Hello to you all, and Welcome to July’s newsletter – The weather has been

incredibly warm so please remember to keep yourselves cool and drink lots of water.

Chichester Pride:

The Capital team had a fantastic day at Chichester Pride – We put up our stall and spread the word of Capital to all that would listen – please see the amazing photos of our CAPITAL staff and Volunteers…

Coordinator News:

Hi Everyone, In the East Grinstead area this month we enjoyed our new hub location which has a lovely community-feel set-up with a Welcome Café we can meet in first and a relaxed room with sofas and armchairs. A new lady joined us from the café and we enjoyed supportive and mutually encouraging conversation and a well-being meditation. We also met at the Weatherspoons early-evening later in the month where we had another guest/possible new member and enjoyed a relaxed mix of laughter and peer support.

In Crawley we had Jenny from West Sussex LEAG (Lived Experience Advisory Group) and Co-production give an extremely informative talk on the important work being done and ways in which we as members can become involved to improve services in Crawley and West Sussex, which many are now excited to do.

At our second hub we had our Horsham member Tracey, share with us her well-being strategies and ideas and take us through a breathing/meditative/visualisation/chair yoga exercise which was extremely restorative and enjoyable experience for all. We were also really happy to have two new ladies join us in Crawley this month and are very much looking forward to them joining us as members and getting to know them more.

Ali our fundraiser has found us a reduced charity group pass for Wakehurst Place and hopefully we will be able to start going soon for hub outings, which will be fantastic.

For July we will be meeting at Starbucks in Queens square for our Monday 8th Crawley Hub, with a walk in the nearby park for those who want after. At our EG Hub on the 1st, we will have Janice, our Engagement Manager coming to talk to us about various projects and ways forward within CAPITAL such as volunteering, training etc and if there is time Janice will tell us about her Loneliness project in Worthing.

Wishing you all lovely sunny (not rainy!!) days and good CAPITAL bonds and gatherings in your areas/localities

– Lucy, Northern Coordinator

We’re so grateful to have our Coordinator Heidi back with us after a short time away, she’s given us some lovely pictures of the AAW meet up…

AAW meet up at Highdown Gardens and Tea Rooms

Changing Futures – Update from Janice Moth:

Fabulous to take part in The Changing Futures Sussex Summit on 13 March 2024 at the American Express Stadium in Brighton – Here are some photos of the day with Janice Moth is the CAPITAL Engagement Manager, Andree Ralph is the Lived Experience Co-ordinator of Changing Futures Sussex, Hilary Bartle is the CEO of Stonepillow, Deb Owen is the Peer Support Lead at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundations Trust, Louise Patmore is the Systems Change Lead at Changing Futures.”

-Janice

A Different View

A Different View West - digital exhibition

As you’ll be aware CAPITAL and Recovery Partners ran A Different View

photography and journalling sessions last year, which culminated in a peer led exbihibion in Worthing.

Check this link to view a special video produced by some of the artists, and a virtual tour of an exhibition of their work.

SPFT Organisational Strategy Events

Sharing what we heard: new organisational strategy for Sussex Partnership Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is developing their new organisational strategy for 2025-2030. Throughout May and June, they spoke to lots of people who use and work in their services through webinars, in-person events, a roadshow and a public survey.

All of the ideas and feedback that was received has now been brought together, and they would like to share what they have heard, the themes that have been identified, and work together to agree what their priorities should be for the future.

There are two in-person events coming up next month which you are invited to sign up for:

• Thursday 11 July 2024, 9.30am - 12.30pm, Civic Centre, Uckfield - book now

• Friday 12 July 2024, 9.30am - 12.30pm, Langley Green Hospital, Crawley -

book now. If you have any questions or comments about the work that is underway to develop their future strategy, please email: strategy@spft.nhs.uk

For more information, go to: www.sussexpartnership.nhs.uk/our-future-focus

CAPITAL Trustees

Capital is on the hunt for some new Trustees

Charity trustees share responsibility for governing a charity and directing how it is managed and run, without Trustees no-one would be checking to make sure money is being spent responsibly, that there is enough income to run services and pay staff and that the organization is doing what it said it would do.

Trustees are vitally important to CAPITAL; without them the organization is not allowed to operate.

Could you be a Trustee for CAPITAL? Keep a look out for more information coming about how to apply and hear about what it’s like to be a trustee from some of our existing CAPITAL trustees.

CAPITAL's Creative Pages

A Splash of Art

Awesome Dragonfly Pictures – drawn by Dave, a Crawley and East Grinstead Hub member – They represent transformation, joy and maintaining poise.

Beautiful bird drawing by Sam, a Crawley and East Grinstead member.

Quick Grounding Exercise (do anywhere)

Take a moment to calm your breathing -focus in on the feeling of the breath and slow it down.

Feel down into your lower body, letting the breath reach down and begin to imagine roots from the bottom of your feet, reaching down, deep into the core of the earth.

Imagine the strength and stability of the earth coming up naturally through your roots and into your legs and up into your being, as you breath.

Enjoy the warming, secure feeling and remember you are part of the earth, mother earth, stability -however you like to see it, whenever you feel flustered, throughout your day.