Activ8 is a charity I am very involved with and we recently had a visit from the press and they did a very nice write up:


Activ8 sheds light in the darkness.

One in four people will suffer from mental illness during their lives. It can be an isolating and frightening experience, but there is a light in the darkness. Observer reporter Chris Pollard visited Activ8 in Hastings town centre to see what it offers those living with mental illness.

Walk through the door at Activ8 in Trinity Street, and you'll feel right at home.

Furnished with comfy couches, decorated with wonderful local artwork and manned by the friendliest bunch of people you can imagine, you'll want to stay here and relax.

There's always a pot of tea on the go, and anyone is welcome to come and go as they please.

Chill out, get a massage, browse the gift shop, paint a picture, make a sculpture, write some poetry, take a training course, have a chat.

But what exactly is this Activ8 place?

Set up by local group Focus On Mental Health and the Hastings branch of the charity Mind, Activ8 was designed to support people living with mental illness.

There's no stigma attached, and people don't sit around complaining about how bad life is. Quite the opposite, in fact the centre radiates positive vibes.

And it's not like a medical facility or a 'leper colony', either. You'd never know Activ8's users were anything other than a vibrant bunch of easygoing people.

Margaret Moss, chairman of Hastings Mind, said: "There's no sign over the door saying 'mental health'. No one asks what's the matter with you, and people can just walk in off the street.

"Everyone is greeted by a friendly face in the gift shop at the front, and people walk around with mugs of tea and coffee in their hands. It's all very relaxed.

"People can come here and feel comfortable immediately. It's like a second home."

Activ8, which has been running for a year, is supported by the local NHS Primary Care Trust and small grant-giving bodies. Money is also raised by volunteers.

It provides a unique service to a large community of people, from teenagers to pensioners, who come from Hastings, Bexhill, Rye, Battle and the surrounding villages.

But despite bids to other funding bodies, including Hastings Borough Council, securing finances has proven very difficult for Activ8.

On Wednesday, the organisation marked World Mental Health Day with a drop-in lunch and free complimentary therapy sessions.

It attracted a good crowd, and Margaret hopes some will be inspired to help raise money or volunteer.

Diana Byrne, chairman of Focus On Mental Health, said: "Activ8 is the light in the darkness for a lot of people. It's like a big open family.

"It doesn't matter how 'different' you are, or how 'ill' you may be, here you are treated as an individual and there's no stigma when you walk through the door."

Gemma Mogford, rural activities worker, does outreach work in Bexhill, Rye, Battle and surrounding villages.

She encourages people to express themselves through art, and Activ8 is equipped with a studio and pottery.

Gemma said: "There's a lot of evidence to say art helps support those with mental health issues. In fact, it's recommended as a treatment for many different health problems.

"We don't offer formal art therapy, just a therapeutic environment in which people can be artistic.

"It encourages people to socialise, and takes them out of themselves. It develops new skills and gives people new confidence, and a new insight.

"When people leave here they are often less symptomatic. We don't offer a cure, because there isn't one, but people feel better for having come here."

Activ8 recently hosted an exhibition of work by local artists called Go With The Flow, which was part of the Coastal Currents festival.

Su Barnicoat, development manager at Activ8, said those who use the centre often volunteer for jobs.- such as manning the gift shop - to give themselves a routine and restore a sense of 'normality' to their lives.

She said: "People can't just come and do nothing here. We encourage them to make small steps towards recovery.

"If they fancy doing something, we will encourage and nurture that enthusiasm.

"It's proven very popular so far. People have gone on to other things, including further education, after regaining their confidence and self esteem here.

"People find this place more accessible because places like the college can be very daunting."

Margaret added: "So many people, live with mental health issues, but they shouldn't be frightened of them. It's an illness like any other, it just affects a different part of the body.

"The people who come here know they will never completely recover, but they are learning to live with their mental illnesses. That is a pretty major thing to do."

CASE STUDIES:

Teresa Hayes, of Bexhill, has been going to Activ8 for more than a year. She said: "I've always had problems with depression and I've tried just about every different type of 'treatment' out mere, with no success. "I've tried medication, religion, self-help groups, courses on assertion, lessons in self-esteem - you name it - and I've always found myself needing something else.

"But this place is so different to any-thing else. It provides really great emotional support. Coming here has helped me get through things. "There's a lovely atmosphere here, and there's always something going on, which is good for an inquisitive person like me.

"Since I started coming here, I don't even need my medication any more. It's all thanks to this place. "It's like a second home – in fact, sometimes I prefer it to my real home!"

Julia Leaney, of Hastings, suffers from bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression. She said: "Activ8 has really given me hope in life. It gives me a routine, which is very important. I don't drift through life any more.

"This place gives me a balance, and purpose."

Anne, from Bexhill, was a teacher for many years and now gives lectures at the centre, which helps her cope with her own depression. She said: "Coming from a professional background, this place gives me a focus in life which was missing before.

"It gives me a chance to feel I'm doing something beneficial for others as well. For me, that is absolutely huge.

"People come here because they want to, not because they've got a label."

Taken from the Hastings Observer - Friday 12th October 2007.

Click here for photos of the Go with the flow art exhibition