For Young Carers Action Day on the 16 March we will be having a social media takeover where Young Carers can tell their stories or give anecdotes about their lives as young carers. You will also be able to access support too and you can join in on Facebook.

We will also be running a Paint and Party session for young carers on Zoom where there will music, chat and painting to give people a break and enable them to take some time out and try a different method of relaxation.

On 15 March we are running a Rainbow Memory Jar Session where young carers will create rainbow jars to contain their happy memories.

We will have our Discord Drop in sessions on Monday and Thursday, 5pm-6pm. Our activities have the aim of improved mental health.

Save the date: 10 March 

Gardening with Chris Collins!

Gardening is an excellent way to boost your health and wellbeing, both mentally and physically. 

Whether you have an outdoor garden or space for plant pots on your windowsill, tending to plants and flowers can help reduce stress and build self-esteem.

TV gardener, Chris Collins, whose appearances include Blue Peter, This Morning and BBC Breakfast, will be leading a series of five workshops for Coventry and Warwickshire carers which will cover topics such as ‘Looking after your plants’ to ‘Planting and caring for a tree’.

The sessions, taking place on Zoom, start on 10 March at 2pm for an hour and a half. Spaces are limited so act quickly to secure your place!

To book your place on the session or to find out more, please contact Carers Trust or call 024 7663 2972.

This free online Carers Mental Wellness workshop focuses on coping in a world with COVID-19, with tips on how to cope.

The workshop runs on Friday 12 March from 11am – 12noon.

Run by Nicola Benyahia, a qualified accredited member of the BACP (British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists).

Nicola has worked in a variety of settings including charity agencies, G.P surgeries, schools and Further Education colleges as well as running her own private practice in Birmingham, where she counsels individuals, couples and families.

Are you experiencing an increase in stress and becoming overwhelmed with your emotions?

Sign up to our free online workshop, where working together we can address and make sense of thoughts and feelings you may be experiencing. Please call 024 7663 2972 for further information.

Here at Carers Trust, we’ve got Ceramic Fever!

Are you looking for something to unleash your creative potential, like to chat with other like-minded people, and fancy a little art therapy?

Then please join us for our second Creative Carer Collection Workshop!

Our first Creative Carer Collective Pinch Pottery online workshop has been so popular we’ve been lucky enough to hold a second session. 

Sign up for our free online workshops, where expressing your creativity through therapeutic and relaxing artistic activities can help open up the mind and relieve you of outside worries and release stress. 

• Tuesday 16 March 2 – 3:30pm: Pottery Creation
• Tuesday 23 March 2 – 3:30pm: Paint and Decorate

Be sure you’re available to attend both. Spaces are limited. The workshop is free and materials will be posted out to carers once their place is confirmed.

Bookings must be confirmed by 1 March to ensure materials are sent in time.

To book on to either workshop, please email us or call 024 7663 2972 option 1. You will be provided with the Zoom link details, once your booking is confirmed.

As always, if you are new to using Zoom, our team will be happy to help.

In order to understand the way COVID-19 is transmitted in communities and reduce its spread, community testing for Coronavirus is available for all Coventry residents, for anyone who is not showing symptoms of the virus.

The aim of testing people who do not have COVID-19 symptoms is to protect those most at risk, using rapid testing to speed up the process.

Testing sites across the city include:

• Coventry Transport Museum
• Indian Community Centre, Cross Road, Foleshill
• Moat House Leisure and Neighbourhood Centre, Winston Avenue 
• AT7 Centre, Bell Green Road
• Alan Higgs Centre, Allard Way
• Xcel Centre, Mitchell Avenue
• Hagard Centre, Remembrance Road

No need to book. Just turn up. Results back in less than an hour.

Available: Monday - Friday: 8am - 6:30pm or Saturday and Sunday: 10am - 3:00pm

Whether you’re providing essential services or just want peace of mind, we would encourage you to get tested regularly to help reduce the spread of the virus in the city.

By taking the test you can make sure you are not passing the virus on to colleagues, members of the public or loved ones. Visit our website for more information.

#GetTestedCoventry

Are you worried about the risks of domestic abuse for yourself or someone you know?

We understand that staying at home might be particularly difficult for some people. 

Home is supposed to be the safest place for us all right now, but if you are experiencing domestic abuse then the advice to stay at home could be frightening.

If you or someone you know, whose family or partner is threatening them, controlling their behaviour or being violent, this is domestic abuse. If you need support or know someone who does visit www.safetotalk.org.uk or call 0800 111 4998.  

Coventry and Warwickshire (Public Health) are developing a joint mental health needs assessment to better understand mental wellbeing, support and care needs particularly in light of the impact of COVID-19.  The findings of the need’s assessment will inform future service provision and commissioning plans and the wider health and wellbeing strategies. Across the area NHS mental health services are receiving increased investment over the next three years as part of the national NHS long term plan priorities. Service developments will also be informed by the need’s assessment and the feedback from people living and working in Coventry and Warwickshire. A joint Coventry and Warwickshire survey is now live and will be open until the 26 March. 

Topics include:

• Understanding wellbeing
• Workplace wellbeing
• Impact of COVID-19 on mental health and wellbeing
• Wider determinants that may have impacted mental health and wellbeing
• Service awareness and access
• Alternative sources of support

To access the survey please visit the website. There is also an easy read version that can accessed.

‘Togetherall Support Network’ is now available across the population of Coventry (aged 16+). Togetherall is an online mental health and wellbeing service which was established in 2007.

• Togetherall is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, on any device with an internet connection
• Members join our community anonymously for support with a wide range of mental health and wellbeing issues, from anxiety, depression, and isolation, to relationship issues and lifestyle challenges.
• Togetherall supports immediate and longer-term mental health or situational distress, enabling you to feel more in control of your emotional health

We are here to provide flexibility and choice and offer support to those who can’t/won’t access traditional support. We are also very complimentary to other interventions for MH, such as face to face therapy. 1 in 3 hadn’t sought support before coming to Togetherall.

Our philosophy of early intervention aims to improve the mental wellbeing of our members, providing them with the necessary tools and resources to manage their own journey to improving their mental health before they hit crisis point.

Joining the service is easy – we call this self-referral, providing no barriers to access, i.e. you don’t have to make yourself known that you need access to support, you simply visit our website and register using your postcode.

In addition to the community, you have the safety and accessibility of our Wall Guides who are all trained mental health professionals and are there to make sure everyone remains safe and supported. They are available 24/7/365.

Togetherall offers a range of activities that allow you to work through what's troubling you. From forums where people help each other to courses covering areas such as grief and loss as well as anxiety.

For more information or to register please visit their website, selecting ‘Register’, and click on the tile ‘My area is registered’, and then enter your postcode to start the registration process.

Unpaid carers in Coventry asked to share feedback on care following a year of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Carers have played a vital role to support their loved ones during COVID19 – but do you feel you have received enough support? Tell Healthwatch Coventry about your experiences of NHS and care services for you or your loved one.

Healthwatch Coventry is the local independent champion for health and social care. Our role is to make sure people in our local area are able to share their experiences and views about NHS and social care services. We then work with others to change services for the better. We are one of 152 local Healthwatch in England, supported by Healthwatch England. This Healthwatch network is working to gather the experiences of unpaid/family carers, so that those who run and plan services can hear from you.

Share your experience.

We want to encourage all local people to join Healthwatch Coventry, it’s free and there is no commitment, all you need to do is to fill in a simple form. This will enable you to receive regular updates and the option to take part in surveys from time to time if you feel you have information to share.

Find out more about Healthwatch Coventry.

Updates on Care Companion 

Care Companion has been updated recently to help carers get the most out of the website. We have simplified particular sections  and added useful tags within the ‘Help’ tab to make it easier for carers to search the most common questions. Have a look today!

Care Companion has over 1000 trusted resources, and more are being added all the time to provide unpaid carers with the support that they need in lockdown. To help carers and those whom they support throughout the pandemic, there is useful advice on how to manage low mood, virtually connect with others and find time within the day to take a short break. We have also uploaded new resources on women’s health, making nutritional choices and staying resilient.

Further information regarding Care Companion and register.