It's (almost) Christmas!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. A time to be truly thankful for everything that we have and celebrate with those we love.
But unfortunately, not everybody’s Christmas will look as sparkly as our own. Christmas can be an extremely challenging time, with over half of those suffering with mental health problems considering harming themselves during the festive season.
This Christmas, we have the opportunity to change this by taking a few simple steps. Participating in just one of the schemes below could have an enormous impact on a person’s life, so together, let’s see if we can make everyone’s Christmas a little bit brighter.
• Amazon and stores participating in The Giving Machine will donate to us if you simply follow these links, register, and buy your Christmas presents – all at no extra cost to you.
• We are participating again this year in the Big Give Christmas Challenge – the biggest match funded campaign in the UK. Big Give week kicks off on Giving Tuesday, 30th November, and is open for donations until 7th December. See below for more information.
• Last but definitely not least, our well-loved Christmas cards are back in stock! This year they have all been designed by children. We have something for everyone, including e-cards! The money you would spend on a card would instead be donated to Hammersley Homes in exchange for a card you can send online. You can still spread Christmas cheer, whilst supporting a good cause and the environment! It’s a win, win. Click here to buy your pack (whilst you remember!)
Our News
Criminal. Dangerous. Over-reacting. Weak.
These are all words that we hear being used to describe the mentally ill far too often. Some of the most vulnerable people can be found wandering through towns, lying in hospital beds or sleeping on the streets; confused, distressed and alone.
We are here to offer solutions and support for some of these unfortunate people who, after all, only have an illness – but we need help!
How much do you know about mental health in the UK?
Test yourself and take our 2 minute BIG GIVE QUIZ…
Hammersley Homes is here to offer safe and secure living spaces to those that need them most. If we can remove the emotional and financial burden of living without a place to call home, we give these people a real chance to rebuild their lives.
With the help of some amazing people, we have continued to grow and support those suffering from mental illness since our birth in 2018. Our main goal remains unchanged: to offer secure housing to people suffering with mental illness, whilst our Outreach Programme is now fully up and running in the New Forest area and expanding fast – designed to offer people friendship and helping with daily tasks they may be struggling with, such as shopping, cooking, budgeting, hobbies, or simply going out for a walk or a drive. Unfortunately, over the last few years, many of us have experienced the effects of loneliness and know that seeing a friendly face can make a huge difference to our mental wellbeing.
We are so proud of the work that we have done but we need your help to ensure that we reach as many people as we can.
Join the Christmas Challenge during BIG GIVE week from Tuesday 30th November – Sunday 7th December and you can have your donation doubled. Give £1, we will get £2. Give £10, we will get £20! Anything that you can offer us will be matched, so help us to make the most of this incredible opportunity to support those struggling with mental illnesses across the UK. To get involved, click here during BIG GIVE week! And – if we exceed our challenge target, we are in with a chance of winning the Big Give prize, so please don’t be put off if you get a message saying our target has been reached and your donation won’t be matched.
Hammersley Homes are now part of One Lottery giving you the opportunity to win up to 25,000! Support us by joining in the fun! 50% of all One Lottery tickets sold from our page go straight to Hammersley Homes allowing us to support those in need. Our Lottery will launch on 8th January 2022 but tickets are on sale now.
Will Aid Month
November is Will Aid Month – a month to remind us what a huge difference legacies can make to charities. Our Will writing partner, Westcotes Wills, have generously offered to donate a significant percentage of their fee to Hammersley Homes for a 4 week period from the first Will they write for one of our supporters, and we would be so grateful to anyone willing to consider a legacy to Hammersley Homes, to help us in our work.
In the News
https://www.inquest.org.uk/abdul-hamid-opens
We hope the coroner’s inquest into the death of Abdul Hamid, who had schizoaffective disorder, after being restrained by police and the public, will deliver both justice for his family and evidence on how the use of restraint by policy must be reformed, especially for vulnerable people with mental illness.
Deaths of people with mental illness under police restraint can no longer be dismissed as anomalies.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-59180843
An inquest found that the suicide of a prisoner who suffered from mixed-personality disorder was in part due to prison failings, including understaffing and a ‘lack of accountability’ in checking prisoners’ mental state.
Around 15% of prisoners have specialist mental health needs. We have to start taking mental illness in prisoners seriously.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-59162715
In the UK, anyone can call themselves a ‘therapist’ or ‘psychotherapist’ – even without qualifications.
We must reform our system of accreditation to prevent vulnerable people being exploited when they most need help.
The problem is compounded because the UK has 1.6m people on a waiting list for mental health support – many, feeling at crisis point, have nowhere else to turn. We must make sure people can access qualified help when they need it.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-59250106
The living conditions of this vulnerable man are appalling no matter what the circumstance. How can we expect those suffering from mental health illnesses to work towards rebuilding their lives without safe and secure housing. A very real reminder of why our work here is so important.
Meet the team - Charlie Bedwell
We are so grateful to all our volunteers – we couldn’t do our work without them. Charlie is one of the fabulous volunteers that make up our PR & Marketing Team. She has produced these terrific newsletters for us, and her writing and her graphic design skills are proving to be an invaluable asset.
What made you want to volunteer?
Everyone knows someone who is struggling with their mental health and the fact mental illness are so widely ignored is heart breaking. I hope that I can use my skills to reach more people and make a change that so many of us want to see in the world.
What interests you about our project? Why us?
Hammersley Homes has a clear goal focused around safety, security and stability for those in need. The work that they do is amazing and I am very proud to play even a tiny part in that work.
What do you get out of volunteering, that you would recommend to others who might be considering a volunteer role?
It is very, very easy to get caught up in the stress and dramas of every day life. For me volunteering is almost a mindfulness activity that reminds me to be thankful for what I have and work towards helping those who are less fortunate.
If you are looking to develop your skills, meet great people and being involved in rewarding work, I would absolutely recommend volunteering to anyone considering it.
Support our work
Hammersley Homes couldn’t do what we do without the help of our supporters.
DONATE just £3 a month to change a life, by texting 3HOMES to 70580
Texts cost £3 plus two standard rate messages and you’ll be opting in to hear more about our work and fundraising via telephone and SMS. If you’d like to give £3 but do not wish to receive marketing communications, text 3HOMESNOINFO to 70580
