'Time to Change' - at the Wellbeing Café at St Wilfrid's, Brayton.

"Would you rather be stuck in a spider’s web, or talk to a friend who feels trapped in their thoughts?"

"Would you rather be as tall as a crane, or talk to a mate about mental health?"

• Claire Nutt, Churchwarden at St Wilfrid's, Brayton, writes:

These are some of the questions we discussed at our Wellbeing Café last week, as part of a ‘Time to Talk’ Day which is a national campaign run by ‘Time to Change’.

Time to Change is a growing social movement working to change the way we all think and act about mental health problems. Through the campaign they have reached millions of people and begun to improve attitudes and behaviour.

However, despite the work they have done so far, many people still do not consider mental health to be relevant to them.

The fact is that we all have mental health, whether good or bad, and it effects every one of us. Statistically, one in four of us will experience a mental health problem in any given year. Despite this people are still being stigmatised and are afraid of seeking help due to fear of being treated differently.

‘Time to Talk’ is a national day for people to come together to talk about mental health and help to end the stigma through conversations.

At our café we had a talk by Jane Mackay who works for ‘Time to Change’ about the national campaign and how we as individuals or as a group can get involved.

One way in which we can get involved is my becoming a ‘Time to Change Champion’.

Champions use their own experiences of mental health problems to change how we all think and act about mental health.

Research shows the best way to change attitudes is through conversation. When we share our experiences of mental health problems, we can change attitudes and behaviours.

Being a Champion is a flexible and voluntary commitment. You only need to do what you feel comfortable doing and have time for. You don't need to be an expert on mental health or have knowledge of different mental health conditions.

Every Champion does different things to help people around them to understand and learn about mental illness.

As a Champion myself I am passionate about changing people’s views and attitudes around mental health and particularly within church contexts.

Wellbeing Café was created through my own experiences with both depression and anxiety, and with the help of the volunteers I feel Wellbeing Café is playing our part in helping to challenge local views and attitudes.

To help us as a Café to do more, some of our volunteers as well as those who come along to café have now signed up to become a Champion.

We are hoping this will then create a ‘Time to Change’ group in Selby area, where currently the nearest is York. We would really like to encourage more people to join us.

• If you would like more information you can contact myself or visit
  www.time-to-change.org.uk.
• If you would like me to give a talk about the campaign and my own experiences please get in touch.

Claire Nutt
c.hodgson1979@gmail.com or 07780929243
www.stwilfridsparish.com