Archive for: 2025 - My Mental Wellness Blog

23 days and counting - SuttonSoup.org.uk (click to visit)

its near 8pm and the tasks i have to complete are lining up. one of the tasks has been completed, and that is to get the My Mental Wellness UK cic and the Take P-heART logos printed on our t-shirts. I asked on facebook, looking for a local printer to get the shirts printed in time for the 24th apr, and somebody recommended Lucie Fapoosy, who runs Universal Transfers UK, from Sutton. I described my requirements, sent the logos and a quick example of where to print the logos. She appologised as its a weekend, then sent a mockup of what it would look like. Yes, amazing. Then she did something so unexpected. When I asked how much, she said consider it a donation to My Mental Wellness UK cic and Take P-heART, then an invoice came through for £0.00. I just sat stairing at the screen for a couple of minutes, trying to think of words to express our gratitude. Thank you Lucie, your amazing. I hope you have chance to come up and use the Art and Craft materials. So, why the rush to get it printed? On the 24th Apr, we are presenting Take P-heART to around 200 people. The presentation take 4 minutes, and then the audience can ask 4 questions. Then there are 3 other charties / CIC's to present. After the presentation, we all (well, hum, im not sure if we get a mug of soup but) go and get a mug of soup, and while drinking the soup, they vote for the best presentation. That person can take home as much at £1400-£1500, depending on how many attend and pay £5 at the door for their soup.

On top of this, I applied for funding with The Fore, and I received an email confirming im through to stage 2, where I have to write a 3 page document, describing what my business is, what I do and how the money would help. They dont want to know what it will be spent on, but how it will help me, the business and the people who benifit from the business.

The next couple of weeks are going to be exciting... I just have no words to express how im feeling, how things are progressing. It is truely amazing and im so grateful for the support.

Now for the bit i dont like doing, fund raising. If you have used our services, and you have found it useful, please consider donating, but please understand, the website and services are all free to use. You dont have to donate to use them.. You can find 3 methods of donating in the link section of takepheart.mymentalwellness.uk including a link to easy fund raiser, which doesnt cost you a penny to raise donations for us, or if you prefer, please contact me and I will share details to setup a bank transfer.

to social media or not to

The Magic of Showing Up (and Believing!) There's a special kind of feeling when you're setting up for something you've poured your heart into. We arrived at the cinema, those familiar butterflies fluttering as we laid out the materials, anticipation buzzing in the air. 11 am ticked by, and a little whisper of "where is everyone?" crept in. We've all been there, right? That moment of wondering, "Did we do enough?" Did we share enough on social media? Did we miss a local group?

I know many of you understand that feeling of doubt. You put your all into something, and then… you wait. But even in those moments of uncertainty, there's always a spark of hope. I remembered talking to someone at our last session, and it reminded me how important it is to connect directly with people. We took a moment to show them how to navigate our WhatsApp channel, and their eyes lit up as they discovered all the updates. It was a beautiful reminder that sometimes, we just need to guide each other.

Then, this morning, a little ray of sunshine! A visit to my doctor, who’s been so supportive of Take P-heART, turned into a moment of pure joy. He told me that people are talking about what we're doing in meetings! Hearing that our efforts are making a difference, that we're reaching people, fills my heart with warmth.

And then, the magic began. At 11:30 am, one person arrived, then another, and another! Social media, it seems, was working its wonders after all. The cinema has been incredible, sharing our events in their emails, and we're so grateful for their support. And even better news: we'll be featured in the Sutton Scene in April!

It's clear, isn't it? We're growing. We're proving that we're needed. We're creating a community, a space where people can come together and enjoy the magic of conversation, arts and crafts. And most importantly, we're here for you.

To everyone who's been a part of this journey, thank you. Thank you for believing in us, for showing up, and for being a part of something truly special. We're here for you, and we invite you to come and join in the joy!

Catching Up & Heartfelt Thanks

Catching Up & Heartfelt Thanks

Wow, time flies! It's been a whirlwind since our last update in January. We've been incredibly busy, and we have so much to share.

Generous Donations Fuel Our Mission

First, a huge thank you to the Rotary Club! In February, we were delighted to receive a £100 donation from them, courtesy of their Christmas Santa. They're allowed to support a Charity/CIC, and this year, Santa chose Take P-heART. We're truly grateful, Darren!

We also want to express our deepest condolences and heartfelt gratitude to the family of Trish Gomez. Trish was a talented artist who sadly passed away last year. Her family generously donated her artist materials and tools to us, a gesture we are deeply honored by. Thank you.

Take P-heART: A Thriving Community Hub

Speaking of Take P-heART, we're absolutely thrilled to share that we've welcomed over 100 people to our Talking Arts and Crafts sessions at Throwley Yard Cinema since we launched on December 27th, 2024! We're open every Thursday from 11 am to 3 pm.

To learn more about our WhatsApp channel, chat, and how you can donate, please visit our website: takepheart.mymentalwellness.uk.

Exciting News: Becoming a Bewell Hub!

And now for some exciting news! We've completed training to become a Bewell Hub, in partnership with Citizens UK and London Listens. This initiative is all about fostering community conversations and providing vital support. Stay tuned for more details!

Better yet, why not come along to Take P-heART and hear it all firsthand? We'd love to see you there.

Until next time (whenever that may be!), we wish you all the best.

Art and Crafts Take P'HeArt 2

9th of Jan, we had our second Art session. We had 8 people at the first session, this time we had 12 people. We also had the first business meeting for My Mental Wellness UK CIC with all 3 directors, and later, with the Health Ambasidor Project lead from Sutton Volunteer center.

All I can say is im blown away with the ideas. We have a target audiance for the art and crafts, as well as a focus on the website.

One of the Talk, Art and Crafts participants came over and asked, if they paid for some tiles, could they take them away. Now, the idea is that the service is provided free of charge, so my responce was, yes, there are two pay scales, one is £0, and you just take what you made away, the other is £300. The idea is that the £300 is too expencive so they would go for the £0 option, but no, they wouldnt accept either. So, after discussing with everybody who was at the session, is, make a donation of what you feel it is worth to you. Nothing more, nothing less.

some of the others said they attend groups elsewhere, who charge £2 - £3 for a 1 to 2 hour session, we are open 4 - 6 hours, so they think we should charge for our sessions. Im against that. The idea is there are no boundries preventing people from joining in. At this time, with the cost of living, I want people to have a distraction, a safe place for people to go, to have fun, to get away from the world out there. so the idea is, come, have a chat, do some art and crafts, but if you want to take it away with you, then make a donation of what it is worth to you.