WaMH in PC's blog

Physical Activity and Exercise - Mental Health Awareness Week 2013

Submitted by WaMH in PC on Tue, 14/05/2013 - 10:51

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week with this year's campaign themed around physical activity and well-being.

For one week each May, the Mental Health Foundation campaigns around a specific theme for Mental Health Awareness Week.

This year's campaign runs until this Sunday (19 May) and will be highlighting the impact exercise has on mental health and wellbeing.

Exercise can do a lot to enhance our happiness and quality of life and as a result reduce mental illness and there are a host of events planned for the coming week which support this idea.

Since the first Mental Health Awareness Week in 2000 the campaign has helped explain to the public how things like loneliness, anger, fear, alcohol and friendship can influence our mental health.

For further information about this year's campaign please visit the Mental Health Awareness Week page on the Mental Health Foundation website.

Charity Seeking Mental Health First Aiders For Wales

Submitted by WaMH in PC on Fri, 10/05/2013 - 08:26

A national charity is looking for people to become trainers in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) within Wales.

Mind Cymru would like to hear from anyone interested in taking the MHFA (Wales) course which teaches people how to provide initial help and support to anyone experiencing mental health problems.

There are currently more than 10,000 mental health first aiders across the country and the organisation is looking for people to join its existing team of Welsh instructors.

The charity is particularly keen to hear from men, Welsh speakers, people over 50, people from Black Minority Ethnic backgrounds and anyone who considers themselves to be disabled.

Training to become an adult MHFA instructor starts between now and June with the youth courses set to start in June and July.

For further information please read the Could you teach Mental Health First Aid (Wales)? page on the Mind Cymru website or for more details about MHFA please visit the Mental Health First Aid (Wales) website.

Welsh Assembley Launches National Mental Health Campaign

Submitted by WaMH in PC on Thu, 09/05/2013 - 06:59

The Welsh Assembley and various national charities are launching a groundbreaking mental health campaign allowing people to literally air their views about mental health across Wales.

Over the summer the Lights! Camera! ACTION! campaign will give mental health service users and carers the opportunity to record messages and share their experiences of mental health services on film.

As part of the campaign, people will be produce their own video blogs pointing local services and national policy makers to good practice in mental health service delivery and flag up local deficits in delivery.

Service users and carers will talk to camera about what changes they want to see in services with the help of the campaign which is due to set up a mobile studio at 22 locations across Wales over the coming months.

Health Minister Mark Drakeford AM will launch the service user and carer-led national campaign at the Pierhead Building today (9 May) with the campaign set to conclude with a red-carpet event at the Senedd on World Mental Health Day in October.

Lights! Camera! ACTION! is supported by mental health charities Bipolar UK, Hafal and the Mental Health Foundation with further information available on the Lights! Camera! ACTION! Campaign page on the Hafal website.