My name is Julian. I have been a member of Guideposts services for over 10 years. Guideposts has helped me to have ambition, to do something more than just sitting at home. Sometimes I meet people who look at people with learning disabilities and they don’t want to help them. But at Guideposts they go out of the way to help you, they treat you as a person. The support I get is just the right amount. There’s not someone looking over your shoulder all the time, but if you need help there’s someone there. Guideposts does a wonderful job and it’s made a big difference to my life. Thank you for all your support. Julian Guideposts Ambassador
Together we change people’s lives.
fundraising@guideposts.org.uk 01993 893560 www.guideposts.org.uk/donate
Welcome!
Spring Highlights
2023
Thank you for your continued support.
Inside: Latest News & 50th Anniversary Update... 2-3 Living with Complex Emotional Needs........ 4-5 Sustaining our Future ....................................... 6 Supporter News & Connect with Cake!........... 7
Our vital work during these uncertain times and beyond is only made possible thanks to your generosity. If you are able to help at this time, please complete the enclosed donation form, donate online, or contact us directly.
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Latest News
Service members at our mental health hub, Henry Smith House, have been enjoying a helping hand through a series of cooking classes. We've had some great responses, like Oliver:
Social opportunities called for now more than ever.
We were moved by the generosity of everyone who contributed to our 50th Anniversary Appeal. We have raised a fantastic for our Camp Guideposts project. Thank you. Although there is still some way to go to reach the funds needed to transform the site completely, this enables us to make a start this year while we continue seeking support. Firstly, we are working with our landlord to site platforms for the bell-tents. Some tents will be for accommodation while others will be communal areas for activities during bad weather. The space in a bell-tent will provide room to sleep, and to dress with assistance where needed. Our search is also under way for a suitable minibus with accessible features to provide the vital transport both to reach the site, and to go on excursions. While the plans progress we are continuing to offer day trips and assisted holidays, giving people with additional needs the opportunity to try things they had never dreamed possible.
Making Friendship for All
Magazine to be Better Connected
How you can help
50th Anniversary Appeal Update...
Guideposts 50th Anniversary Ball
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£26,409
"My medication means I gain weight very easily. I often feel tired too, so the thought of a ready meal or takeaway is very tempting! The classes have given me the confidence to make my own healthy food. I used to feel overwhelmed in the kitchen and wasn't sure where to begin, but now I know a few simple recipes, and I have really enjoyed learning them. I feel great knowing I'm making healthier choices and eating well helps my mood too."
Our innovative success of 2020 is now finding its place in the post-pandemic world: Better Connected for adults with learning disabilities or with autism, now offers the ultimate hybrid experience with online sessions, local meet-ups, and a monthly magazine. The magazine is a popular element, with articles rich in depth but easy to understand, and many pages of activities to try on your own, or with others in an online session. To see a sample copy of the magazine, or if you know someone who might like inspiration to keep busy at home, sign up at Guideposts.org.uk/bc-magazine
Our 70's-themed Ball brought an opportunity for service members, volunteers and staff to celebrate the charity’s 50th Anniversary together. With thanks to our “Fairy Godmother” donors, we were able to ensure everyone who wanted to could attend, with transport from across the regions and carers’ tickets provided. For many, it was the first time they had been to a ball. Others who had been to previous Guideposts events had been looking forward to it for many years. One guest said “I was always too nervous to go to a party but I knew a lot of my friends would be here so I felt more comfortable. It has been a perfect night”. It was a chance to dress up in the grooviest 70s ensembles, and we saw some amazing outfits!
Our friendship schemes for people with learning disabilities in Hertfordshire have been expanding at a rate this year, now providing opportunities across the county. Following the pandemic restrictions, we have found even greater need to be social, and our 20 regular social and activity groups are often full to capacity. For many people living with a learning disability, social activities like going out for a drink with friends aren’t part of their normal life. But the difference it can make to wellbeing and quality of life is enormous. It is something everyone should have access to.
Guideposts Spring Highlights 202
Cooking up Better Health
Guideposts Spring Highlights 2023
The first prize winner in our Big 50th Birthday Prize Draw was Daniel, a member of our CONNECT groups. Daniel had been ill for a long while and recently passed away, but before he left us he used his prize money for his last wish: to visit family and friends in Jamaica. We are delighted that he was able to have a wonderful time enjoying his last few months with us.
Prize Draw
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"How lovely it is when Nadia comes home from the Guideposts group, she is so happy it makes my life easy." Nadia's mother
"I understand I’m not worthless, I do deserve a happy life, and I can see a way forward. "
I had tried counselling and therapy in the past, but it just focused on anxiety. There wasn’t the opportunity to talk about my past. You don’t get enough sessions and sometimes sessions would be cancelled, or the therapist would phone late. Continuity and reliability are so important to people like me: we need to know we aren’t going to be abandoned or left behind. This service is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Those weekly telephone calls are my lifeline. I haven’t been impressed with any other service. This is what I have needed all my life. For the first time, I have someone who understands what it’s like to have EUPD. I’ve learnt a lot at Guideposts, like how to be kind to myself. My past is always going to be there, but now I understand I’m not worthless, I do deserve a happy life, and I can see a way forward. I don’t take antidepressants now. I know there are so many people in a similar position; being given medication when actually they need someone to help them process their past and understand where all their emotion and fear comes from. This is the most important service to me and I wish I’d accessed it sooner.” As an adult, speaking out is so hard because you might still feel loyalty for your parents. But even though you might feel like you don’t deserve a better life, the most important thing is to find someone who really understands trauma and the impact it has on your way of thinking. You need to be very brave, but then you can start to understand that what happened to you wasn’t OK, and it wasn’t your fault. Only then can you start moving forwards.
Guideposts Autumn Highlights 2022
My name is Lisa. At the age of 61, I was diagnosed with Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD). I struggle with severe anxiety, I feel scared all the time, and I fear being abandoned. My moods and emotions can change dramatically in a short space of time. Sometimes I experience dissociation when I am upset, I’ll end up somewhere and have no clue how I got there.
As a child, I was mistreated by my parents. When I suffered a head injury at age 9, they didn’t take me to hospital for a long time. I was having seizures and they still didn’t take me. Eventually, a scan revealed I had suffered brain damage, which had caused epilepsy. It was all too much for me to take in and I suffered a mental breakdown soon after. I was referred to a psychiatrist. My dad was scared I would tell someone what had been happening to me, so he moved us to an extremely isolated area. My parents lived in a cottage, and my dad built a shed a short distance away. I had to live in the shed, alone. I was nine years old. I did have pets sometimes, but my dad would always take them away. He would gloat that he’d had them killed. He would take away anything that brought me happiness. I did try to tell my teacher what was happening to me. He said I was making it up. I didn’t speak out for another 50 years, when I told my GP about my childhood, at the age of 61. Many people with CEN struggle to find the right support, and diagnosis can take decades. Often, they are simply seen as having anxiety or depression, when the reality is far more complex. I had bounced from service to service all my life, never finding one that helped me. I was diagnosed with depression, agoraphobia, anorexia… I was put in a ‘box’ each time I sought help, but I knew it wasn’t right. When I spoke to my GP, it was like all the pieces came together. He could see I was dealing with something beyond anxiety or depression. I was referred to the CEN Coaching Service at Guideposts. It was the first time I’d accessed a specialist service. I finally had hope that there was something that could help me.
"Guideposts CEN Coaching is my lifeline. For the first time, someone understands me. I finally have hope that things will get better"
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A donation of £85 could pay for an Art Therapy session for people with complex emotional needs to work through difficult emotions.
Lisa's story
Around one in 20 people in the UK have Complex Emotional Needs (CEN). This term encompasses complex and enduring mental health conditions such as PTSD and EUPD. EUPD is a lifelong condition, although it can be managed with the proper support. Often, a traumatic childhood is the cause. Certain types of ‘talking therapy’ can help people come to terms with past experiences and manage their emotions more effectively. Some NHS mental health teams do not provide a specialist service, which, considering 1 in 10 people with EUPD alone will die by suicide, is concerning. Guideposts is working with NHS Gloucestershire to provide CEN coaching. Originally designed to support up to 50 people, the service has recently been expanded to support 150.
Building on the vital importance of community inclusion, participation and connections to improve the lives of those we support.
A message from Lisa to those who relate to her story
Coaching for Complex Emotional Needs
The devastating condition you might never have heard of
Guideposts Complex Emotional Needs Coaching provides long-term mental health support to adults who have, as a result of complex trauma and adverse life experiences, developed ways of coping and surviving that can cause them harm and distress. Our service was established in Gloucestershire last spring to help improve support for this group in the local community as well as to reduce the pressure on local NHS mental health and inter-related services.
"I am a product of my upbringing"
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"I have bounced from service to service all my life, never finding one that helped me.
The service offers continuous and consistent support over a 12-month period. The coaching process draws on multiple approaches to enable the individual to develop a ‘toolkit’ of skills, tailored to their needs. Interventions include helping to keep people safe by reducing suicidal thoughts and self-harming behaviours; helping them develop new skills to replace unhelpful behaviours; enabling them to manage distress, regulate emotions and improve their relationships with others. Since it was first established the service has supported 159 individuals, with the large majority reporting very positive benefits from the help received. Though startlingly, 75% of those referred were flagged by referrers as having a risk of suicide, evidence shows that as a result of the support provided the risk has reduced significantly. In the light of this result, Guideposts is now actively working to ensure this valuable service can be available for people in other locations.
How can collecting for cake help?
Get in touch or sign up online for your Connect with Cake Kit.
We can't be more grateful to one supporter, Robert, who has recently given his 90th art history talk with proceeds in aid of Guideposts. Robert has been giving talks since 2013 to local art and history societies, WIs and U3As, and doesn’t charge a fee but asks attendees to donate to Guideposts. So far he has raised over £4500. We are hugely thankful.
Sustaining our Future
It's easy to leave a gift in your Will
Thanks to you
Costs
Guideposts sources of Income and Costs
Help us celebrate friendship on Loneliness Awareness Week by getting together with family, friends or those around you for the simple joys of a cuppa, a piece of cake, and a chat. As members of our CONNECT groups will tell you, meeting up over a cuppa makes a big difference to their wellbeing, and gives them hope. Collect donations for the treats at your gathering and make a big difference to people living in isolation. You don't need to be a Star Baker to join in - all types of cake count!
Unlocking the magic of friendship over a cuppa and a cake
The Good Samaritan - Joseph Highmore
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Where there's cake, there's hope!
£30 can provide 2 months of tea and cake for isolated people attending a Connect group. £100 can buy ingredients for 12 weeks of our healthy cooking classes.
Robert
“My wife suffered from vascular dementia for 10 years before she died in 2010, and the information I received from Guideposts was a lifesaver."
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12-16 June
Income
As Guideposts embarks on our 51st year attention is very much turned towards securing the long-term financial future of our work, to ensure that people living with multiple and complex needs can continue to access the support and care they so greatly need. With costs rising, we need to raise more than £850,000 each year to fund our core activities. In addition, we are seeking to raise additional funds to improve our premises, which require modification to meet the latest standard for energy efficiency and to offer greater accessibility for volunteers and service users. The increased cost of living has put a strain on us as a charity as much as it does for the individuals we support. From the cost of energy and fueling our minibuses, to the increases in minimum wage pushing rates of pay higher, and all our suppliers’ costs rising, it is putting strain on all our budgets. The contracted funding we receive from local authorities is increasing, but not enough to cover the increased costs. We are able to bridge the gap only through the generosity of our individual supporters. In recent years we can truly say that Guideposts could not have continued without your support. We also couldn’t continue without the commitment of our support workers. It is widely recognised that the level of pay in our sector is neglected, and it makes life hard at times like these. And yet our team stay with their vocation because they can see the difference it makes to others.
Guideposts Autumn Highlights 2023
A large proportion of our charity's work is funded by money left to us by supporters in their Wills. Over the last few years, first with the Covid pandemic and then with the Cost of Living increases, the gifts we have received from legacies have meant we have been able to keep a steady balance-sheet. This income can help to support the charity’s continued work if there are more major catastrophes in the future, and even if there aren’t! It's now even easier than ever to make a will. We have started offering a free Will-making service through Make a Will Online. The system is easy to use, and highly recommended. Every Will is checked by a solicitor, and there is also the option to use an innovative Capacity Vault that ensures your wishes will be honoured. To take up this opportunity or to find out more please see www.guideposts.org.uk/leave-a-legacy, or contact us. Thank you for supporting Guideposts, whatever the future brings.
Sharing a passion to give back
Connect with Cake!
Share your passion, online or in person Volunteer at one of Guideposts' services Fundraise at a public or private group event.
Supporter news
What's your special skill to share?
guideposts.org.uk/connect-with-cake
Tackling isolation
Our CONNECT groups are local and online social groups for people who may be isolated due to long-term health conditions, dementia, or caring responsibilities. They bring people facing a similar situation together in a fun and friendly environment, to share support and feel part of their community.
For information on how to get involved - whether you want to donate, volunteer, fundraise, or support us at work, get in touch!
Support your way
About Guideposts
Meaningful activity
Guideposts helps people with dementia, learning disabilities, and mental health needs to get the best out of life.
We couldn’t do it without you. Thank you.
www.guideposts.org.uk/get-involved fundraising@guideposts.org.uk 01993 893560
Our range of factsheets cover subjects of dementia, mental health, carer support, and independent living. Individual support is provided through specialist one-to-one coaching for people living with complex mental health needs, and for carers.
Our Hubs work with people with complex needs on a weekly basis, over a long time period. They provide a community space and supportive ethos in which to take part in a wide range of activities.
Guideposts Trust Limited Registered in England No 12823661 Registered Charity No 272619 Guideposts Trust was established in 1972 and relies upon voluntary and financial support for its work. General Enquiries: 01993 893560 | Email: info@guideposts.org.uk | www.guideposts.org.uk