Impact Report

October 2021

The Cellar Trust has released its annual Impact Report 2020-21 detailing how the organisation adapted in the pandemic and was able to offer even more support for people in the district suffering from mental health challenges.

Mental health has been a focus for many people following a year of uncertainty, isolation and restriction. There has been a subtle shift in thinking around mental health in general and that in part is due to a shared experience. And as people’s understanding and empathy grows, the demand for services that offer support when it’s needed is even greater.

The Cellar Trust had to make major changes to the way it delivered support, switching from face to face to remote and phone-based sessions. Their crisis support arm, Haven, delivered over 5600 sessions in 2020-21, 26% more than the previous year. 85% of people said they experienced a reduction in their distress as a result of this support. The charity’s MAST service, working with Project 6 and Carer’s resource, offers mental health, alcohol and frailty support in Bradford Royal Infirmary and Airedale General Hospital. In 2020-21 the team provided support to over 2700 patients and 555 people when they were discharged.

Looking back at her experience with the Cellar Trust, one client explained what made the charity different. She said: “What the Cellar Trust did well the most for me, was they really did play a vital part within my steps towards recovery throughout those first few months after being discharged. I needed that helping hand the most to keep me on the right road at that point in my life and the Cellar Trust was there for me. You just never forget the people who have helped you when you were at rock bottom like that. I will never forget that!”

Supporting people struggling with their mental health to get back into employment, education or volunteering or helping them to stay in employment is another essential service provided by the charity. They delivered over 3700 sessions of employment support 2020-21 when the difficulties of finding work and staying in work were exacerbated by the pandemic. 83% of people reported feeling an increase in their wellbeing as a result of their session at the Cellar Trust.

Reflecting on her employment journey with the charity, one client said: “Referring to the service completely changed my life and I will be forever grateful for what they have done for me.”

Alongside delivering this vital mental health support in the community, the Cellar Trust also launched two flagship services this year. Partnering with Brathay and Andy’s Man Club, the Cellar Trust launched PARENTS online – a free chat service for parents struggling with the demands of looking after children, especially in these trying times. The team of peer support volunteers, with parenting experience themselves, are available at www.parentsonline.co.uk from 6pm-9pm Monday to Friday to offer a listening ear and advice to parents and carers.

The service has been well received by parents with one chat user commenting: “Just knowing this service is here is reassuring.”

In addition, the Cellar Trust developed and launched a new mental health and wellbeing training platform, in collaboration with Bradford Council’s Living Well and voluntary, community and public sector organisations from across the district. The platform provides training resources to HSC, VCS and public sector organisations, businesses and individuals offering free e-learning modules, webinars and face to face courses. The platform can support people who are worried about their mental health or have concerns about someone they know. The courses can help with areas such as low mood, stress, improving sleep and suicide awareness. And, because the majority of these courses are hosted online at www.livingwell.training, the charity can ensure that mental health and wellbeing resources are always available when people need them.

One user had this to say about the platform: “My family even commented that after each course I sounded so much more upbeat! I feel really privileged to have the Cellar Trust local to myself I think it’s amazing we have such support on offer.”

Kim Shutler, CEO at the Cellar Trust, said: “The year 2020 will certainly be one that we all remember. A year of great loss, change, grief and challenges. The Cellar Trust is no stranger to challenges and pulling together in adversity. Driven by our values and our passion, over the past year we have put everything aside to be there for the people who needed us. This has meant a year of working outside usual service boundaries, of flexing and retraining our staff teams and developing new and different services to meet changing needs.”

Parenting in a pandemic – free online support for Bradford families

Bradford based charities The Cellar Trust and Brathay are working in partnership to provide free, much-needed, emotional support to parents via an online platform called PARENTS Online.

As 2021 continues to face a number of difficulties, the world has started to take more notice of the increased pressure on parents, considering more ways in which to support them with their mental health.

The pandemic that hit in late 2019, through 2020, and into 2021 has seen parents juggling multiple responsibilities. Schools have closed with less than 24 hours’ notice, class bubbles have burst and parents have often balanced a combination of home-schooling, increased workloads, working from home or building tensions resulting from being furloughed. These increased pressures alongside the additional stress and isolation of lockdown are understandably causing many parents to suffer from various mental health problems.

Suffering from depression, anxiety, and loneliness are just some of the consequences to come out of spending so much time at home spinning plates, whilst frantically trying to meet all of our family commitments. The school-run feels like a military operation with staggered pick-up times for our different children. Even a chat at the gate with other parents has often involved a 2-metre distance through a face-mask. This has led to many parents understandably feeling alienated and wondering if they are the only ones struggling with being pulled in so many different directions.

The Cellar Trust and Brathay are working together to provide a non-judgemental ear when parents need it most. PARENTS Online launched on Tuesday 6^th July and runs Monday to Friday 6pm-9pm. The free service provides text-based emotional support from trained volunteers through an online platform. Parents can chat confidentially and openly about their feelings with someone who has their own experience of parenting. Staffed by volunteer parents who are trained to listen and support people through whatever they are facing, parents can reach out to someone who appreciates how difficult parenting can be.

David Grant-Roberts, Lead Peer Support at The Cellar Trust says; “Parenting can be the most difficult of jobs and what makes it harder is that none of us are given a handbook that gives us all of the answers. Sometimes we can all struggle but it can be daunting to speak to other parents about it for fear of what others might think or feeling like you’re ‘failing’. PARENTS Online gives all parents and carers the chance to talk openly without judgement to people who understand. Sometimes all we need is to be listened to and that’s where PARENTS Online can help’.

Parents can access the free PARENTS Online platform by visiting www.parentsonline.co.uk. David Grant-Roberts can be contacted with any related queries on 01274 586474, or via email at mail@thecellartrust.org.

New Mental Wellbeing Training Platform launched in Bradford

July 2021

The Living Well Mental Health and Wellbeing Training Platform has been launched by The Cellar Trust, in collaboration with Living Well and a network of training providers from voluntary, community, and public sector organisations across Bradford district.

This training platform has been created to support the development of mental wellbeing knowledge and skills within the Bradford district workforce and to improve the mental health of its citizens.  The platform provides access to a wide range of mental health and wellbeing training, hosting a variety of free e-learning modules and webinars. These modules lead to a range of resources, designed to support mental health and wellbeing in the district.

Mental wellbeing has been at the forefront in recent months due to the effects of the pandemic and subsequent restrictions.  Peoples’ experiences during this time have raised an awareness of the need for mental health services and provision, especially amongst staff working on the front line.  People who already struggle with their mental health have also reported feeling increased levels of mental distress and isolation.  The Cellar Trust has continued to work with clients remotely and, when possible, face to face, to support people during this time and the digital training platform will now enhance this support.

This new training platform provides access to free courses covering; mental health awareness, the causes of low mood, improving sleep, suicide awareness and understanding the effects of stress. It links to a range of further resources, so that those who need help with their mental health can access support quickly and easily.

Kim Shutler, CEO at the Cellar Trust, said: “In light of the year we have all had, there has never been a better time to offer an online platform for mental health and wellbeing training. These valuable courses can be taken by individuals really struggling with their mental health in the safety and privacy of their own homes and can have a significant impact on their wellbeing. Here at the Cellar Trust and alongside Living Well and our partners in the District, we are delighted to be able to offer such a valuable service”.

Rose Dunlop, Public Health Consultant at Living Well said: “We are delighted to work with The Cellar Trust to provide this training platform. It’s really important that we address the mental wellbeing needs of people in our district, especially after the pandemic and we are really pleased to be able to offer these new free training courses”.

People experiencing problems with the mental health and wellbeing can access the site at livingwell.training