Clare takes to the air! – December 2021 newsletter

The benefits of Walk and Talk Therapy

Clare, an adult volunteer counsellor for the Trust was interviewed on ITV lunchtime news recently. Connecting to Mental Health Awareness Week she talked about how outdoor therapy can help improve mental health: Mental Health affects us all either directly or indirectly and #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek2021 is so important because it encourages conversations to open up and effects greater understanding – particularly now as we emerge individually and collectively from the unique challenges the Covid has brought.

"Outdoor therapy is a safe alternative to face to face or an online session. For many who are without access to a safe or private space at home, those without a garden or those without technology, outdoor therapy can be a lifeline. Being in natural light, being physically active and becoming more aware of our place in the natural world are all beneficial and help with anxiety, depression and improve a sense of well-being and understanding. We can start to see ourselves as part of the bigger picture in this way and when regularly meeting with a therapist outdoors, we can begin to find space to reconnect with ourselves and improve self-esteem. Some of us will have missed the daily commute, that punctuation to the working day, leaving us with little opportunity to go out. It can become a real effort with the shopping delivered, no school run, no work or working from home, we are potentially missing many opportunities to experience being outside."

**This winter with your help we can continue to provide much needed support through our Walk and Talk project to help prevent individuals going into crisis.** **Find out more and donate on JustGiving**.

Whilst we will all at some point in our lives experience feelings of being sad, anxious and stressed, for some people this can be a real challenge. The holiday period can be especially difficult and it is important to remember that not everyone looks forward to this time of year. It can be a time where people feel for example enormous pressure around finances, worried about debt or feeling lonely and isolated. Christmas time can also trigger past or more recent feelings of loss following bereavement or trauma.

This year we would like to raise money to support our 'Walk and Talk' initiative. The Deborah Ubee Trust offers a range of holistic therapeutic interventions to support individuals from going into crisis, including one to one therapy, group work, drama and movement and play therapy. We offer timely support to individuals regardless of their ability to pay for the service. This has been an incredibly difficult year for us all and the covid pandemic has increased the number of people needing our support.
We will continue to do all that we can for those people who need our service, however with your support we can reach more people over these winter months who would benefit from the outdoor 'Walk and Talk' therapy.

By donating now, you could help to fund tailored support to someone on the brink of a crisis. Winter walk and talk campaign.

The lost year and a half

Many of you will have wondered what was happening when we failed to re- open the centre last summer and again earlier this year. In fact, we closed our doors in March 2020 because of the Covid pandemic and did not re-open until September 2021.

We have all struggled over the past two years and are used to the sight of familiar shop and office fronts remaining closed following the coronavirus lockdowns; however, our reason for remaining closed was due to....

The Saga of the Leak
Just before the first lockdown we had discovered a leak in our reception area which was a recurring problem. During lockdown we tried to persuade our landlords to fix the leak and it took until December 2020 for this to happen and for us to re-decorate the area. As a result, we’d reached Christmas assured that the planned for Spring 2021 reopening was likely. Two-weeks later our plans were forced to change. Reentering the centre in early January, we found water pouring through what was left of the ceiling. Frustratingly, it has always proved a lengthy process in tracing the source of the leaks that have fallen above our reception area. Tenants and landlords must be contacted, and arrangements made to attend and search each flat. Getting this leak fixed was further complicated by the fact that the freehold of the building was in the process of being sold. Our new landlords sent in an engineer who advised us that we could not re- open as the reception area had been flooded with contaminated water and the damage ceiling was now a fire risk.

They agreed to provide a long-term fix for the problem so hopefully we will not have to close for this reason again. Following surveys, consultations and a notice of works to residents the fix and redecoration were not completed until late August and we re-opened five days a week in September.

During the time that the centre was closed we were still busy, seeing clients online, pioneering outdoor therapy, and seeing some of the children in a children’s centre in Deptford provided by Lewisham Council. Mental health issues became more prevalent in the pandemic and lockdowns and our service was under more pressure than ever before.

Unfortunately, due to the extended closure and the emergence of online therapy, we have struggled to re-build our income back to pre-Covid levels; the demand for room rental has dropped considerably. We are now in the situation where we have unprecedented demand for our service, combined with a drastic reduction in income.

We have helped hundreds of local people and families over the last few years and we would like to be able to continue to help hundreds more. We are optimistic that we can re-build our income given time; however we need to get through the next few months. If you can make a donation or spare some time to fundraise it could make a real difference to our future.

Lori Stafford

Many of us have had to endure great losses in the past year and a half and the Deborah Ubee Trust has lost one of its most respected counsellors when Lori Stafford passed away in August this year.

Lori was a familiar face in our community, well-liked and loved by both clients and colleagues. Those who knew her well were aware that she had been battling ill-health for over a decade, but she always retained a positive outlook. She added so much to the lives of people around her - not just family and friends, but also those who worked with her.

I feel privileged to have known her as a friend, from when our daughters were at school together, through to her progression into counselling training and practice. I know that everyone at the DUT will miss her tremendously and will join me in sending condolences to Mark, Hannah and Tara.

Rosie Staden

Our thanks to Annette and James

**Special thanks to artist Annette Johnson and writer James Corrie Hill. The sale of their collaborative art and poetry book fundraiser has now ended raising a most impressive £2112.40 for the trust.**

New Digital Platform for TDUT

You may be aware that Virgin Money Giving is due to close on 30th November this year. This follows the end of its sponsorship of the London Marathon in October. Since its inception Virgin have supported over 20,000 charities and raised over £900 million online which is incredible.

If you are in the process of fundraising via Virgin Money Giving and have a live page or if you are a regular donor, Virgin should have contacted you with next steps. More information can be found here.

To replace Virgin Money Giving, we have decided to use JustGiving as our main donor portal, Just Giving is a well known and trusted platform. The donation processing fee for donors has been removed and we think this platform will offer good value for money in the long run.

Thanks to all who have donated through Virgin in the past, we really appreciate your continued support.

To donate click the button below or visit https://www.justgiving.com/deborahubeetrust