Rethink Mental Illness Manchester Group

We'll be meeting this Thursday 14th March from 6 - 7:30pm at our new venue - the Old Bank Building on Hanover Street in the city centre. Anyone affected by mental illness is welcome to come along. You don't need a referral. Hot drinks and biscuits provided. See attached for venue information including directions & travel information. It's really close to the last MadLab venue at PLANT Noma. If you have any problems finding the new venue please give me a call or text on 07546 928326. NEW LEAFLETS AND POSTERS We have some new posters and leaflets with new venue information on. Please email us on rethinkmanchester@gmail.com if you'd like electronic or hard copies for display.

A regular Rethink Mental Illness group will be starting up again in Wilmslow, beginning on the 21 st  February, followed by meetings on the first Thursday of each month from 7 th  March.  Rethink Mental Illness supports over 130 local peer support groups in England which are run by people with their own experience of mental health issues and/or their carers and family members. The groups provide empathy, acceptance and reassurance and are a place where people can share experience and receive guidance from peers in similar situations. The groups also provide an opportunity for information and for members to increase their self-confidence. Anyone who has personal experiences of mental illness can attend the group. Meetings are at Wilmslow Library, South Drive, SK9 1NW. For more details contact Matthew Hyndman, tel 07767163381 or email matthew.hyndman@rethink.org

We'll be meeting this Thursday 7th February from 6 - 7:30pm at our NEW venue - the Old Bank Building on Hanover Street in the city centre. We're meeting a week earlier than usual due to half term holidays. Back to the second Thursday of every month from March onwards. As usual, all welcome. No speaker this month, just a chance to get to know our new venue. We've got a pretty smart meeting room! New venue for 2019: Old Bank Building, Hanover Street, M60 0AB By tram The nearest tram stop is Shudehill , just 2 minutes away. By bus The nearest local bus station is Shudehill/Thomas Street, for visitors coming from North Manchester. For other local buses, Manchester Piccadilly Bus Station is just 10 minutes walk away. By train Old Bank Building is a 2 minute walk from Manchester Victoria station and a 15 minute walk from Manchester Piccadilly. The entrance is on Hanover Street – on the left near the bottom if you are walking up Hanover Street from Victoria Station...

Instead of our regular meet up, this Thursday 10th January we'll be holding a pottery workshop run by ceramacist Laura Negus. We still have a small number of spaces left - BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL. Places are on a first come first served basis - please email ASAP if you'd like to come. The pottery workshop will take place from 6 - 8pm at Old Bank Building on Hanover Street, very close to Shudehill metrolink. If you've already booked I'll be in touch with more details. We will not be holding our regular meeting this month.  We'll be back from February at our NEW venue - the Old Bank Building on Hanover Street...more details to follow next month.

It's our annual Christmas group meet up this Thursday 13th December from 6:00 - 7:30pm. We will be meeting at Ziferblat Cafe on Edge Street in the Northern Quarter area of the city centre. We will cover costs for anyone who attends. Ziferblat Cafe is opposite the previous MadLab venue, for those who remember it - directions here  https://www.ziferblat.co. uk/edge-street/  ...entry is at street level, just press the buzzer to gain access then use stairs or the lift to get up to the cafe. We can no longer use MadLab as the space they were renting is run by another another organisation - PLANT - which itself is relocating.  January's pottery workshop will go ahead at usual but will be at PLANT's new venue. Update to follow in the new year.

A group of us tried our hand at laser cutting last Thursday 8th Nov as part of some activities we've had funded by the Greater Manchester Mental Health Foundation Trust's Wellbeing Fund.  Our tutor showed us how to design a simple key ring using a computer program called Inkscape, then demonstrating cutting the designs out onto wooden board using a laser cutter. Ta da! Something completely new for us all and much enjoyed. Thanks to MadLab for running the workshop - have a look at their website for all the workshops, activities and groups they have going on.

In place of our regular monthly meeting we are holding a one-off creative workshop, this Thursday 8th November from 6-8pm at MadLab. You MUST register your name for the workshop in advance. It is free of charge to all who register - see details below. PLEASE NOTE: no regular meeting this month - creative workshop only. MADLAB DIRECTIONS - see https://madlab.org.uk/find-us/ **UPCOMING GROUP ACTIVITIES** *CREATIVE WORKSHOPS* Thanks to funding from the Manchester Wellbeing Fund and also a generous donation, we have two fantastic creative workshops coming up. Both are FREE to group members but places are limited. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis with priority given to people who have attended our group meetings over the past year. Workshop 1:  Laser and vinyl cutting. Thursday 8th November from 6:00 - 8:00pm. At MadLab.Two hour introduction to laser cutting. Starting with the basics of designing in Inkscape, you’ll go on to create a beautiful, ...