Read the latest blogs from NT LIFE here…
NT LIFE Recovery College Wellbeing Session with Independent Advocacy North East (IANE)
NT LIFE Recovery College Wellbeing Session with Independent Advocacy North East (IANE) – 11th September 2024 by Ali Donkin I had the pleasure of delivering a lunchtime wellbeing session to the fantastic team at Independent Advocacy North East (IANE). For those unfamiliar, IANE ensures the voices of vulnerable people are heard, providing vital advocacy services tailored to individual needs. They help people express their views, explore options, and engage in
Case Study: Peer Supporter Hannah
Read on to learn how peer supporter Hannah co-created NT LIFE’s new Neuro-divergence Group… As a peer supporter, the idea of a neurodiversity group came very early to me. I recognised that I had the opportunity to create a group that could help neurodiverse people find a safe place to be themselves. It is particularly important to me as I am neurodivergent myself. I first came to understand what it
Exciting start to NT LIFE Recovery College’s fifth year of deliveries
As September 2023 approaches, we recognise the growth we have made since our inception in 2019, with only one staff member employed for 3 days/week; NT LIFE has developed and is now proud to welcome a fourth person to the staff team, Jess Shaw. Congratulations Jess, we are excited to see the progress you will make with us, not least your involvement in our new Neurodivergence Support Group and also
Howay the Lads!
Howay the Lads! Would you like to co-design and co-create a Men’s Mental Health Group or simply be involved? Men’s mental health is an important yet often overlooked health concern (medicalnewstoday.com) “Both men and women experience mental health difficulties. However there are some notable differences between the issues affecting them and the factors that influence those issues” Research demonstrates men are less likely to seek treatment. Attending a support group
International Men’s Health Awareness Week 12-19 June
It is great to see that recent mental health campaigns have promoted the reasons and benefits for seeking support, to men. It is estimated that 1 in 8 men in England will experience a mental health condition at some point in their lives. In the North East of England we have the highest rates of men’s suicide in the UK. (figures from ons.gov.uk) At NT LIFE we are uplifted to
The January Low Down from NT LIFE
Welcome back And Hello 2023 Well what a start to 2023 we’ve had We’re exhausted just listing the bullet points of what we have achieved so far this year! Especially in light of 2 of the 3 staff members, having had a bout of Covid, in the middle of this. The thanks for all we have achieved is shared across the great staff team (Ali, Alice, Julie) our outstanding volunteers
NT LIFE 12 Days of Christmas
Here at NT LIFE, we’re halfway through our ’12 Days of Christmas’ activities and it’s going fab!! We’re having so much fun whilst making new friends and distracting from the stresses that this time of year invariably brings. We’ve made crafts that Blue Peter would be proud of, have roared with laughter playing silly games with overly competitive people and eaten copious amounts of Ali’s homemade mince pie Christmas trees,
12 Days of Christmas from NT LIFE
We know that this year has been a challenging one, coming out of lockdowns, stretched services and the rise in the cost of living. There seems to be challenges at every turn, so we are attempting to address the balance with as much Christmas spirit and positivity as we can. Due to the fantastic response we’ve had this year, we have had to limit our Christmas offers to individuals who have
NT LIFE Student Survey
This survey was carried out in 2021/22 to give students and volunteers of NT LIFE the opportunity to feed back about their experience. The survey was undertaken on behalf of NT LIFE by Michele Spencer, Chief Officer, North Tyneside Community and Health Care Forum. 22 people took the time to complete the survey and some of the students were happy to meet Michele and share their personal journey. The survey
NT LIFE: Taking brave steps with Woodland Wellbeing
Over the last 2 weeks our Woodland Wellbeing participants have been getting stuck into making nettle cordage, a slow and mindful process which involved the participants working together and learning new skills. This process has been extra special for 2 reasons. Firstly, because it’s the first main activity one of our brilliant co-facilitators, Vicky, has led herself. Leading a ‘main’ activity has been one of Vicky & Lisa’s goals for
2022 so far…
After a move to Meadow Well Connected at the start of 2022, the team at NT LIFE have been busy. Delivery of courses started in February, with NT LIFE supporting 55 participants across 16 separate programmes for 6 consecutive weeks benefiting from the support of 10 volunteers and trainee volunteers. We have collaborated with North Tyneside Carers Centre to provide 10 of their participants with a program designed to improve their
Summer term prospectus for NT LIFE
After an extremely successful first term in our new home at Meadow Well Connected, we are delighted to launch our latest prospectus for the Summer 2022 term. Pictured left is our Snap Out Of It photography group last year, new sessions commencing in May 2022. Courses this term: Strong Body Strong Mind Vegetarian Cooking Football for Mental Health Autism Awareness Creative Writing Woodland Wellbeing Art Group Looney Out Of Tuners
NT LIFE proud to be at Meadow Well Connected!
Due to our amazing growth, NT LIFE Recovery College has started 2022 with a move to a new location at Meadow Well Connected. Since we began in September 2019, NT LIFE has been delivering a programme of courses, workshops and meetings to support and promote the mental health and wellness of adults in our community. We have done this through the enthusiasm and commitment of a team of volunteers and
National Mental Health and Wellbeing award for NT LIFE’s Ali Donkin
North Tyneside Mental Health and Wellbeing champion Ali Donkin has been awarded joint winner of the Outstanding Contribution to the Mental Health Sector’ award in the national Mental Health and Wellbeing Awards. These UK-wide annual awards celebrate those making a difference to people’s mental health and wellbeing and are judged by representatives from national mental health organisations. Ali is Lead Facilitator and the driving force behind VODA’s NT LIFE Recovery
NT LIFE welcomes Alice to the team
September has kickstarted the latest round of courses at NT LIFE and has also seen us welcome a new member to the team! Alice has joined us as NT LIFE Worker and is already making a hugely positive impact. Amongst jumping in to co-facilitation and a lot of background systems work, she is getting stuck into co-producing a brand-new Woodland Wellbeing course. We are incredibly grateful to the four volunteers
NT LIFE stepping into summer
As we step into summer NT LIFE has a new timetable. This follows the success of the Spring timetable that saw Ali, 9 Volunteers and the Newcastle United Football Foundation delivering 13 different sessions each week to over 50 students for over 100 hours of access each week. Six weeks on, a short break and we are looking to roll out the same programmes again so people have the opportunity
Volunteers’ Week: Celebrating our NT LIFE volunteers
NT LIFE Recovery College relies on the support of volunteer facilitators to deliver its programme of sessions designed to help people manage their own mental health and wellbeing. NT LIFE had to quickly adapt to online provision when Covid hit and has provided many students with vital support during these difficult times. “The facilitators at NT Life really promote the feeling that we are all equal; there is no ‘us’
VODA Team Q&A: Alison Donkin
Ali Donkin NT LIFE Recovery College Lead Coordinator usually spends her days as the friendly face of NT LIFE facilitating sessions at The Hub in the Linskill Centre, enrolling students and volunteers into the project, organising volunteer facilitators and coordinating the timetable and a multitude of tasks that these main duties create. However, in response to the pandemic, Ali’s role changed considerably. How has your role changed due to COVID-19?
A Little Box of Hope for North Tyneside
NT Life Boxes of Hope from Robin on Vimeo. Participants of VODA’s NT LIFE Recovery College in North Tyneside received a special surprise at their door recently with the delivery of a Little Box of Hope to help support them through this challenging time. NT LIFE – which is funded by the North Tyneside CCG – created 200 Little Boxes of Hope, each containing a series of exercises, contacts, poems
Hi and welcome to NT LIFE Recovery College
Well what a start to 2020, only six weeks in and we have had 40 new registrations and welcomed back our students and volunteers from 2019. Together we have already created fully booked courses and we have some new and exciting offerings for the coming year. To newcomers: it is my hope that you join our community and as a result you will gain new knowledge, skills and friendships. I
