Sharon Cullerton Director Expand If you can catch Sharon on a day where she is having to work that extra bit harder to keep her mental health ok, then you may get all your washing up done too! This is one of the various things she does to stay mentally healthy… sometimes a small achievement can motivate other actions. Sharon didn’t have the confidence to ring for an application form 20 years ago, but fortunately her friend did, and sent her the application. She believes that working within a user run organisation is the most ‘normal’ place she has worked, or at least it should be. She loves working with people who are open about their mental health, and use their experiences in a positive way to help and inspire others… having mental health issues does not mean you cannot achieve! She shares the vision that people will be seen as more than their illness whoever they are talking to, and that people can share experiences openly to benefit others who are struggling.In an age of Unicorns, your will find Sharon with the Dragons.
Katy Tate Deputy Director Expand You may see Katy running the streets of Bradford regularly, as this is her way of maintaining her mental health… many an argument fought and problem solved pounding the pavements. She came to VITAL 13 years ago with a passion for working with older people, ensuring they were heard when they had begun to lose their voice in the care system. She has a strong sense of justice, and need to speak out about people’s experiences and that’s what keeps her coming to work. Her vision for the future is that people are no longer worried or embarrassed to discuss their mental health, and that it’s a normal part of everyday conversation whoever you are. Finally, if you meet her out and about and she seems shy, give her a smile and a hello, as for all of her apparent confidence, anxiety often prevents her from starting up a conversation but once she starts talking, she may not stop.
Carol Greenwood Finance Officer Expand Carol’s way of maintaining mental health might send others to distraction, by way of cross-stitch, where hours can be and thoughts lost in the focus of the work. However, you will also find her unwinding with friends and family, chatting and socialising, all in the quest of staying mental healthy. She came to VITAL 9 years ago, when the role of Finance Officer was advertised. Like most who come to work here, she was attracted by the ethos, as her confidence was depleted by a period of mental ill health. She feels that the organisation really helped her to regain her confidence and hopes that it an continue to support people experiencing all types of mental health issues, regardless of diagnosis or severity. Her hope for the future is that our projects will have real impact on people’s lives and that stigma will be removed from the discussion of mental health. If you pass her house and hear bizarre noises, worry not, she is just trying the learn the saxophone!
Andrea Beever ICAT Co-Ordinator Expand You may find Andrea tucked away in a garden cuddling a cat (particularly her cats, Puma and Makeeda), as she finds taking time out from people is really important to stay mentally healthy. Faith is also really important to her, and helps her to reflect on what is really important. Andrea came to work with VITAL 14 years ago originally and then returned to us 5 years ago particularly drawn in by the fact that her own experiences of mental ill health and recovery were seen as an asset. She believes that everyone goes through times of distress when it is difficult to gather our thoughts and voice our needs. She wants to ensure that she can help people through that process where possible. She is a great believer in enabling people to find and value their own strength. If you are struggling with some knitting or crochet techniques or anything a bit crafty, give Andrea a shout!
Richard Tate Lead Advocate Expand If you pop your head in to a Bradford Gym, or drive about for a couple of days, you are pretty likely to come across Richard, who uses fitness as a way of staying mentally and physically fit. When times are tough, he hits the gym.Following a period of severe mental illness, Richard eventually came to VITAL as a volunteer about 18 years ago, with a passion for supporting people in secure units particularly following his own experiences. His main hope is that he can act as a voice but also as example for others that there is a life, even after diagnosis of a ‘severe and enduring mental illness’. He is always willing to share his story and coping mechanisms… in fact, he loves a good chat about himself! Richard is pretty much game for anything, so if you have a fundraiser but need a willing volunteer to do something daft, tap him up!
Parvin Vekaria Senior Advocate Expand Parvin takes a social approach to a healthy mind, enjoying company of friends and the sounds of live music. He may not be into doing the sport himself but is a keen follower of many sports, and fan of Bradford City Football Club. He came to VITAL 9 years ago, mainly working with vulnerable people who were admitted to psychiatric wards, enabling them to be heard within their care planning, and ensuring they are not marginalised. Parvin is particularly interested in challenging people’s attitudes towards mental health, believing that people should feel comfortable discussing the challenges they experience without facing judgement or negativity. He believes that when people are open and honest about their own experiences of mental health issues, they often find others are willing to listen and share.
Alannah Abbott NHS Complaints Advocate Expand Alannah likes to sweat it out in the gym, do a bit of ballet, and ride horses to stay mentally healthy, as she says the sense of achievement enables her to feel happy and positive after these activities. However, some quiet time with a book and some crochet are also important. Alannah came to us during a time, that for her she felt she was at her worst mentally, experiencing depression and anxiety. She felt that as a user run organisation, we might understand what she was going through and give her a chance, which we did! Willingly! 5 years later and she is still with us, now as an advocate. Like many people at Vital, being able to help people make sense of their concerns and support them in having their issues addressed drives her to come to work along with working alongside like-minded and supportive people that understand mental health. Her vision is that mental health will be acknowledged as something that affects the majority of us rather than a few and NHS organisations will understand how advocacy can be a positive and beneficial service in helping them deal with patients complaints. For all Alannah’s activities, she balances this with a healthy biscuit habit, and could probably do a packet of custard creams in one sitting.
Haseeb Qamar NHS Complaints Advocate Expand Whatever the weather, Haseeb finds the Pennine Way or Yorkshire Dales a great way to declutter and renew his headspace, keeping the mind healthy. Preserving the mind was something he paid little thought too, but all areas of his work have had one common theme; people struggling to map out their thoughts in order to unleash their potential or stand up for what is important to them. As such, advocacy was a great career option, but he found it hard to find a road in until an opportunity arose through a joint contract with Choice Advocacy, where he was able to use all the experience he had gained over the years to help give a voice to those who might be side lined or forgotten. We were lucky to acquire Haseeb following difficult times for Choice Advocacy who we hope to see resurface over the following year. He hopes that despite the changing advocacy landscape he will continue to uphold the guiding principles and lend his expertise as an advocate for those who need a voice when all other voices drown out their voice. One more thing its worth knowing about Haseeb, as much as he loves water, he hasn’t yet learned to swim.. so if you have any tips, let him know!
Tracy Pickwell Link Project and Marketing Expand Tracy lives in a creative bubble, with a passion for writing and making things. She is also a big advocate for Mindfulness citing ‘Finding Peace in a Frantic World’ by Mark Williams and Danny Penman as a life saver, along with her love of yoga. Tracy joined VITAL just over 2 years ago after nearly 20 years in the Events industry. Following ‘burnout’ which led to depression and anxiety, she took a life changing decision to move away from the industry and give something back to support others struggling with their own illness. She believes VITAL is an incredible organisation. It allows people the opportunity to be themselves with the support of a great team around them. Her vision for the future is to be part of inspiring projects, helping people to find their own voice & stand strong in society. If you see Tracy standing looking dazed and confused, guide her in the right direction ..she once thought she was getting the last train from Leeds to London but realised a little too late that it was the wrong train and ended up in the sheds!
Saeed Butt Link Project Expand Saeed has a great walking habit, and used to walk up to 10 miles a day as a way of maintaining a healthy mind. Walking has helped him to appreciate the landscape whilst allowing him to get his mind into neutral. He came to VITAL as a volunteer befriender. He applied to do this because of the training element that came with the volunteering opportunity and feels fortunate enough to be able to turn his passion of working with people into a paid role. Knowing that he is getting up to go to a job where he knows he is making real differences in people’s lives is great for well- being and mental health. However, there is still work to be done at a time when people are still having difficulty in being understood, taken seriously and having their needs met, and he hopes to continue being a part of enabling this understanding to take place. We are not sure that walking helps Saeed keep an entirely clear mind though, as he knows the number of times that the sugar goes in the fridge and the milk stays out.
Jack Smith Befriending Co-ordinator Expand Being outside either running or taking some beautiful photos is the way in which Jack keeps mentally healthy, so talented is he at this, that he can be found running, meditating and photographing all at once! He also believes in laughter for the soul as a great stress reliever. Jack has taken on a number of roles in his time with VITAL, from Volunteer Befriender in 2005, to Trustee, and now as the Befriending Service Co-ordinator (and unofficial photographer). Jack is passionate about ensuring people are less isolated, and that they have somewhere to turn to help them stay mentally healthy, and this certainly shows in the roles that he has undertaken. He has a vision that no one should experience mental distress alone.
Rebecca Appleyard Volunteer Co-ordinator Expand Rebecca can either be found trying to empty her mind completely through meditation or keeping it busy with other things, such as keeping horses under control, rather than battling with her thoughts about the past or future.She came to VITAL 3 years ago, surprisingly in her eyes as she had no belief that she would get the job, but applied because she had a strong desire to help people experiencing mental health issues (she got the job… obviously!).Her vision for the future is that people who experience mental ill health are able to use their experiences and understand the strength they bring, and are seen as strong, believing in their own abilities!Get Rebecca chatting about the weird and wonderful world of medicine, or anything science related and she’ll be happy.