THE IMPORTANCE OF PEER SUPPORT IN MENTAL HEALTH | PRE-EVENT BLOG POST | IN COLLABORATION WITH TYNESIDE CATS PROTECTION

Lean on me,

When you’re not strong,

And I’ll be your friend,

I’ll help you carry on

Bill Withers: Lean On Me

Not too long ago, I spotted an event on Facebook advertising Tyneside Cats Protection’s Summer Open Day at their Adoption Centre (you can check out the event here). After not only collaborating with them – and the charity on a national basis – many times over the past few years (with our most recent one being: DAY THREE MHAW | A COMMUNITY-THEMED Q&A WITH A CAT CARE VOLUNTEER | MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK 2025 WITH CATS PROTECTION | I'm NOT Disordered), but having also attended previous Open Days at the Centre, I was eager to attend. With one of my best-friends and his partner also planning to attend, I contacted the Centre and asked whether we could all meet a few of the cats (as I have done previously in this post: ABANDONMENT & HOW TO COPE WITH IT | IN COLLABORATION WITH CATS PROTECTION | I'm NOT Disordered) and with the answer being “yes, of course!” we ended up deciding to make the entire thing into a collaboration. I found however, that I had two ideas for themes or angles that the collaboration could take, and so I agreed to publish this piece – which was inspired by Cats Protection’s Volunteer Assistance Programme (more info and their poster are at the end of this blog post – prior to the event and then another on the day/just after it…

FINDING CONFIDENCE | IN COLLABORATION WITH CATS PROTECTION TYNESIDE ADOPTION CENTRE | AD

*all photos from the Cats Protection Tyneside Adoption Centre Summer Fayre*

I was very honoured to be invited back to Cats Protection Tyneside Adoption Centre to attend their Summer fayre a few weeks ago. As the majority of you know, I’m a huge supporter of pets benefiting your mental health and cats - in particular - have always meant a lot to me after growing up with one and then having Dolly when I was discharged from Hospital, and now Emmy(!); so collaborating with an organization like Cats Protection means a great deal to me. I’ve visited the Tyneside Centre a few times before and we’ve collaborated on the 12 Cats of Christmas series last year so when they asked me to do some social media at their Summer Fayre; of course, I agreed! 



As soon as I got to the event, I got talking to Joanna Plumb from St John’s Ambulance and within minutes we were discussing I’m NOT Disordered! I was later asked where I found the confidence to talk to complete strangers about something as personal and controversial as mental health and it inspired this post…

LOYALTY IN COLLABORATIONS | CATS PROTECTION EASTER EVENT

A small organization was asking my advice the other day about starting a blog and they were wondering how they could get as many readers as I have (over half a million of you lovely little things!). I told them how the free publicity of word-of-mouth was everything these days because it’s actually not all about popularity on social media and I explained how helpful collaborations can be in boosting your audience. I warned them that you have to be so careful though; I’ve had to learn this with my blog. That you need to be mindful of who you collaborate with because as soon as you associate your name – or your blog’s name – with an organization then it can easily be assumed that you support everything they stand for too. And this is something I’ve recently had to contend with in the way I was treat by Northumbria Police and then the suicide at a Cygnet Healthcare hospital. I’ve had to consider distancing I’m NOT Disordered from the two organizations but came to the decision that I’d rather my reputation were about my loyalty than being affiliated with controversial organizations.