comments people have been presenting with. Over the five years we’ve had thousands of issues. But six hundred of those issues were taken forward in dialogue and engagement and in conversation with local partners and with local agencies. And that will continue. Because PAVO is building a new website and this will be live very soon. And one of the things you will see on the website is an online portal which will be the updated version of our Issues Log. So, although the project is coming to an end it will still be possible for environmental groups, for carers, for children, for older people, for younger people and many others to go to the PAVO website and actually make sure that your issue is logged.

But it doesn’t stop there. We will then regularly collate and analyse that information, and make sure that it continues to influence decisions through our links with partners and strategic partnerships. So it’s not the end today. The end of the project, but things will still continue.”