Welcome to CAPITAL’s May newsletter . The sun is shining and CAPITAL has been busy with lots of fun and interesting things. Please read on below to find out more and also check out our diary for all the events happening in May.

CEO News

Funding cuts

As you’ll be aware, CAPITAL is faced with saving 15% of our budget from our services from April 2025.

For this reason, we are having to move out of our premises at Sudley Road, Bognor Regis. The current peer groups that run from there on Mondays and Thursdays will be taking place in alternative venues which we are in the process of organising.

From June these venues will be confirmed, and we’ll let you know more through these newsletters. The staff team will work remotely with some contact time in alternative accommodation.

We won’t have copying facilities for much longer so printed copies of our newsletters will be postponed for the time being, so this newsletter will be the last printed copy.

This will also save postage costs. We will preserve the monthly newsletter produced to email addresses. You can always get a copy of the newsletters (and other news) from our website: https://www.capitalcharity.org/news

Future Funding

We are also still in the process of retendering for West Sussex Mental Health Support Services (currently known as Pathfinder West Sussex).

What CAPITAL does will change as part of this retendering process, but this will not be known until mid May when commissioning panel make their decisions about awarding the contract.

Watch this space for more news about the future of CAPITAL which will be in place from October 1st 2025. We’ll let you know more as soon as we know more.

Lived Experience Stories

Our drug and alcohol partnership work is strengthening in our work with Public Health at West Sussex County Council. We’ve recently produced some videos with Alcohol Change UK.

We’ll be adding to these in due course, but for now you can watch some of these here: https://www.capitalcharity.org/drug-alcohol-partnership and find out more about this innovative work.

Drug and Alcohol Partnership News

We are delighted to invite you to our third event in the Drug & Alcohol Partnership series and urge you to RSVP as soon as possible via the link below to secure your place.

This event will be face to face at Field Place Manor, Worthing, and will focus on Creative Recovery.

We would be especially interested in hearing from you if you have any short stories, art work or poems as we would like to display them on the big screen at the event with prizes for the best in show! We welcome everyone to get involved no matter what your ability. All you’d need do is take a photo of your art work and email it into Sara & Mark with your submissions to us by no later than Monday 12th May.

Prizes will be given on the day!

Event Details Address:

Friday 16th May 11:00 – 15:00

The Sussex Barn

Field Place Manor

The Boulevard

Worthing

BN13 1NP

Lunch will be provided.

If you would like to attend, please RSVP using the link below:

REGISTER/RSVP HERE: https://forms.office.com/e/fp5x2tLtJP

(no need to rsvp if you have done so already)

Coordinator News

Jacqui Cavalier and Shaun Spillane Memorial Picnic

30th May 11am – 2pm

Hotham Park Bognor Regis

Three years ago, we lost two very dear members of the CAPITAL family – Jacqui and Shaun. They were both remarkable wonderful people, who are incredibly missed by all who knew them.

We are holding a memorial picnic for them, to celebrate their lives and to remember them fondly, if you have any memories of either Jacqui or Shaun, please share it with us on the day.

It will be held in Hotham Park in Bognor Regis on the 30th May – please bring something to sit on and also a picnic as food will not be provided, and keep fingers crossed for good weather. We hope to see you there.

CAPITAL Fundraising – CAPITAL needs you!

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!