The village charity HI Friends is looking to recruit for this role.
Mental Wellbeing Support Worker to continue the development of mental wellbeing awareness, services and initiatives in Histon and Impington. Working with the HI Friends Mental Wellbeing Services Co-ordinator and community partners the role of ‘Mental Wellbeing Support Worker’ provides an opportunity to help develop, deliver and co-ordinate a range of activities across Histon and Impington that promote the emotional and mental wellbeing of all ages in the community. Part time 28 hours per month. Apply by Monday 24th March
A national initiative aimed at raising awareness of the importance of children and young people’s mental health is being embraced by Histon & Impington organisations wanting to give their support.
The theme of this year’s Children’s Mental Health Weekis Let’s Connect, and organisers Place2Be have chosen this to highlight the role that communities can play in making positive connections for children. They are offering free resources that can be used by organisations and parents to explore mental health and wellbeing with the children and young people.
Histon Library, St Andrew’s Church Histon, Histon and Impington Brook and Park primary schools and Impington Village College are all taking part.
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Histon Library
Books to encourage healthy conversations are available to H&I children and teens in Histon Library.
At the library, books to encourage healthy conversations are being presented for local children and teens. Young visitors will find displays called Reading Well for Teens and Reading well for Children in the Junior Non-Fiction area. Here, children and young people can borrow a range of helpful titles encouraging them to engage with, and explore their feelings.
Anna McMahon, Library Development Officer for South Cambs said: “We are keen to help children understand their feelings and sustain good mental health. The books in our Reading Well collections can encourage children and young people to find the confidence, or maybe just the words they need, to make those meaningful connections.”
Primary-aged children
Histon and Impington Brook and Park primary schools are making Children’s Mental Health Week fun with a special assembly, aimed at finding ways the school community can help support each other. There are also daily fun activities for the children, based around the theme of Let’s Connect. Staff and pupils will even learn a dance routine around the theme and will perform together at the end of the week.
Tim Blake, Children’s Team Leader at Saint Andrews Church Histon, is also thinking about connections this week. He said: “A lot of the coaching work we do in schools is about connecting to each other, to the world around us, and to our own emotions, in terms of recognising and understanding them.”
Youth wellbeing first
Impington Village College is highlighting Children’s Mental Health Week in its communications with students, and on its social media platforms. A group of pupils who are part of the student leadership team are scheduled to receive a full day of wellbeing training, so that they can support their peers in the future.
Principal Victoria Hearn said: “With one in six children and young people listed as having a diagnosable mental health condition, Children’s Mental Health Week has never been more important. We are proud to offer our students a supportive wellbeing programme all year round.”
Supporting mental health at home
For parents and carers wanting a starting point for conversations with their child about their mental health, Place2Be has free resources on its website. These include art activities for younger children with CBBC’s Art Ninja Ricky Martin, and more reflective activities for teens, led by UK Youth Mental Health Ambassador, Dr Alex George.
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) are looking for this role to join the community team based in Histon Police Station.
Mental Health Practitioner to provide assessment and interventions for people with significant mental health conditions and offer training, advice and guidance to colleagues in the neighbourhood team on common mental health conditions. This service covers Cambridge North Villages; however, you may be required to support colleagues and service uses in other areas if need arises. Therefore, successful applicants will need to be able to travel independently and in a timely manner. The closing date is 6 June 2022.
Specialist Practitioner Physiotherapist – Development Role to work as part of a community based therapy team providing high quality rehabilitation to patients with physical disabilities in their home environment. Your role will include assessing, planning and developing specialist physiotherapist programmes for patients with a wide variety of complex needs. You will be responsible for your own caseload, prioritising referrals according to clinical need, signposting appropriately and undertaking assessment of patients with complex and multiple pathologies using advanced, specialist clinical reasoning skills. Your role also includes supervision of junior staff and students, overseeing patient intervention and ensuring that Assistant Practitioners and Integrated Care Workers deliver high quality patient care. The closing date is 7 June 2022
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) are looking for this role to join the community team based in Histon Police Station.
Mental Health Practitioner to provide assessment and interventions for people with significant mental health conditions and offer training, advice and guidance to colleagues in the neighbourhood team on common mental health conditions. This service covers Cambridge North Villages; however, you may be required to support colleagues and service uses in other areas if need arises. Therefore, successful applicants will need to be able to travel independently and in a timely manner. The closing date is 17 May 2022.
A request earlier this year for contributions to a book of poems and visual art about mental wellbeing has culminated this week with the publication of ‘Deep Well’. Rebecca Strivens has been coordinating the efforts.
Rebecca explained the origins of the book telling HI HUB: “For many, the journey to becoming and staying mentally well has resulted in some astonishing insights, and creative outlets, but sharing them can involve risk – of being judged crazy, weird or, sometimes, attention-seeking… There is so much to be gained from sharing: the connections made by others who struggle, seeing they are not alone and that someone else understands; communicating to the well what it can feel like to suffer, making for a more empathetic and understanding community”.
The book of poems and artwork is on sale now through The Topiary Tree shop, at the St Andrew’s Centre, and will be sold from a stall on the Green in the mornings of Saturday 3rd and 10th July. All proceeds go to the charity HI Friends.
Rebecca will also be selling copies of ‘Little Steps’, a poetry book about bereavement and life’s journey by Carol Key, a local Histon lady. She published her book in 2015 and has given copies to sell alongside Deep Well, contributing her profits to the charity. Both books will sell for £5 per copy.
Among the beautiful and heartfelt contributions to ‘Deep Well’ is one by Rebecca’s own daughter, Anna.
Members of The Men’s Shed in Histon have been out painting our high street planters to bring some cheer to the village. Member Cedric Foster explains why.
Over the course of last week, six members of The Men’s Shed group have been out painting the 11 wooden planters in Histon High Street and on School Hill.
The reason I decided to start the ball rolling was to give everyone a lift after the last 12 months and to attract more people to the village to enjoy our many amenities. I was also inspired by the newly created planter outside Estelle’s, the beauty salon on Histon High Street, which was painted in keeping with her shop.
Starting on Monday 26 April, six Shed members – Bill Muncey, David Collins, Mike Salmon, Bill Bailey, Roger Clarke and myself – painted the planters over the course of a few days. Histon & Impington Parish Council provided us with £100 for the project and several of the planter owners contributed towards the cost too. I gave each owner the opportunity to choose their preferred colour and I’m pleased to say all received their first choice.
Bus stop before and after. All photos: Cedric Foster
Salvation Army before and after
Thomson Webb and Corfield before and after
The Shed, based in Histon, is part of UK Men’s Sheds Association. This organisation helps tackle isolation and feelings of loneliness in men, through meeting like-minded people, having someone to share their worries with and gaining a renewed sense of purpose and belonging through practical projects that help the community.
About five years ago, village residents, Helena Perry and Erika Hunt, along with myself, got the support of traders and the Parish Council to install these planters and Erika has lovingly cared for them since. Although she will still continue to tend the plants, she will be unable to continue watering them from the end of April, so we’ve asked the owners to water them and would like people in the village to give them a drink too, especially during hot, dry spells.
We’d love to hear your ideas about what other community projects Shed members can work on together and if you, or anyone you know, would like to join The Old Forge Men’s Shed email us on: oldforgeshed@gmail.com
5.30pm to 7pm on Wednesdays in the Saint Andrew’s Centre Café
Bringing support, friendship & advice to those experiencing mental wellbeing challenges, loneliness, isolation and memory loss (carers & family members welcome)
On Wednesday 27th January at 7.30pm on Zoom Tony Sigrist will tell the personal story of his mental health journey from the MET police to helping the Ely community with the TalkingFreELY initiative.
We will also hear about a new idea “HI Chat” to support local wellbeing in Histon and Impington.
