About Wandsworth Mind – in 2009

We were founded in 1973 by Pat Benians, a local resident and Labour Councillor. We are affiliated to National Mind, a relationship which is very important to us.

What is happening at Wandsworth Mind at the moment?

Like most small charities our fortunes have fluctuated over the years and at the moment we’re just emerging from a difficult time following the end of our contract with Wandsworth Council to run two daycentre services.

We have kept our day service at the Forester building.  Alongside our drop in service we provide a variety of innovative group activities and a range of complimentry therapies together with a number of keep fit and exercise classes.

We have established a line of income from Direct Payments (money given directly to service users by Wandsworth Council) to fund our day service although we are urgently seeking more funding to sustain the service.

We still provide housing support to 42 tenants in 5 shared houses and 20 independent flats around the borough,  Our two second-hand shops (41 and 49 Danebury Avenue in Roehampton) are doing well, though we need a van of our own to collect donations and a few more volunteers.

Our plan is to continue to run our drop-in, which is what service users consistently tell us is what they want. It is open from 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday and has a growing programme of activities both in the building and outside. The programme is run by paid staff and a group of excellent volunteers and sessional workers. Our three themes are – health, both physical and mental (though without making much of a distinction between the two), work (to suit the individual, rather than the other way round), and education and skills (in particular, creative ones).

We want to make sure we cater properly for our existing users but also open up the building much more to both others who haven’t tended to use Wandsworth Mind in the past or to see it in a very positive light, and to outside groups or agencies with some connection with mental health. The centre does have a large function room (with disability adapted lift) which serves as good base for many of our activities and functions.  Please go to our services section for information on meeting room hire at Wandsworth Mind

And the future?

The future remains uncertain, as it is for many charities, large and small – and for the economy as a whole. We are lucky to have some talented staff and a group of remarkable service users who are getting increasingly involved in helping to run the organisation. Our aim is to be a community which is therapeutic but business-like at the same time.

How can you help?

Our most pressing need is for help with fundraising – for staffing costs and equipment for the café and IT hardware (laptops, mainly). We would also like better furniture for our paved garden. Our charity shops also need investment because more productive trading is a good way of generating reliable income.

We are always looking for volunteers with both creative and technical skills – in IT, design, gardening, desktop publishing etc.  In difficult times, it is important to know we have the support of the wider Wandsworth community, so please feel free to get in touch.

Contact Don Brind, Trustee Chairperson on 0208875 9162 or by emailing  director@wandsworth-mind.co.uk

To find out more please visit our how you can help page.

Quality & Quality Management in Mind

The Wandsworth Mind community is committed to quality. This can sound glib but we are all passionate about striving to make the culture of the organisation and its services the best they can possibly be. We are aware of our short-comings but this is an essential first step in making progress and joining the premier league of local Mind associations.

At the moment we are going through Mind’s Quality Review, which happens every two or three years. Mind has extremely high expectations of its local associations and we are finding this process a challenge because of all the other pressing demands on staff here. However, the rigorous standards of the Review have already helped us to make some important changes to our practices, processes and procedures.

Questions

If you have any questions about Wandsworth Mind that cannot be answered by the information provided on our website or any recomendations about what we should include on the site please email admin@wandsworth-mind.co.uk or call us on 020 8875 9162

If you would like a copy of our Annual Report please contact the general office by phoning 020 8875 1914 or by emailing the general office

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