Kennedys Estate Agents were delighted to present a cheque for £1,000 to The Burrough Harmony Centre at their Open Day, celebrating World Mental Health Day.  In total, Kennedys have donated over £2,100 to the local mental health charity this year in appreciation of the essential support its dedicated staff and volunteers provide for people who are struggling. 
 
Tina Cornish, director, said “As a family-run independent estate agency we live and work in Bridport and so we are delighted to be able to give back to our community by supporting the local charities.  Kennedys have seen record sales in recent months, so we've been able to make a donation to Harmony for each new sale.” 
 
Harmony provides a friendly, welcoming, informal service for local people to ensure mental wellbeing, whether in crisis or not.  They have a NHS contract for the Community Front Room, but rely on funding  for all the extras that make Harmony special. The recent Open Day was well attended - one lady said that “this organisation [Harmony] had literally saved my life”.

Contact Tegwyn Jones on 01308 301056 for more information or to arrange interviews or photo opportunities.

An Open Event to celebrate World Mental Health Day.
You will be very welcome to drop-in anytime between 2.30 and 4.30pm for tea, cake and information on Harmony Drop-in and the Bridport Community Front Room.
We look forward to seeing you.

Harmony is looking to appoint more Trustees to guide its work. We are facing an exciting and challenging future as we look to work in partnership with other organisations to grow and extend services to meet the needs of those currently without support in the local community.

Jane Brennan, Chair of Trustees, says; “We are looking for enthusiastic people with knowledge or experience in matters such as Fundraising, HR, Marketing and publicity, including social media, and Accountancy. It will help if they understand the needs of Bridport communities.”
For further details of a Trustee's role, see below.

 
 
More Harmony Trustees wanted
Harmony is governed by a board of six Trustees who meet monthly at present.  We need to appoint more Trustees, as some are due to retire in the next year or so.
 
What we need from you
We are ideally looking for people with business or charity knowledge/skills and very much welcome people from a health and social care background. No previous Trustee experience is required, but enthusiasm and energy are needed to tackle the changes that face us as we plan our post-Lockdown development.
The Board welcomes applicants with the right experience from diverse backgrounds. We also welcome applications from people who have personal experience of mental health problems.
The main role will be to ensure that the charity complies with its governing documents and other statutory duties and otherwise to use skills and experience to help Trustees reach sound decisions and ensure Harmony fulfils its objects in a changing world.
Please tell us if there may be any barriers to your engagement with us and we will actively support your application.
 
Trustee Job Description
The general duties of a Trustee are:

• To ensure that the charity complies with its governing document, charity law, company law, and any other relevant legislation or regulations.
• To ensure that the charity pursues its charitable objects as defined in the governing Document.
• To ensure that the charity applies its resources exclusively in furtherance of its objects, i.e., the charity must not spend money on activities which are not included in its own objects, no matter how worthwhile or charitable those activities are.
• To contribute actively to the board of trustees' role of giving firm strategic direction to the organisation, setting overall policy, defining goals, setting targets and evaluating performance against agreed targets.
• To safeguard the good name and values of the charity.
• To ensure the effective and efficient administration of the charity.
• To ensure the financial stability of the charity.
• To protect and manage the property of the charity and to ensure the proper investment of the charity's funds.
• To appoint and support the Service Manager and monitor his or her performance.

In addition to the above statutory duties of all trustees, each trustee should use any specific knowledge or experience he or she may have to help the board of trustees reach sound decisions. This will involve scrutinising board papers, leading discussions, focusing on key issues, and providing advice and guidance requested by the board on new initiatives or other issues relevant to the area of the charity's work in which the trustee has special expertise.
 
Person Specification and Requirements for this role
Trustees will have;

• Enthusiasm and energy to tackle the needs of people suffering from, or recovering from, mental health problems
• A commitment to the aims and values of The Burrough Harmony Centre
• An ability to provide the level of commitment required for this role
• Ideally, but not essentially, experience of governance
• The ability to work as a team
• Knowledge or experience in one or more of the following areas –
  • Fundraising
  • NHS services
  • Human Resources
  • Marketing and publicity, including social media
  • Strategic IT
  • Accountancy
  • Legal/contract law
  • Needs of communities in Bridport

 
Your Application
If you feel you have the skills, knowledge and experience required, please send your CV and application (in your own style) to tegwyn.j@harmonydropin.org.uk
For further information about the role, contact Tegwyn Jones on 07852 229290
Closing date for applications October 29, 2021.

Tickets £5/£3 concessions 
Tickets in advance only from...
Bridport TIC 01308 424901
The Bridport Arts Centre https://www.bridport-arts.com/event/the-barking-mad-fundraiser-5-3-concs/  

Please note: All tickets must be pre-booked as there are no on the door ticket sales.

‘It’s Mental Health Awareness Week 10th-16th May.

Be kind to yourself and to those around you.
Nature is the theme this year. For top tips on connecting with nature,  follow this link https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week.

Here is a link to Greatest Hits Radio’s online story about the CFRs, written by multimedia reporter George Sharpe about Community Front Rooms and support available as part of ‘Access Mental Health  Dorset.

https://planetradio.co.uk/greatest-hits/dorset/news/support-available-people-experiencing-anxiety-dorset/

I am raising money for a charitable cause that is very important to me so please donate and help me reach my target of £600 in aid of The Burrough Harmony Centre (Harmony) 
Harmony is a local mental health support group based in Bridport, West Dorset, of which I am a Trustee. They provide a friendly, welcoming, comfortable space with informal sessions offering peer support, information, signposting and activities to local people who are living with a mental health problem. They also run the local Community Front Room for anyone reaching a mental health crisis who needs a non judgmental, safe space to talk and be listened to. 
The pandemic has had a big impact on people’s mental health and wellbeing. As part of their programme Harmony plan to start Wellbeing sessions offering a range of activities to support local people who struggle with their mental wellbeing. They plan to bring in bring in tutors to do one off wellbeing therapy sessions across such activities as yoga, art, music, creative writing, nutrition to support coming out of lockdown.
Anything you can contribute towards helping me achieve my target will be massively appreciated.
Many thanks
Alison Cliffe
on behalf of The Burrough Harmony Centre

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk Wellbeing Fridays

We’ve just received funding from the Clothworkers Foundation to help fund our technology development. This helps us to extend our support services and social media presence. 

Thank you, we really appreciate the donation and will put it to good use.

Harmony Carers Support Group
Starting 16th March, 7.00-8.30pm (Monthly)
At the Assembly Rooms, Gundry Lane, Bridport, or via Zoom


A new group to support Carers of people experiencing a mental health issue will be starting on Tuesday 16th March between 7.00-8.30pm at The Assembly Rooms, Gundry Lane or via zoom.  It has been recognised the impact and pressure on those caring for loved ones with poor mental health can have on carers own wellbeing. This group is aimed at people over the age of 18 years who support family and friends of any age with a mental health condition. It will offer a range of opportunities that fosters wellbeing and increase understanding about the issues carers face and the support available including guidance on protecting your mental health as a carer as well as peer support. The group will provide a safe, confidential environment in which to share experiences with others and one where they may receive both practical and emotional support. No referral is necessary. Anyone interested in finding out more about this group should contact Caroline Gamble on harmonyinfo@harmonydropin.org.uk.

For more information and contact details look at the Harmony website https://www.harmonydropin.org.uk or visit the Facebook page ‘harmony mental health bridport Dorset’