A CHAT ABOUT SELF-PROMOTION | MY BESTIE’S FIRST AD!!!

I actually squealed with excitement when one of my best-friends (Lauren) posted on her Facebook that she’d landed her very first ad with Arista Living through her YouTube channel; Green Tea, Please! Knowing that Lauren has always struggled to regularly maintain her blog, it was incredible to hear that she’d found success with the YouTube channel she turned her attention to since buying her first house (a tour of which, you can watch on her channel here) with her partner.

I first started talking to Lauren in 2007 via MySpace (remember that old site when it was the cool one to be on?!) when I came across her account and heard her profile song was Scouting For Girls’ She’s So Lovely! Months later, and we were attending the same School to study our A Levels and finally introduced ourselves to one another. Looking back, it’s one of those things where you can’t quite believe something so small turned into something as huge as the lovely friendship we now have. I mean, it wasn’t a friendship where straight away you feel like you’ve known them forever; we got closer over time, until I was calling her family my second family and her home became my second home.


Funnily enough though, our friendship really cemented when we weren’t attending the same school! I think I’d actually pinpoint it to 2011, my mental ill health had started two years before and Lauren had stuck by me the whole time. Even though we were best-friends, I kept the magnitude of my illness from her and wasn’t always honest when it came to my reasons for attending hospital, but it felt as though I didn’t need to say anything. It was as though she just… knew. I honestly felt like whilst she’d never experienced anything like what I was going through, she understood it – a greatly helpful trait in supporting someone with mental ill health.

24HRS WITH... AUTHOR, ANGELA CLARKE

So, I began reading Angela Clarke's Follow Me while in Hospital and it was the greatest distraction; inevitably, I tweeted a quote from the book and unexpectedly, Angela tweeted me back! And so this post was born...

Good morning! 

What time did you wake up?

5 am.

Why did you wake up at that time?

Because I’m a masochist. Okay, because I’m on deadline for a feature film proposal.

Did you have a dream?

Yes, I did have a dream. Half of it was about words on a page, moving around and scrolling, and images that are recognisable from the movie I was working on before I went to bed (that happens when I work long hours). And the other half, inexplicably, involved a Moomin mug.

Do you think today will be 'good' or 'bad' day? (use your own definition of these words to answer the question)

ENRICH AWARDS | PRE-EVENT PROMO | THREE LESSONS RICHMOND FELLOWSHIP HAVE TAUGHT ME

It's officially one sleep until the Richmond Fellowship ENRICH Awards!! 

To celebrate, I decided to write a quick post about the three lessons the organization have taught me...

After my two and a half years in Cygnet Bierley, I was transferred to a ‘rehab’ ward at my local psychiatric hospital so as to gently get used to the idea of not having staff around me 24/7. I think that all my concentration was so focused on adapting to the changes that I remember very little from my time there. Which means I can’t remember when I first met with Richmond Fellowship, but it was in 2014 so I’ve been with them for five years now!


I’d like to dedicate this post to my most recent support worker (who now has a new job!); Georgie, who has become one of my greatest friends. Oh! And a special thank you to the Richmond Fellowship Tyneside Team Manager; Alice, for always ensuring I get the greatest service available from the team.

ENRICH AWARDS | PRE-EVENT PROMO | 60 SECONDS WITH RICHMOND FELLOWSHIP'S HELEN EDWARDS

Today marks two days until the Richmond Fellowship Enrich awards 2019. I’m very proud to have been on the judging panel to shortlist all of the nominations and to now be co-chairing the entire ceremony as well as taking over the Richmond Fellowship Tyneside Twitter account!

To keep up with all of the goings on, follow #EnrichAwards on Twitter

Every day for the next week, there’ll be a new post of ‘60 seconds with…’ someone involved in the Awards. I hope you enjoy!

Name and Job Title:

Helen Edwards, Chair Richmond Fellowship and Recovery Focus 

How long have you been involved with Richmond Fellowship?

I’ve been Chair since April 2016.

What drew you to this role?

The work which Richmond Fellowship does and its good reputation.

ENRICH AWARDS | PRE-EVENT PROMO | 60 SECONDS WITH RICHMOND FELLOWSHIP'S SERVICE USER: AIMEE WILSON

Today marks three days until the Richmond Fellowship Enrich awards 2019. I’m very proud to have been on the judging panel to shortlist all of the nominations and to now be co-chairing the entire ceremony as well as taking over the Richmond Fellowship Tyneside Twitter account!

To keep up with all of the goings on, follow #EnrichAwards on Twitter

Every day for the next week, there’ll be a new post of ‘60 seconds with…’ someone involved in the Awards. I hope you enjoy!

Name and job title: 

Aimee Wilson, Working Together Committee member

How long have you been involved with Richmond Fellowship?

I’ve been a service user with Richmond Fellowship Tyneside since 2014 and joined the  Working Together Committee in 2018

What drew you to this role? 

ENRICH AWARDS | PRE-EVENT PROMO | 60 SECONDS WITH RICHMOND FELLOWSHIP'S CHIEF EXECUTIVE DEREK CAREN

Today marks four days until the Richmond Fellowship Enrich awards 2019. I’m very proud to have been on the judging panel to shortlist all of the nominations and to now be co-chairing the entire ceremony as well as taking over the Richmond Fellowship Tyneside Twitter account!

To keep up with all of the goings on, follow #EnrichAwards on Twitter

Every day for the next week, there’ll be a new post of ‘60 seconds with…’ someone involved in the Awards. I hope you enjoy!

Name and job title:

Derek Caren, Chief Executive

How long have you worked at Richmond Fellowship?

Six years.

What drew you to this role?

ENRICH AWARDS | PRE-EVENT PROMO | 60 SECONDS WITH RICHMOND FELLOWSHIP'S WILL FISHER

Today five days until the Richmond Fellowship Enrich awards 2019. I’m very proud to have been on the judging panel to shortlist all of the nominations and to now be co-chairing the entire ceremony as well as taking over the Richmond Fellowship Tyneside Twitter account!

To keep up with all of the goings on, follow #EnrichAwards on Twitter

Every day for the next week, there’ll be a new post of ‘60 seconds with…’ someone involved in the Awards. I hope you enjoy!

Name and job title:

Will Fisher, Senior Practitioner, Midlands Locality.

How long have you worked at Richmond Fellowship?

Five years.

What drew you to this role?

ENRICH AWARDS | PRE-EVENT PROMO | 60 SECONDS WITH RICHMOND FELLOWSHIP'S RACHEL PERKINS

Today marks six days until the Richmond Fellowship Enrich awards 2019. I’m very proud to have been on the judging panel to shortlist all of the nominations and to now be co-chairing the entire ceremony as well as taking over the Richmond Fellowship Tyneside Twitter account!

To keep up with all of the goings on, follow #EnrichAwards on Twitter

Every day for the next week, there’ll be a new post of ‘60 seconds with…’ someone involved in the Awards. I hope you enjoy!

Name and job title:

Rachel Perkins, Non-Executive Director and Chair of Working Together Committee

How long have you worked at Richmond Fellowship?

I joined the Recovery Focus Board last year

What drew you to this role?

I have done work in the past for Richmond Fellowship and was very impressed with what I saw – particularly the commitment to co-production across the organisation. So when I heard about the vacancy on the Board I jumped at the chance to apply.

ENRICH AWARDS | PRE-EVENT PROMO | 60 SECONDS WITH RICHMOND FELLOWSHIP'S TRACEY BELL

Today marks a week until the Richmond Fellowship Enrich awards 2019. I’m very proud to have been on the judging panel to shortlist all of the nominations and to now be co-chairing the entire ceremony as well as taking over the Richmond Fellowship Tyneside Twitter account!

To keep up with all of the goings on, follow #EnrichAwards on Twitter

Every day for the next week, there’ll be a new post of ‘60 seconds with…’ someone involved in the Awards. I hope you enjoy!

Name and job title: 
Tracey Bell Group Director of Performance, Quality and Innovation

How long have you worked at Richmond Fellowship?

15 months

What drew you to this role?

EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT CODE!!! | THREE FUTURELEARN COURSES I'D RECOMMEND | FUTURELEARN | AD

I'm beyond excited to offer you all a discount code of 15% off a* FutureLearn course!

*this code only applies to courses that are available to upgrade and not for degree's or paid-for courses

Aimee_Wilson_15

(This code will only be available for the first 80 people to use it!)

For the Writer:

1.     Start Writing Fiction

This course eight-week course is developed by the Open University and you’re advised to spend three hours a week on it. It’s also completely FREE but for £42 you can ‘upgrade’ to have unlimited access (which means there’s no eight-week limit) and a certificate. In this course you will hear from established writers who will talk about how they first began writing, and you’ll learn how to keep a journal and use it as a tool to develop your ideas and document your inspiration.

HOW EDUCATION HAS AFFECTED MY MENTAL HEALTH | FUTURE LEARN | AD

I’m honoured to announce that this post is in collaboration with Future Learn.

At school I excelled at English – from a young age I’d enjoyed writing (granted, back then it was for writing short stories on having my own horse) and one of my Middle School teachers predicted that I’d end up being a Journalist. But from as young as I can remember; we were taught at school that we do our GCSEs in High School, stay on for Sixth Form to sit our A Levels, and go to University to get a degree to get a job. We were never taught about Apprenticeships or alternative qualifications like Access to HE, BTEC, and vocational qualifications.

THE IMPORTANCE OF TELLING YOUR STORY

You’ve got the words to change a nation

But you’re biting your tongue

You’ve spent a life time stuck in silence

Afraid you’ll say something wrong

If no one ever hears it how we gunna learn your song?

Emeli Sande – Read All About It (pt III)

I’ve recently had a few bits of media work going on – filming with Channel 4, the BBC, Richmond Fellowship, and Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS FoundationTrust, as well as an interview with Koast Radio – and it got me thinking about my decision to tell the world about my mental health journey. And I’d like to encourage others to do the same.

When the abuse first began my instinct was to tell someone about it; to report it. His threats and warnings didn’t really matter when the real reluctance was coming from inside my own head. I was so afraid that I’d be judged for what had happened. That people would look at me differently and believe that I’d deserved it. They’d think less of me. Because ultimately, when abuse is reported – no matter who to – and one person is denying it ever took place, a person has to decide who they believe. You have to choose a side. And I didn’t know how I would cope if the people I knew chose his. Would it mean that actually, I hadn’t known them at all?