Year: 2017

Today was a brilliant day for Cohort 4 in terms of being able to promote what we represent. That is, women supporting and empowering other women to be safe, and to achieve their potential. One of our new women is 24 years old with complex issues. She is socially isolated and experiences severe mental health issues.  I will refer to her as Chris *not her real name Chris attended the Cohort 4 women’s group today with her mental health support worker and disclosed to us that she is very unhappy with her current house share. The owner of the property is behaving in a way that is causing Chris to experience increasing levels of distress, anxiety and a lack of sleep. All…

Accidents happen, and for one reason or another, my boyfriend and I recently found ourselves driving to a local pharmacy together, nervous and filled with a sense of embarassment. I know that I have absolutely nothing to be ashamed about when requesting emergency contraception and that I have every right to complete control over my own reproductive system. This is not to say that I don’t still have to speak to friends of mine who are in tears when they return from the pharmacy because they feel looked down upon. I’d ask, why do we continue to accept a system that forces women to discuss their sexual activity with a complete stranger, in a public place? Not to mention the…

I previously wrote about my experiences with anxiety and depression, and made a huge deal of how anti-depressants can be amazing for some people, sung their praises and said that nobody should be made to feel ashamed for taking them. I still stand by that, but recently I made the decision to come off my anti-depressants. I’d finished uni, got myself into a full time job and moved back home. I felt like I had stability and routine, which has always been a massive help with my depression; without a routine, I feel a bit all over the place, and it does tend to affect my mental health. Back at home where I am surrounded by family and friends, and…

Women Supporting Women The Classic Gems 6 month pilot project funded by the Harry Payne Fund aimed to provide a series of craft sessions for women experiencing dementia or loneliness in care home facilities. The project was to be delivered in a disadvantaged neighbourhood of our geographical area by our Cohort 4 women themselves. The women of Cohort 4 were seeking to bring some of the wellbeing of learning new crafts to a new group of individuals in their community. They selected to help older community members as it was felt that this age group were often overlooked when it comes to creating and craft.  There had been some press and social media coverage of the issue of old age…

With mental health issues affecting around one in four people in Britain, I feel that as a young person there’s absolutely not enough discussion around the subject. Before coming to university, I felt like I was one of a tiny number of people affected by this, and university seemed so intimidating to me; knowing I’d be away from my friends and family who understood how I felt and knew how to look after me when I was having a bad day. In fact, when I came to university, I actually realised that so many people suffer with their mental health and that I was absolutely not alone. By no means do I suffer to the extent that some other people…