Jean's Bothy Update
Argyll and Bute Council · 9 May 2023
Back to Helensburgh and Lomond Area Community Planning Group — 9 May 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Jean’s Bothy Update May 2023 Jean’s Bothy is a mental health & wellbeing hub situated in a cottage on the fork of East & South King Street in Helensburgh. Open to anyone over age 16 living in Helensburgh & Lomond we have now registered 345 members since opening in September 2018. Over the last month we have continued our monthly programme of activities & groups (attached) We remain flexible to introducing new groups depending on demand of current membership. 10 members recently completed a 2 day Scottish Mental Health First Aid training course delivered by MacDonald MacMillan Training. Feedback from the course was really positive and most now want to go on and attend an ASIST course. We have a number of fundraising events planned for this year including a Midsummer Climb up Ben Lomond on Saturday 24th June. Members, family, friends and anyone else who would like to join us can by completing a sign up sheet. We will be providing transport if needed too. Working jointly with other local organisations (Visiting Friends, Helensburgh Community Hub, Fun First, The Dance Academy, H&L Carers, H&L Foodbank) we are taking part in the Big Community Bake Sale on Saturday 13th May raising awareness of what we do, and showcasing the skills of some of our wonderful bakers too. This takes place in Helensburgh Community Hub 11am – 1pm. Open to the whole community to come along and buy some cake! Our “Peace of Mind” book written and produced by our Writing for Wellbeing Group contains a collection of stories, poems, photographs and artwork. We sold out first print run of 50 copies within a couple of weeks and have almost sold out of our 2nd print run of another 50 copies. If anyone is interested in buying a copy they are £6 each. Jean’s Bothy “on location” is an idea we are currently working on with a number of our partners and also members who deliver groups within the bothy. We plan to take the bothy out to another location – Geilston Gardens – being the first venue, and replicate our programme out there for 1 day. The activities and groups on offer will be dependent on which members and partners would like to deliver there and more details about what’s on and when will be shared soon. We hope that this not only raises awareness of Jean’s Bothy and what we do, but also encourages members to visit somewhere they haven’t been before knowing that the support is there for them too. We will be celebrating Mental Health Awareness Week 15-21 May and in the run up to this week will have events on in Jean’s Bothy including Discover Digital Health by Health & Social Care Alliance Scotland and Distress Brief Intervention & Suicide Prevention Service visit from Change Mental Health. We will also be visible within the Helensburgh Co-op throughout that week highlighting the importance of looking after your wellbeing and how to support your own mental health. The Life Aquatic exhibition continues over on the Maid of the Loch Paddle Steamer, where 11 of our members are showing their work alongside professional artists and creatives. It’s a very unique exhibition set on the boat itself and anyone can visit, it’s open Saturdays and Sundays 10am – 4pm until October. Our Development Manager, Katrina Sayer has been shortlisted in the Argyll & Bute HSCP Excellence Awards in the Partner Category. Katrina along with 2 members from Jean’s Bothy will be attending the ceremony on Friday 12th May in Inveraray.