Latest news

Posted on 2 Feb 2015

On Thursday 5 February, Nottinghamshire Healthcare is once again supporting Time to Talk Day, a campaign being led by Time to Change that aims to get more people talking about mental health than ever before.

Time to Change is asking everyone to take just 5 minutes on the day to have a chat about mental health, and we want to encourage you to join in! There are lots of suggestions to help you plan your 5 minutes at
www.time-to-change.org.uk/timetotalkday. They are aiming to reach at least 24 hours' worth of conversation!

To mark the day our Involvement Centre Team will be holding a Story Shop at Nottingham City Council where story tellers will be talking about their experiences of their mental health conditions to Council staff. They will be recording all the conversations that take place and registering the activity on the Time to Change website.

The Story Shop offers a range of personal stories across mental and physical health on topics like bi-polar, schizophrenia, depression, substance misuse, psychosis and long term physical health issues such as diabetes and stroke.

The opportunity to ask somebody about their personal experience which in everyday life you might not get the opportunity to ask is one of the unique selling points of The Story Shop.

The Trust began The Story Shop in 2009 and has shared stories with over 3000 people so far. The aim is to raise awareness, help to end stigma and challenge prejudice.

If you would like the Story Shop to visit your organisation please get in touch with the Involvement Centre Team by contacting Jonathan Wright, Involvement Centre Manager or Sally Pope, Involvement Officer by emailing involve@nottshc.nhs.uk or call 0115 993 4567.

In the meantime why not get involved with Time to Talk Day, all it takes is 5 minutes! By joining together on one day, we can break the silence that often surrounds mental health, and show that talking about this once-taboo issue doesn't need to be difficult.

Ruth Hawkins, Chief Executive of Nottinghamshire Healthcare said:

“We are pleased to be supporting this important campaign again to raise awareness and help to end stigma. The little things can make a big difference when it comes to mental health – such as having a cup of tea and a chat. On Time to Talk Day we want to encourage you to do just that.

“There are lots of ways you can make your 5 minutes count, whether it be at work, at school, online, in the community or with friends and family.

“Join in and don't forget to register your conversations on the Time to Change website!”

You can register your activity and access free materials by visiting http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/timetotalkday and help to spread the word that the day is happening by Tweeting using #TimetoTalk. For more information about Time to Change or the campaign visit http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/.