This project, delivered in partnership with Richmond AID, Ruils, Richmond Mencap and Age UK Richmond and us, aims to make technology accessible to all through training, peer support and help with equipment. Our ‘Digital Pod’ provides a confidential space for online appointments for people who do not have privacy or online access at home.
As the need for support grew during lockdown, our response developed rapidly to meet the evolving need in Richmond. All our services moved to remote working including on Zoom and over the phone and our Helpline launched operating 7 days a week. Whilst the pandemic was hard on everyone, children and young people quickly emerged as one of the worst affected groups in terms of mental health outcomes so to bolster our support we also expanded on our education-based programme in schools. We celebrated our 60th Birthday with ‘Mindscapes’, a curated art exhibition at the Stables Gallery at Orleans House, showcasing the work of local artist and our own services users.
The hubs focus on recovery for people who are in immediate crisis. Open seven days a week, providing out-of-hours support to those living with mental health problems. The main aim is to support people to reduce any immediate crisis they may be experiencing and to safety plan, drawing on strengths, resilience, and coping mechanisms.
A training programme to raise knowledge and awareness about mental health and wellbeing. We have three different packages to suit a variety of individual and organisational requirements which include Mental Health Awareness, Workplace Wellbeing and Stress Management for Mangers.
Mindkit offered free, interactive wellbeing and resilience sessions to groups of young people aged 14 to 25, in schools, colleges, universities and youth centres. We were all so proud when the project won the Best Chairty Award at the Richmond Business Awards. Our Bounce project for 8-14-year-old followed in 2015.
Working in partnership with the NHS, our Richmond Wellbeing Service is part of the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) scheme. This scheme aims to provide therapies to people with common mental health problems.
Peer Group Network is made up of groups run by, and for, people who experience mental health problems. We offer a safe and non-judgemental space where you can make friends, have fun and learn new skills. Over the years groups have focused on Walking, Cooking, Reading, Chatting, Exercise and Singing.
At their AGMs in 2000, Twickenham Association for Mental Health and Richmond & Barnes Association for Mental Health announced intentions to merge to form one organisation covering both sides of the river. Richmond Borough Mind is born.
Carers in Mind provides support for adults caring for someone with mental health problems, living in the borough of Richmond. Ex-trustee of RB Mind, John Holmes began the first carers support group which continues to this day in East Sheen. We now have five support groups and a range of social and educational activities for carers.
Based at the Richmond Royal Hospital, the Social Centre provided meals, activities and company for people referred by the Richmond Community Mental Health Team. In 2011, to reflect the increased focus on recovery-based activities that was taking place there, the Social Centre became known as known as The Wellbeing Centre.
A Counselling Service was developed, using well-supervised volunteer counsellors in the last stages of their training. It moved to the Richmond Healthcare Hamlet in 1990, where free counselling accommodation was provided. The Counselling Service has a good record of helping its clients and is now based in UK House.
The centre – in the basement of the Church in The Vineyard on Richmond Hill – became the Vineyard Project. This provided a safe, welcoming and friendly place with practical help, therapies and activities for the homeless and other vulnerable people on the margins of society. The Vineyard Community Centre now runs the project.
Twickenham Mind converted a Victorian terraced house that had become a rundown grocer’s shop into a drop-in centre – Centre 32 – initially run by volunteers, but later, with its own staff. It continued to run as a drop-in centre until 2009 and it is still being used for one-to-one sessions with clients by appointment.
At a time of great advance in the treatment of people suffering from mental health problems and the coming of community care. Its early projects included three group homes offering people previously in psychiatric hospitals a place to stay as they slowly re-integrated themselves within the community.
For many years operating on a voluntary basis offering drop-in coffee mornings and lifts for carers to outlying psychiatric hospitals serving Richmond. As care in the community began to be seen as the right approach for those no longer needing care in a hospital environment, it also ran group homes for people with mental health problems.
