Having come through a Global Pandemic and now facing the worst economic crisis in the UK for over forty years, even more people are likely to be diagnosed with mental health issues than ever before.
This is a time of unique and ever-growing pressures. All pressures can contribute negatively to our mental health, which can further exacerbate existing struggles with mental ill health". Many adults struggle, finding it difficult to come to terms that they need help coping with a range of health issues from depression to anxiety and dependency on drugs and alcohol to help them get through their days. With rising debts, fuel poverty and an impending recession, even more people will be reaching out for help to cope with a range of mental health issues.
Oxfordshire charity ‘Restore’ has for the past four decades transformed the lives of thousands of vulnerable adults experiencing mental ill health, helping them to take control of their own recovery. Recognised as one of the most well-established and highly regarded community rehabilitation services in the UK, ‘Restore’ empowers people, helping them to develop new skills, build confidence through recovery groups, and receive training and employment coaching. The charity’s work also indirectly benefits tens of thousands within the wider community: family members, friends, colleagues, employers, and neighbours.
With an increasing demand for mental health support services in Oxfordshire, ‘Restore’ provides a unique therapeutic methodology developed over 45 years ago by the charity’s co-founder President Dr Peter Agulnik, a former consultant psychiatrist who had responsibility for rehabilitation, counselling, and psychotherapy within the NHS. Providing a range of services facilitated by specialist recovery workers, people can access peer support groups, one-to-one coaching for mental health recovery and mental health recovery work via therapeutic methods. They also provide a range of educational training resources to help employers and companies gain a greater understanding of what their staff, who are suffering from mental health issues, have to cope with. These include tailored courses on subjects such as anxiety, to developing confidence and men’s mental health. This training is conducted through the Oxfordshire Recovery College, delivered in collaboration with Oxfordshire Mental Health Partnership (OMHP).
Adults can self-refer or be referred to Restore’s seven recovery groups located in East Oxford, Banbury, Didcot and online, to help them identify tools to enable their recovery. Services are provided free of charge and early intervention not only prevents conditions from escalating into more serious ill health problems helping reduce costs of future care, but ultimately helps to save lives.
By empowering people in supporting them to identify their strengths and to build their self-confidence, ‘Restore’ can help an isolated individual to become part of a peer group which supports one another through their own recovery journey enabling them to ‘graduate’ and move on to a more independent and personally rewarding life. The charity works at a grassroots level within the wider community to raise awareness and reduce the stigma associated with mental ill health. Recovery groups are often a part of local communities in the shape of social enterprises such as the cafe, crafts or allotments that provide a safe gateway for members to hone skills and be an active part of society.
Annually they are able to provide over 1,000 individual support sessions, coaching over 130 people a year, supporting around a quarter back into work, volunteering, or further training, deliver 220 courses with 1288 attendances, provide 1,000 Mental Health First Aid training sessions and have a positive impact on the lives of thousands of people connected to participants, ‘Restore’ is run on a shoestring. Together with help from supporters, through donations, participation, or partnership, they strive to offer even more free and accessible services to those who are in need.
There is nothing so powerful than reading what someone who has benefitted from the charity’s help has to say:
“Sometimes it’s difficult to get out of bed because of low mood. But I remind myself of the bigger goal I want to achieve and helps me to honour my commitment to Restore. The members and staff/volunteers are always friendly, and we always have a laugh which helps in creating a good atmosphere to work in. I find it therapeutic, and it gives me a sense of worth knowing that I’m contributing my skills to the community. After leaving work, I felt that I would never be able to work again but now I’m working part-time. It took me a while to find my niche, but I was able to try lots of different things and everyone was so understanding, friendly and helpful.” – Member of the Garden Café Recovery Group
If having read this article, you feel you would like to get involved in helping to raise money, there are many ways you can do so from buying a coffee in one of their two cafés located in Manzil Way in East Oxford and Littlemore Mental Health Hospital. If you are a marathon runner, take part in the Oxford Half Marathon on 16 October and raise funds or volunteer your time. Companies are also invited to sponsor training programmes. With your support, there are so many ways to help improve the mental health of those that ‘Restore’ works with.
To find out more visit restore.org.uk
