CAPITAL Newsletter & Diary of Events - August 2025
CAPITAL Update
We’ve recently gone through a new tender process for mental health services in West Sussex. This decision affects almost everything CAPITAL does – peer support in hospitals, community hubs, co-production, member events, and meetings – essentially, the heart of CAPITAL.
The outcome announced so far does not include these some services, including our community membership groups and other member events. This puts our membership groups and activities at risk. We know these groups are, for many, the only place to find support and friendship. That’s why we’re doing everything possible to keep them running and are actively seeking other ways to fund them. We will keep you updated as soon as we can.
If you have any questions or concerns, please email us: [email protected] or come along to our AGM on 29th August.
CAPITAL AGM Invitation
We’re pleased to invite you to our 2025 CAPITAL Annual General Meeting
Where? Online via Zoom
When? Friday, 29th August at 4PM-6PM
This year’s virtual meeting helps us reduce resources and manage limited capacity, while still bringing everyone together to reflect on our progress and prepare for the road ahead.
Register here to confirm attendance: https://forms.office.com/e/Fm0CNxEYND
You can also use the QR code below to be directed to the form.
We hope you’ll be part of the conversation as we celebrate the past year and unite around upcoming goals.
For any questions or further information, please contact: 01243 869662 or [email protected]
Membership & Events Updates
I want to say a huge thank you to our lovely event crew Heidi, Helen and Hollie for such a great time at our last event. Pics below! On Sunday 24th, we will be at the first Chichester Emergency Services and Community Day in several years and would love to see some familiar faces at a wonderful day out. We are then at The Worthing Rotary Carnival on Monday 25th.
Here are some lovely pics from our latest event The Classic Vehicles and American Cars in Worthing on July 26th.
Email Tabitha with any questions: [email protected]
-Tabitha
Coordinator News
We’d like to ask if any members have any suggestions for what you would like to do for our monthly meetings? We would like to encourage more members to attend and welcome and input from you.
Hope everyone enjoys the summer!
Please contact Heidi with any questions: [email protected]
-Heidi
Warm Wishes Everyone
In the Mid-Sussex area we enjoyed a busy East Grinstead hub at the Trinity Church Welcome Café and welcomed Pearl from the local ‘Women’s Share’ group -with Carol and Lucy attending Pearl’s support group too. Women’s Share is starting free evening support groups and daytime young mums’ groups with a creche in the East Grinstead area from November.
We have enjoyed the lovely café, wonderful walks and nature at Wakehurst Place with the Community Access Scheme, were pleased to have a lovely new member join us there and look forward to up-and-coming events with the scheme, please see the diary of events for info.
If you would like to attend this workshop and are from the Mid Sussex area of CAPITAL, please contact [email protected] [email protected] asap as there are only 10 spaces, first come first served. Also we have 10 spaces for the Community Access Scheme Party – please email us asap, as above, to reserve your place.
If you are keen to come to these events from beyond the Crawley, Haywards Heath & East Grinstead areas please speak to your co-ordinator or [email protected]. Our outings with Wakehurst came under specific Mid Sussex area funding as this is directly local to us but if it can possibly be arranged I’m sure it will.
We look forward to meeting and working with Survivor Researcher Alison Faulkner over August and September, encouraging our CAPITAL family in the Mid Sussex area to record our Survivor Stories, to support the importance of Lived Experience and the work of CAPTIAL both for ourselves and society as a whole.
We do not have a Crawley Hub this month as we are in the process of sourcing a more central location. We have much appreciated and enjoyed being part of Waythrough at Crawley Staying Well but we do need somewhere that is easier to access for our members. We are looking at the Community Centre in Broadfield, Crawley but please do email any thoughts.
Finally, we want to welcome Natalie, who does much work with the Lived Experience Advisory Group as our new Co-ordinator for Crawley and Haywards Heath Hubs. We will be working together as well as with Sam, Carol and all the gang. Much love to David who has had a serious health event and is under strict resting orders (apart from doing the CAPTIAL magazine😊). Also thanks always to our wonderful Peer Support team at Langley Green -Lorretta, Carol & Kevin for keeping things going and service users supported when they most need it.
Please contact Lucy and Natalie with any questions: [email protected] [email protected]
-Lucy, Natalie & Co
Drug & Alcohol Partnership News
It’s been a busy month again in the Drug & Alcohol Partnership Team and not least of all as its evaluation time. Our evaluation looks to take a review of our progress from Oct 24 to date and looks at items such as each commissioned project, our panel and oversight groups and the three events which we’ve put on since launch.
We will aim to share this with you next month.
We have also commissioned two projects within the last month titled Guidance Vs Grooming and East Grinstead Women’s SHARE Project.
Guidance Vs Grooming looks to challenge the glamorisation of grooming and manipulation in marginalised communities by providing a compelling, youth-led digital story that teaches viewers how to identify red flags and give positive guidance in real life.
The East Grinstead Women’s SHARE Project aims to support WOMEN, over 18 years of age, through weekly peer-led meetings, with talks & themes, plus openness and confidentiality to discuss problems & support other women, in turn helping our next generation of children to feel better supported.
Our Saturday art group featured at the Summer VCSE event in Eastbourne this month which was focusing on art and loneliness. Photos below.
We also continue work in the important trauma informed space and held workshops for trauma informed mental health and substance misuse which again is co-produced with our friends at Alcohol Change UK.
Thank you to all who took part in our filming day, you were truly inspirational.
The short films produced will make up part of the E-learning that we are co-producing and this will be aimed at all housing support staff in West Sussex.
We are delighted that CAPITAL contributed to the Sussex Traima Informed Framework (attached) which was showcased at Shaping the Future of Trauma-Informed Practice in Sussex event this month.
Please email any questions to [email protected] or [email protected]
-Sara & Mark
Thank you to Jenna!
We are sad to say Jenna, our long term administrator, is leaving at the end of July but I know everyone will come together to wish lots of good luck for the future and in sending thanks for all of the the warmth Jenna brought to CAPITAL. We’ll miss you! Words from Jenna below:
Hi everyone,
A little update for you all regarding my position as administrator at CAPITAL, unfortunately my role is being made redundant so my journey with you all ends on the 31st July.
I’ve had the most wonderful 7 years working for CAPITAL, I’ve seen 3 CEO’s, worked with multiple staff who’ve come and gone, lost dear friends and felt so incredibly supported throughout my time here.
I joined CAPITAL mainly because I needed a part time job to fit around school hours, and happened to find the position of admin assistant on indeed, but I believe it was fate, because as soon as I came into the office and met Helen, I felt like I was home and became part of the CAPITAL family straight away – I was searching for just a job and instead found all of you and I don’t know what I would’ve done without you all.
I’ve loved getting to know CAPITALs members either face to face at the office or on the phone and wish you all the best.
It’s going to be incredibly hard not being with you all for the next part of CAPITAL’s story, but I know you’ll smash it, no matter what happens.
-Love Jenna.
Lived Experience Stories – Share your story about what CAPITAL means to you!
This is part of a project to tell the story of CAPITAL: where we have come from; where we are now; and where we are going in the future. You can tell your story anonymously. Please be assured that all stories are welcome!
Send your postcards to: 49 Station Road, Polegate, East Sussex, BN26 6EA or the email address below.
What to do:
- Take a postcard
- Write or draw on it something about your story with CAPITAL and what CAPITAL means to you
- Stamp and send the postcard by date
TIPS:
- Be brief, write clearly, be as creative as you want!
We will choose a selection of postcards to use in sharing our story more widely. We want to encourage people to share their stories about the role of CAPITAL in their lives. We want others to know how valuable organisations like ours are to people with lived experience of mental health challenges. Thank you for taking part!
If you would like to tell your story in person, please contact Alison.
Email Alison with any questions [email protected]
LEAG News
July has been a dynamic and inspiring month for the WSX Lived Experience Advisory Group (LEAG). From thoughtful reflections to future-focused planning, members have been actively involved in a range of important activities. These have included:
Reviewing service user personas to support Neighbourhood Mental Health Teams and the forthcoming clinical workshops.
Contributing to the development of evaluation tools for the next phase of Mental Health Community Transformation.
Taking part in Sussex Co-production forums and ongoing collaborative projects.
Thank you to the dedicated members, the CAPITAL team, and all our supporters for their unwavering commitment and resilience.
Looking Ahead
The next WSX LEAG meeting will take place on Thursday 31st July 2025, where members will explore various initiatives. One key focus will be the CAPITAL heritage project—capturing and sharing the story of lived experience within the organisation, in partnership with Alison Faulkner. In addition, the LEAG leadership team will be convening soon to begin planning the group’s next steps.
Sussex National Coproduction week celebrations & resources
In close of the 2025 National Coproduction Week, here are some of the resources which were created and shared across Sussex. There were put together following this years’ Coproducing Coproduction Conference. You can access these and much more of the Sussex-wide resources here:
https://linktr.ee/sussex.copro
To find out more about the WSX LEAG or get involved, please contact Lydia Taylor, Co-production Lead for West Sussex Mental Health, at [email protected]
-Lydia
Launching CAPITAL Impact Solutions
We have launched a sister company called CAPITAL Impact Solutions where we combine professional expertise with lived experience to offer tailored peer focused services that make a lasting difference.
Focusing on consultancy and nationally recognised qualifications, to workplace well-being training; our work empowers individuals, organisations, and communities to deliver services that embed lived experience as a force for positive impact and change.
Please spread the word and visit our new website and follow on linkedin.
You can sign up to the newsletter to learn about all of the opportunities.
www.capitalimpactsolutions.co.uk / www.linkedin.com/company/107456713
Fundraising – Please consider donating to CAPITAL
Would you, or your friends or family, like to donate or raise money to help CAPITAL support more people? There are lots of ways you can do this.
From Payroll Giving where you can donate tax free through your salary, and EasyFundraising, which allows you to donate each time you shop online at over 7000 shops; through to raising funds however you see fit – perhaps cake sales, or car washing, or even running a marathon!
£5 would buy some much-needed art supplies
£15 would pay for a Wellness Pack for someone leaving hospital
£50 would pay for room hire and refreshments for a Locality meeting
£100 would pay for one day of peer support
Alternatively, you can help by sharing our social media posts to raise awareness of our work, by volunteering, or telling us about any fundraising opportunities you hear about. Whatever you do to support us, now or in the future, we want to say a big THANK YOU!
Email us with any enquiries [email protected]
Or phone us 01243 869662
– Your CAPITAL team