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Washington Mind
Newsletter Issue 3 2014
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Dry January Boxing Day Dip 2013
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Happy Birthday Washington!
Washington turned 50 on the 28th of June, and
we celebrated in style! A huge event was held at
the Life House, with fairground rides, birds of
prey, stocks, hoop – la, hook a duck, tombola,
teddy bears picnic, craft stalls and a huge raffle!
It was a day that was enjoyed by all, with over
600 people in attendance. Sunderland A.F.C
legend Jimmy Montgomery opened the event,
and then hung around to soak up the
atmosphere.
Washington was named a New town in 1964, so we
all dressed up in the 60s style. But what else was
happening that year? Well, the Rolling Stones
released their first album, The Sun Newspaper went
into circulation, ITV soap opera Crossroads aired for
the first time, and the first Match of the Day aired In
1964 too! Winston Churchill retired from the house of
commons aged 89, and £10 notes where issued again
for the first time since the Second World War. It was a
busy year!! Washington expanded greatly after being
named a new town, by the creation of new villages
and the absorption of areas of Chester-Le-Street, to
house overspill population from surrounding cities.
Our tombola was sold out by lunchtime, and the stalls
where buzzing with activity. In the hall we had face
painting and temporary tattoos, with queues almost
out of the door! But there was no time to sit and rest!
Bouncy castles lined our car park, and if a break was
required the food and ice-cream vans supplied us
with tasty treats. For those with any energy left, the
band ‘Crazy Train’ performed some of their own
music, and some great covers to get everyone up
and dancing! They could be heard from outside,
rocking up the Washington 50th party!
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Happy Birthday to us too!
With all of the Washington 50 celebrations
going on, it’s easy to forget that it was the Life
House’s Birthday in June too! That’s right, we
have been in this fabulous building for a whole
year! It doesn’t seem long since we were
moving in, and now we are fully established
and loving all this space. So much has
happened in a year, we have held some huge
events, and even hosted Washington's
Birthday! The Life House Tea Room now has
it’s own kitchen and is now selling hot
...and this is after!
As you can see, lots of work has
been done! We have lots of new
courses and activities up and
running and Washington mind feels
fully established in its new home.
We have achieved so much in a
year, because everyone chipped in
to help, even if it meant getting their
hands dirty, giving up their
weekends, or squeezing into small
spaces!
This is before…
Panini's and toasties. But we aren’t finished yet! There is so much still to come! For
example, our community garden will be up and running before we know it.
The changes that the building had undergone in a year are amazing. Below are the
before and after images of our community hall.
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Lets Talk About Birds!
Raffles galore!
On Wednesday 28th May 2014 the Life House
was filled with the sounds of screams and
laughter as parents and their children joined us
for a free, fun, informative family learning session
– Let’s Talk about Birds.
I think it is fair to say that all who were present
were both enthused and mesmerized by the
feathered visitors to the Life House. Both
children and their parents were asked to leave a
sentence to tell us about their experience – here
are some of them:
‘We all really enjoyed the birds of prey’ – ‘What a
fab afternoon – thank you sooooo much!’
‘I really enjoyed holding the birds – I love Rambo’
The session was facilitated by Denise
Hepplewhite from Apextra and she was joined by
our very own Becky Allen - Community
Engagement Apprentice - who brought along
some of her pets: Ollie the Tawny Owl, Rambo
the European Eagle Owl and Wednesday and
Mort the Harris Hawks to join in with the
experience.
Have you entered the raffle for this beautiful quilt yet
(£1 per ticket)? Donated to us by the ‘Fat Quarters’
quilting group, it has been hand made with care! The
winner will be drawn on 28th July and contacted by
phone. All proceeds from this raffle go to Washington
Mind, so don’t miss out on this great opportunity!
Win a signed football shirt from the 1973 FA Cup
final, or Kevin Ball’s signed football boots! Come
into the Tea Room at the Life House for your
tickets (£3 each), winner will be announced 28th
July, don’t miss out!!
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Bryson’s dog show
Reel Therapy – Summer Sessions
On the 8th June The Life House hosted Bryson's
annual dog show. The day was filled with fun, dogs
entered categories like:
• Dog with the shiniest coat
• Prettiest Bitch
• Best Puppy
• Dog the Judge would most like to take home!
Classes where open to all, and rosettes
where given from 1st to 4th place. Lots of
people came along to enjoy the
atmosphere and browse the many stalls
that included craft, food, refreshments,
tombola and a pet shop! Lots of fun in
the sun was had, a truly good day was
had by all.
The next film we have chosen to watch is: ‘Sideways’ which
looks at themes including low mood and searching for your
identity
If you would like to attend, please contact Nicola on:
0191 4178043 or email [email protected]
The next Reel Therapy will take place on Wednesday 6th August
from 1pm – 4pm at Washington Mind, The Life House, Grasmere Terrace,
Columbia, Washington, NE38 7LP
By watching films with a ‘healing’ message we can ‘see’ human
reactions and emotions in great detail, we can explore feelings and behaviours and
discuss these in a group setting.
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Sunderland Wellbeing Network
Photography outdoors
This month, the Sunderland Wellbeing
Network attended the Volunteer Information
Event, which took place at the Sunderland
museum and winter gardens and linked in
nicely to our give theme. One of our 5 a day
for Health and Happiness.
Over 60 members of the public attended
the event and were able to access
information regarding volunteering
opportunities across the city. The
Sunderland Wellbeing Network team gave
out information, raising the Networks
profile and informing those who attended
about the good work we do.
Photography outdoors has started again this year, and we have been getting out and
about! Below are some of the images taken in The Nuttery at Washington Old Hall. We
are looking for different venues to photograph. If you have any suggestions on where we
could go, or would like to join this group, don’t hesitate to get in touch! We meet each
Tuesday at 1.30pm.
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Pretty Muddy Race For Life
Pamper Day – Tuesday 22nd July 2014 from 10.30am!
As you can see from the pictures although the rain
managed to hold off on the day, it was still a very dirty
ordeal and all those who took part were thoroughly
soaked and muddy by the end!
It was great to take part in such a worthwhile but fun event
with thousands of other people who were there to raise
awareness and funds for Cancer Research UK
In May 2014, Nicola and Wendy
H took part in the Race For Life
Pretty Muddy event in
Herrington Country Park to
raise awareness for Cancer
Research UK.
Ladies! Are you in need of a relaxing day, some time to yourself and some tasty
treats? Look no further! The Life House is hosting a FREE pamper day that will
include:
Hair Care hints, tips and demo
Nail Care advice
Flower Arranging demo
Reiki tasters
Meditation
Make-up Tips
Washington Mind Craft Stall
All that pampering works up an appetite, so the Visualise Tea Room are offering
delicious mini afternoon tea for only £4.
Please book your place and your lunch (if required) by contacting
The Life House on 0191 417 8043 or email:
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If you would like to add your
organisation to the directory
of local services, follow the ‘Add
your organisation’ button
which is situated on the right
hand side of the main website.
We would love to have you
on board!
Young People’s Project
Please Like our Young People’s Facebook page!
www.facebook.com/pages/Washington-Mind-Young-Peoples-Project
Exciting times are ahead for wellbeinginfo!
As you read this article the clever guys at Imagine Creative
Solutions are developing a brand new events calendar for
the site. This new addition will keep you informed of local
community events, health and wellbeing campaigns and
other things which may be of interest.
So……….watch this space for further information!
Washington Mind’s Young People’s Service is currently
undergoing a lot of changes. We are asking young people to
actively participate in our service development and are really
keen to hear about your ideas. We are currently accepting
referrals for 13- 25 years, and appointments can be offered in
various locations across Houghton, Hetton, Sunderland and
Washington. From September we will have a new name and
new branding, but watch this space for other changes…
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Wellbeing Networks Update
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In each newsletter,
Washington Mind will promote one
organisation which has been added
to www.wellbeinginfo.org – this
month,
we have chosen MBC Ceramics.Mark is a local ceramic artist specialising in
facilitation of ceramic arts projects working with
local community groups. He is experienced in
working to engage vulnerable adults, young
people and older members of the community. His
workshop projects are designed to promote
individual and group wellbeing, collaborative
working, creativity and self-belief.
Mark also was involved with the run up to
Washington 50! He is running a series of pottery
classes where small pieces of individual artwork
will be combined to make one big piece, to be
displayed in the Life House!
Whether you’re after a smart handmade pot, a
‘give it a go’ session in ceramics, or a one off
commission piece, you’ve come to the right place!
MBC Ceramics was set up with the aim of getting
people to use real, practical, artisan pottery as
part of daily life. These pots aren’t made to be sat
getting dusty on fancy shelves – they’ve been
created to be used. That means clattering them in
sinks, filling mugs with tea: bowls, plates and
beakers with great food and drinks. The jugs and
pitchers have been made to slosh with water and
wine, adding extra cheer to dinner parties and lazy
afternoons enjoying sunshine in the garden. All
work is microwave and dishwasher safe.
If you’ve got a fantastic idea for a unique,
personalised piece of work for a birthday,
anniversary, or even a special treat for yourself,
look no further. Visit Marks website –
www.mbcceramics.com – or speak to a member
of staff.
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15 Minute Chicken Pasta
MethodCook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water according to
the packet instructions. Three minutes before the pasta is
cooked, throw the broccoli into the pasta water and continue
to boil.
While the pasta is cooking, gently heat the oil in a large
frying pan or wok. Tip in the chicken and fry, stirring
occasionally, until the chicken pieces are cooked and
golden, about 8-10 minutes, adding the garlic for the last 2
minutes.
Caption Competition!
Mix the mustard with the orange juice in a small bowl. Pour the mixture over the chicken, and gently
simmer for a minute or two. Drain the pasta and broccoli, reserving 3 tablespoons of the pasta water.
Toss the pasta and broccoli with the chicken, stir in the pasta water and the almonds, season well
and serve.
Ingredients350g pasta bows (farfalle), 300g broccoli, cut into small florets ,1 tbsp olive oil
3 large skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks ,2 garlic cloves,
crushed, 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard, juice of 1 large or 2 small oranges, 25g flaked
almonds, toasted
Welcome to Washington Mind’s
Caption Competition!
Let us know what you think Wendy and
Nicola are up to in this picture!
Tell us what caption you think should go
along with this picture and we’ll include
the best one in the next issue!
Please email caption suggestions to:
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Have your Say!
Please contact Washington Mind on 0191 4178043 or email
[email protected] if there is anything you would like to see included in
future editions of the Washington Mind newsletter. We welcome any suggestions or
feedback. Whether you have a delicious recipe you’d like to share, a photograph,
quote or uplifting story, we’d love to hear from you!
You Said – We Did!
‘YOU SAID…… WE DID’…….
Change winter open mind times from 2pm-4pm to 3pm-5pm
There was a lot of dates to remember
You said you didn’t want monthly representation at Open Mind sessions from Sunderland Mental Health Service User Voice
We took this suggestion to the Service User Meeting and it was agreed to change the times. Schedules and the Washington Mind website were updated.
We did a ‘what’s on slip’ which is given out monthly.
We asked you why and fed this back to Sunderland Mental Health Service User Voice.
Thanks to Ruth for the idea of
‘thought of the month’:
‘Every day may not be
good, but there is
something good in
every day.’
