Charity news3 min read
Counselling at Unmasked Mental Health: Support When You Need It
By Unmasked Mental Health
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Mental Health Fundraising: How You Can Support Unmasked Mental Health
Mental health is something that affects us all. Whether we experience challenges ourselves or support a friend, family member, colleague or loved one, having access to the right support can make a life-changing difference. At Unmasked Mental Health, we are committed to making mental health support more accessible within our local communities. As a local mental health charity, we provide safe and welcoming spaces where people can talk, connect and access support when they need it. But we can't do this alone. Fundraising for mental health is one of the most important ways you can help us continue our work. Why Is Mental Health Fundraising Important? Mental health services are needed now more than ever, and many people can find it difficult to access the support they need. As a community-focused mental health charity, fundraising enables us to continue providing valuable services and creating opportunities for people to talk about their mental health without fear of judgement. Every donation and every fundraising effort, no matter how big or small, helps us work towards our goal of ensuring that nobody has to struggle alone. From organising community events to taking on personal challenges, your fundraising can help support the work we do across our local communities. How Does Fundraising Support Unmasked Mental Health? Fundraising helps us continue developing and delivering services that support people's mental wellbeing. Our work includes free talking therapy hubs, community support, mental health awareness initiatives, events and opportunities for people to connect with others. By raising money for Unmasked Mental Health, you are helping us create welcoming spaces where people can take that first step towards talking about how they feel. For someone who may have been struggling in silence, having somewhere safe to go and someone to talk to can make an enormous difference. Ways to Fundraise for a Mental Health Charity You don't need to take on an extreme challenge to raise money for mental health. There are countless ways to get involved, whether you're fundraising on your own, with friends, as part of a community group or through your workplace. You could: 🏃 Take on a sponsored run, walk or fitness challenge 🚴 Organise a cycling challenge 🎯 Host a quiz or games night 🧁 Hold a bake sale 🎟️ Organise a raffle or fundraising event 🎉 Host a party or social gathering 💼 Arrange a workplace fundraising challenge 👥 Get your friends, family or colleagues involved 🎄 Organise a seasonal fundraising event 💡 Come up with your own unique fundraising idea The most important thing is to choose something that you enjoy. Your fundraiser doesn't have to be complicated — it just needs to make a difference. Fundraising Brings Communities Together One of the most wonderful things about charity fundraising is the way it brings people together. A fundraising event can provide much more than financial support. It can create opportunities for conversations, friendships and connections. Mental health can sometimes be difficult to talk about. Fundraising provides a positive way to start those conversations and help reduce the stigma surrounding mental health. Whether you're taking on a challenge with your colleagues, organising a community event or getting friends together for a charity night, you're helping to create a culture where talking about mental health becomes easier. Mental Health Fundraising for Businesses Businesses can also play an important role in supporting mental health within their workplaces and local communities. Choosing Unmasked Mental Health as your charity partner or charity of the year can provide your team with meaningful opportunities to get involved. Businesses could organise fundraising challenges, hold charity events, encourage staff participation or support one of our fundraising campaigns. Supporting a local mental health charity can also demonstrate a genuine commitment to employee wellbeing and the wider community. When businesses and communities work together, we can create a bigger impact. Every Donation Can Make a Difference It can be easy to think that a small donation won't make much difference. But collectively, small donations can have a huge impact. Every pound raised helps us continue working towards our vision of creating communities where people feel comfortable talking about their mental health and know where they can turn for support. Behind every fundraiser is a person who may be struggling. A person who might need someone to listen. A person who might feel isolated. A person who simply needs to know that they aren't alone. Your fundraising can help us be there for them. Supporting Mental Health in Calderdale As a local charity, we are passionate about supporting people within our communities and helping make mental health support more accessible. Our work is rooted in the belief that everyone deserves the opportunity to talk about their mental health and access support in a safe, welcoming environment. By fundraising for Unmasked Mental Health, you're not only supporting a charity — you're supporting people within our local communities. Get Involved With Unmasked Mental Health Whether you're an individual, business, school, community group or organisation, there are lots of ways you can support our work. You can organise your own fundraiser, take part in one of our events or support one of our fundraising campaigns. There is no perfect fundraiser. There is simply the one that works for you. If you're thinking about fundraising for mental health and would like to support Unmasked Mental Health, we'd love to hear from you. Together, we can raise awareness, challenge the stigma surrounding mental health and help ensure that more people have somewhere to turn when they need support. Every fundraiser matters. Every donation matters. Every conversation matters. Together, we can help people feel less alone.
3 min read
Charity news
What Happens at a Peer Support Hub? A Facilitator’s View
We hear it all the time: “I wanted to come, but I didn’t know what to expect.” And I completely understand that. Walking into a room where you don’t know anyone can feel difficult at the best of times. When you’re already having a tough day, feeling anxious, low, overwhelmed or simply not quite yourself, taking that first step through the door can feel even bigger. As a facilitator, one of the most important things I want people to know is this: you don’t have to arrive knowing what to say. You don’t have to explain yourself. You don’t have to have a diagnosis, and you certainly don’t have to stand up in front of a room and tell everyone your life story. An Unmasked Peer Support Hub is simply a place where you can come as you are. Before you arrive There’s no referral needed and no expectation that you have everything figured out before you come. Our Peer Support Hubs are free, informal groups for adults aged 18 and over. You don’t need an appointment—you can simply turn up. Some people arrive because they’re struggling with their mental health. Others might be feeling lonely, going through a difficult period, dealing with stress or simply wanting to spend some time around people who understand what it can be like when life feels heavy. You don’t need the “right” reason to come. If something has made you think, maybe being around people would help today, that is enough. And if you’re nervous beforehand, you’re definitely not the first person to feel that way. What happens when you walk through the door? Usually, the first thing we’ll do is say hello. Nothing complicated. Nothing formal. As facilitators, we know that walking through that door might have taken a lot more courage than anyone else in the room can see. So our priority is to help you settle in rather than put you on the spot. There are refreshments available, and you’ll have a chance to find somewhere you feel comfortable. You might recognise nobody, that’s okay. You might sit quietly for a while. That’s okay too. You might wonder whether everybody else knows exactly what they’re doing. They probably don’t. Every person in the room had a first visit once. Do I have to talk? No. This is probably the question we’re asked most often. At an Unmasked Hub, you can talk if you want to, but you are equally welcome to sit and listen. Sometimes people come along for several sessions before they feel ready to say very much. Others find themselves talking more than they expected on their first evening. There is no correct way to take part. As a facilitator, I’m not sitting there waiting for you to “open up”. My role is to help create an environment where people feel respected, heard and able to take things at their own pace. If all you manage on your first visit is walking through the door, sitting down and having a cup of tea, that still counts. You turned up. Sometimes that is the biggest step. So, what do people actually talk about? It varies enormously. Someone might talk about having a difficult week. Someone else might share something that has been worrying them. There might be conversations about work, relationships, loneliness, family pressures or simply how exhausting it can feel pretending everything is fine. There can also be laughter and that sometimes surprises people. Peer support does not mean sitting in a gloomy room talking about problems for an hour. Sometimes there are serious conversations. Sometimes there are ordinary conversations. Often there is a mixture of both. What matters is the sense that you are spending time with people who are willing to listen without judgement. Unmasked hubs as welcoming, informal spaces where people can connect with others, share experiences and feel supported without judgement. That connection is at the heart of what we do. You are still in control of your story Coming to a peer support group does not mean handing over every personal detail about your life. You choose what you share. There may be things you are happy talking about and other things you would rather keep private. Both are absolutely okay. Nobody needs to prove how much they are struggling in order to belong in the room. As facilitators, we want conversations to feel respectful and supportive. We help look after the space so that everyone has an opportunity to be heard and so that people can take part without feeling judged or pressured. Our aim is to create the kind of environment Unmasked was built around: somewhere people can find support and connection without feeling they need to wear a mask. Peer support isn't about fixing people This is an important one. You are not coming to a hub because you need to be “fixed” and the other people in the room are not there to diagnose you or tell you how to live your life. Peer support is about human connection. It is being able to say, “I’m having a rough time,” and discovering that somebody else understands. It is hearing someone describe something you thought only you experienced. It is realising that you are not quite as alone as you felt before you walked through the door. Sometimes people share what has helped them. Sometimes the most useful thing anybody can offer is simply listening. There doesn't always have to be an answer. And then you come back... if you want to There’s no obligation to become a regular. You might come once and decide it isn’t for you. You might come occasionally when you feel you need some extra connection. Or you might find that the hub gradually becomes part of your week—a familiar room, familiar faces and somewhere you know you don't have to pretend everything is fine. That is exactly what we hope people experience. Not pressure or judgement, just welcome If you've been thinking about coming Perhaps you have looked at the hub information several times. Maybe you’ve planned to come and then changed your mind at the last minute. Maybe you’ve driven past, walked past or sat outside wondering whether you could actually go through the door. That's okay. You don't need to arrive feeling confident. You don't need to be particularly sociable that day. You don't even need to know what you want from the group. Just come as you are. We’ll put the kettle on. You can talk. You can listen. You can take your time. And hopefully, little by little, the room full of strangers you were worried about walking into starts to feel a little less strange. Unmasked Support Hubs are free to attend for adults aged 18+. No booking is needed. You can find your nearest hub and its current meeting times on the Unmasked Mental Health website. If you would like to know more before attending, call the team on 01422 356945.
3 min read
Charity news
What actually happens at a group peer hub?
First time is the hardest. We explain exactly what to expect when you walk through the door.
1 min read