Cygnet Hospital Ealing is a 23-bed service offering treatment for women with an eating disorder or personality disorder.
Individuals supported at the Cygnet Health Care hospital joined forces to raise £386 for Mind. They were motivated by a shared desire to champion a charity that offers support to those with personality disorders.
Mind provides support for people struggling with their mental health across England and Wales. It campaigns for better mental health services and opportunities in the workplace as well as educating employers on creating mentally healthy environments.
“Mind is a fantastic mental health charity that supports individuals across a wide spectrum of needs. It provides unconditional peer support, trusted resources and crisis navigation to a community that is all too often marginalised and left without a voice,” explained Chris Watling, Interim Head of Occupational Therapy at Cygnet Hospital Ealing.
“The fundraiser was an absolute triumph. A big thank you to our incredible service users. We could not be prouder of their courage, mutual support, and the vital awareness they raised.”
After months of careful planning, a fundraiser was hosted at the Corfton Road-based hospital.
Individuals supported at the service took part in crafting a variety of resin, crochet, or diamond art items, including trinkets, bookmarks and keyrings, to then sell. Gabi, a member of the housekeeping team, also donated a piece of artwork for the cause.
To keep donations rolling in, the service users also dedicated their time to baking delicious cupcakes and cookies to sell.
The determined fundraisers didn’t stop there and, a few weeks later packed up their stall and headed to Haven Green to maintain the fundraising momentum.
With the Cygnet Health Care service users as the driving force behind the fundraiser, they were supported by the Occupational Therapy team, including Chris and Dara Ó Curnáin, an Occupational Therapy Assistant.
Chris said: “We were able to facilitate an incredible journey of personal growth, peer support, and public advocacy that truly encapsulates the power of Occupational Therapy in mental health recovery.
“It was a brilliant opportunity for our service users to actively get involved and it became a true example of co-production between both staff and service users.
“Our service users enjoyed this experience so much and they have been inspired to volunteer in the local community and are reaching out to local charities.”
The service users were especially proud of their ability to raise awareness as part of their fundraiser and highlighted the reward of bringing attention to personality disorders in the local community.
One individual supported at the Cygnet Health Care service said: “I felt very proud of everyone and happy.”
