
Feb 25 Newsletter
Feb 24 Diary of Events
1 Feb 2025
CAPITAL Newsletter & Events for February 2025
Welcome to CAPITAL’s February newsletter. We hope you have had a great start to the year and are looking forward to all things 2025 will bring.
Please have a read through our newsletter and diary of events to see what we have been up to and what we have coming up here at CAPITAL.
Coordinator News
Welcoming everybody to the New Year - in Crawley we have been enjoying the lovely and welcoming new venue at the Staying Well/Waythrough Centre by County Oak and we are looking forward to our new Haywards Heath venue for the third Thursday of every month. This will be at St Richard's Ch, Sydney Rd but this month we will meet in Cafe Nero as we cannot access the venue that day.
We are happy to share this encouraging picture of East Grinstead trustee and volunteer Sam and new EG member and volunteer Tara at Haywards Heath Volunteers Fair with the local Mayor who will be joining us at our new hub soon.Thank you everyone for your on-going involvement and support
-Lucy
Welcome to all new Members and old. Thank you for your support. There will be a Members Meeting on 22nd of February at 11am to 3pm at The Shore Community Centre in Victoria Drive. Bognor. Hope to see as many of you as possible.
Thank you for all the extra work from staff, both paid and volunteers through this last month. with many sicknesses in the company. It's very much appreciated. Well, that's the longest month finished with!
AAW and Veteran's wing hoping to open weekly shortly in Worthing. Details will be posted to all. The Quarterly Peer Meeting at Oaklands Hospital was well attended. Long service Awards given to Peers. Update on the Company presented by Duncan. All hospitals now been attended for meetings.
Wishing a very happy 60th birthday to peer support worker, Mandy on Monday 3rd February! Thank you for all of the years hard work – have a lovely day from everyone at CAPITAL.
-Heidi
Photos at the Christmas Fair at Meadowfield Hospital.

Photos of Meadowfield Peer Christmas dinner.
Photos of our end of year party at Sudley road.
Passionate about Coproduction? Work for us!
If you have a strong desire to transform services, you might want to consider becoming a part-time Coproduction Lead with us!
THIS IS AN INTERNAL OPPORTUNITY FOR CAPITAL AND LEAG (Lived Experience Advisory Group) MEMBERS, STAFF & VOLUNTEERS!
To apply: https://forms.office.com/e/ce21Lsu8R1
Email any questions to: enquiries@capitalcharity.org
Join us for the first Event for CAPITAL Members of 2025
You’re exclusively invited to the next Members event. It’s a chance to meet up with members from across West Sussex, as well as staff and volunteers.
We’ll be updating you on CAPITAL’s work, looking ahead to the change and challenges of 2025, and asking you to help us shape plans.
We’ll also be revealing the recipients of the CAPITAL Members Awards.
When? Saturday 22 Feb, 12-3pm
Where? The Shore Community Church, 73 Victoria Drive, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, PO21 2TD
Sign up here: https://forms.office.com/e/CbB3SQJudh
Or scan the QR code below

Drug & Alcohol Partnership News + February Event Following on from our event in Nov 2024 we have made significant progress on the Drug & Alcohol Partnership Project!
We recruited six people with lived experience to sit an Oversight Group with the main aim of the group being to listen to the voice of people with lived and living experience so we can use the information to help shape plans and how local support may look in West Sussex. We further recruited an independent Panel Group consisting of three people with lived experience who are independent of the overall project to ensure responsible distribution of the community funds.
We are also excited to announce we have our 2nd event on February 14th (hybrid) where we will be sharing an update on our overall progress, listening to lived experience stories and sharing the latest temporary accommodation report!
If you would like to attend the event please email sara.shepherd@capitalcharity.org or mark.mills@capitalcharity.org
-Sara & Mark
Funding update
2025 will bring tough challenges, due to reduced funding.
We’ve had our budget cut by £27,000 from the next financial year. This is due to the huge deficit the NHS finds itself in, and the cut is from our main Pathfinder funding.
All Pathfinder organisations are faced with making this cut to their budgets.
For us, this means we are looking to prioritise saving funds and, as the base at Sudley Road is costly (with all the upkeep and services costs) we are negotiating with the landlord and are looking to cease using the premises.
As well as this challenge, we are also retendering so that we can continue our peer support and coproduction work in West Sussex from October 2025.
Whilst it is difficult to navigate uncertainty, one thing is certain – everything we do is led by people with lived experience, so whatever new work or opportunity that we endeavour to undertake, it will be authentic, independent, and driven by passion.
-Duncan
Volunteers needed for Meadowfield Patient View Point
We are looking for volunteers to contribute and attend Meadowfield Patient View Point meetings. PVP are anonymous volunteer led meetings, held across 3 hospitals within West Sussex.
Everyone is encouraged to talk in confidence about their care, treatment and support which is then fed back to managers, in order to continually review and improve the wards.
Email for more info: Tabitha.thompson@capitalcharity.org
Invitation: Take part in a discussion with the CQC about your experiences of working with Adults' Services
As part of its assessment of the county council’s Adults’ Services, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) would like to speak to people who have experience of working collaboratively with us to improve services, including working in co-production. CQC are inviting people to join a discussion session on one of the dates below.
6:15pm – 7:00pm, Tuesday 18 February, via MS Teams
3:00pm – 3:45pm, Wednesday 19 February, in person at County Hall, Chichester.
Please note: the sessions will be focussed on people’s experiences of working collaboratively with Adults’ Services. The CQC will not be asking people about any support they receive from the council.
Email to take part: fung-yee.hite@westsussex.gov.uk
It’s Payroll Giving Month – please consider donating to CAPITAL
It's Payroll Giving Month in February, an annual event that aims to raise awareness and increase the support good causes receive through this form of giving through donations. Payroll Giving (sometimes known as Give as You Earn) is an easy and tax-efficient way of making regular donations to your favourite charities straight from your gross pay. Please consider CAPITAL when signing up. Plus there's an opportunity to win £1k for anyone who signs up in February!
Read more here: https://www.capitalcharity.org/news/payroll-giving
Love & Light - Community Film Showcase
Community Works are holding a special cinema evening dedicated to their incredible community groups and the power of film in the wonderful Pavilion Atrium. If your group or charity has a short film about social impact and would them to consider showing it please contact sue@communityworks.org.uk
In partnership with Community Works and: Amber Rose Morgan Films, Andy's Angels Choir, Between the Blue and the Green Film Festival, Darza Productions, MA'AT Films, Morgan Films, Olly's Future, Worthing Community Chest, Worthing Theatres and Museums.
Thursday, 13 March 2025 from 18:30 to 21:00 (United Kingdom Time) Worthing Pavilion Atrium • Worthing BN11 3PX
NHS Sussex Experience Survey
‘We regularly ask patients and carers if they would recommend the service they receive to friends and family via our Sussex Experience Survey. The Sussex Experience Survey is quick and easy and anonymous to complete and asks you about your experience of using our services.
Feedback here: https://www.sussexpartnership.nhs.uk/about-us/contact-us/give-us-your-feedback
NHS Sussex Dental Helpline
