WATCH CIO

29/08/2025

28/08/2025

Last week at our Thursday Project, we were joined by Clare from Avon and Somerset Police's Fraud Protection team to talk to our members about scam awareness. In the UK, fraud remains the most common crime, accounting for about 43% of all crime last year. This figure is only rising, with a 33% increase year-on-year.

We spoke about various types of fraud, including identity fraud, cyber fraud and romance fraud, and how our members could best protect themselves from becoming a victim of these crimes.

Huge thanks to Clare and Avon and Somerset Police for taking the time to speak to us and for making all of us more alert to the threat of scamming!

24/08/2025

Abby, Sadie and Molly are representing WATCH at Party on the Park in Ilminster today until 4pm. Still time to stop by for a chat if you're in the area!

21/08/2025

Free Summer Playdays, courtesy of our friends at The Octagon Theatre, are coming to Chard on Thursday 28th of August!

21/08/2025

Join us to remember those we have lost to su***de, raise awareness, and encourage and empower people in Somerset to take action to prevent su***de. 💛

This is the third year of the Walk for a Life event for World Su***de Prevention Day, the aim is to raise awareness of su***de, remember those that have died by su***de and empower local people to take action to prevent su***de. Please head to www.walkforalife.org.uk for full details and we hope to see you there. Somerset Council Open Mental Health

21/08/2025

Fantastic news! We're thrilled to share that we've received a £5,000 grant from the Somerset Community Foundation to support our Thursday Project!

This funding will help us continue making a real difference to isolated individuals in Chard and its surrounding areas, and we’re so grateful to SCF for their continued support. 💙

20/08/2025

**Pain Management Workshop Taster Day**
Good afternoon😊 If you are someone who lives with persistent pain, ARK is running a Pain Management Workshop in October. The 'Ten Footsteps' programme will run for 10 weekly sessions and provide the option to remain part of a peer group at the end. This workshop is for anyone who lives with pain on a regular basis and is interested in exploring alternative ways to manage this, in a supportive environment with lived experience facilitators.

Before this workshop starts, we would like to invite you in for a taster session on Tuesday 16th September to see what its all about. If you are someone who lives with persistent pain, then there is a session for you 1000 to 1200. If you are a professional who is curious about what the workshop offers, or how it may be able to support people you are working with, there is a session for you 1300 to 1500.

Places will be limited, therefore if you are interested in attending or want to know more, please email jon@arkategwood.com to book your place. We look forward to you joining us ☺️
NHS Somerset
Open Mental Health
Arc formerly Taunton Association for the Homeless

20/08/2025

A HUGE thank you to Tesco and everyone who used their blue token to vote for us in their Stronger Starts initiative!

We're incredibly grateful to have received a very generous grant of £1,500 for WATCH CIO – this funding will go a long way in supporting our work and making a real difference in the community. 💙

Thank you for believing in what we do and helping us create a stronger start for those who need it most.

20/08/2025

Bank holiday weekends can be great, but life’s challenges don’t take a break. So, with GP surgeries and many services closing, don’t forget that 24/7 Mindline and Crisis Safe Space are open and available to support you.

Mindline Somerset is available on 01823 276892 or freephone 0800 138 1692, and provides confidential mental health and emotional support, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Crisis Safe Space offers out-of-hours support appointments for people really struggling with their mental health. Instead of going to A&E or suffering in silence, you can arrange a one-to-one session with a member of the Crisis Safe Space team who will listen and help.
Sessions are held face-to-face, by phone, or virtually, depending on the location.
Visit our website or call Mindline to book an appointment.
https://openmentalhealth.org.uk/crisis-safe-space/

20/08/2025

Thanks to our friends at Magdalen Farm for being such wonderful hosts!

14/08/2025

We are proud to announce that Somerset Open Mental Health VCFSE Alliance with Somerset FT is shortlisted for the “Mental Health Innovation of the Year” at the prestigious 2025 HSJ Awards!


Open Mental Health is an alliance of 18 organisations from Somerset voluntary and community sector, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, Experts by Experience, Somerset Integrated Care Board and Somerset Council. We have broken down barriers by working collaboratively to enable prevention, early intervention and provide highly personalised support for people across Somerset with, or at risk of, mental ill health.


Five years on, we have embedded this model within the fabric of Somerset, By working together, colleagues in each organisation support people to live a full life, by enabling access to specialist mental health services, housing support, debt and employment advice, volunteering opportunities, peer support, community activities and physical exercise, to help support and improve their wellbeing and quality of life.


This nomination demonstrates our alliance’s success in providing compassionate support at the right time for people in Somerset. It proves that working in partnership makes all the difference to Somerset communities.



Find out what makes our partnership so special and discover more about the nomination on our blog https://openmentalhealth.org.uk/blog/