12th May 2021

Hello Everyone

So today is the last day of Ramadan and tomorrow is Eid, I wanted to wish all our Muslim Carers and the people they care for a wonderful Eid, hoping you have a incredible day with your loved ones.  As always to all carers in Tower Hamlets please also have a good day, keep safe and well and do not forget to keep an eye out on the forthcoming activities both in June and for Carers Week.

May the blessings of Allah be with you and your family forever and always.

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What is the Tower Hamlets Poverty Review about?

In Tower Hamlets, our poverty review is asking how the council, working with partners, can make the biggest impact on poverty locally. We have launched a call for evidence, and we are looking forward to receiving your ideas and suggestions whether they are long or short.

Find out more and send us your views by Monday 7th June 2021.

https://talk.towerhamlets.gov.uk/povertyreview. If you don’t want to answer the questions online, collection boxes will be available at IDEA stores across the borough for you to leave written comments.

The Carers Centre urges you to feedback your views around poverty and specially if being a carer disadvantages financially.

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Carers Week June 5th to 13th June 2021

The Carers Centre Tower Hamlets is pleased to announce this years Carers Week events and sessions and the beginning of in-house activities at the centre.  We are looking forward to welcoming our registered carers back into the centre and we have a full timetable of exciting events to uphold how Valuable carers are to the centre, Tower Hamlets Council as well as the national community.

Saturday 5th June

An exciting new digital art project around the theme of care and caring for others, inspired by the children’s novel ‘The Borrowers’ by Mary Norton in partnership with St Margaret’s House.   11am to 1pm at the Carers Centre

Monday June 7th

Shared Reading for Carers – Launch of the first In-House reading group for Carers at 11am to 12 noon

Carers Mental Health Programme – How to value yourself with Talking Therapies an In – house workshop from 2pm to 3.15pm

Tuesday June 8th

Stretch & Self Massaged with Casey – come join this exciting and relaxing session from 12.30pm to 1.30pm

The Carers Forum from 2pm to 3.30pm – We are pleased to welcome Denise Radley, Corporate Director Health, Adults & Community for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets

Wednesday June 9th

Walking Wednesdays – Walk to the Tower of London

Young Carers Group – Carers Week Celebration from 5.30pm to 7.30pm

Thursday June 10th

Carers Pamper Day – Massage and Strawberries & Cream- 9.30am to 3pm – we are pleased to welcome Mayor of Tower Hamlets Mr. John Biggs

Breathing Space Meditation – 12.30 to 1pm

Friday June 11th

Shadow Boxing & Meditation – for all abilities and come raise your heart rate and finish off with meditation from 11am to 12 noon at the Carers Centre.

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PROVISIONAL RESULT

Tower Hamlets residents vote to keep directly elected Mayor

Tower Hamlets residents have voted to keep the role of a directly elected Mayor, in a governance referendum held on Thursday 6 May 2021.

Voters backed the current system of governance at Tower Hamlets Council by 63,029 votes to 17,951 votes, with 3,444 spoiled ballots. The turnout was 41.79%.

The result means that local elections in 2022 will take the same format as the elections held in 2018, with voters choosing a directly elected Mayor and choosing who their local councillors will be.

In the Isle of Dogs Neighbourhood Planning Referendum, voters chose to back the use of the Isle of Dogs Neighbourhood Plan in determining future planning applications in the area by 7,874 votes to 1,264 votes, with 401 spoiled ballots. The turnout was 36.99%.

Across Tower Hamlets, voters also took to the polls to elect the Mayor of London and London Assembly members. These results will be published by London Elects.

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Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) is an annual event hosted by the Mental Health Foundation. Taking place this year between 10 – 16 May 2021, the theme of the week is ‘nature’.

The week offers scope to explore the mental health benefits of connecting with nature and accessing green spaces.

However, the week is also an opportunity to explore what the barriers and challenges are in ensuring everyone is able to share in the natural world and experience the mental health benefits.

Across the week we will be sharing a range of discussions, interviews, blogs and case studies, that highlight the positive effects of nature on our mental health and wellbeing, and addressing some of the challenges we face in opening up our green spaces to help all Londoners to be able to lead happier, healthier lives.

We have also created a toolkit, designed to support partners when communicating to the general public about available resources and services for Londoners throughout Mental Health Awareness Week.

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Things can feel very hard at times. Support is available for whatever you are going through, there is hope and you are not alone.

In London, there are a range of free resources, online tools, and helplines available to help you cope and stay mentally healthy. These sit alongside non-urgent NHS psychological treatments, such as talking therapies, if you need further professional support to help you cope with mental and emotional problems

Many of us might be feeling unsafe, vulnerable, alone or unable to cope with grief or loss. The following helplines are free and confidential:

Samaritans: 116 123
Whatever problems you are facing Samaritans are there to listen.

SHOUT: Text Shout to 85258
Text service for support with any mental health concern (it will not show up on your bill).

CRUSE: 0808 808 1677
Support and advice if you are grieving or dealing with bereavement and loss of a loved one.

Switchboard helpline: 0300 330 0630
The LGBT+ helpline is open daily from 10am-10pm.

Looking out for friends and colleagues
It might feel more difficult to mention to someone that you’re worried about them, but now more than ever we need to keep our connections strong.

If you’re worried about someone, The Samaritans has a range of resources to help get the conversation started.

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St. Margaret’s House in Bethnal Green are inviting members from the Carer’s Centre of Tower Hamlets to co-create an exciting new digital art project around the theme of care and caring for others, inspired by the children’s novel ‘The Borrowers’ by Mary Norton.

In partnership with Arts Council England, the wonderful artists Kazuko Hohki and Milou Stella are undertaking research & development for this project and want CCTH members to join them as care and imagination experts. Using story-telling, craft, improvisation, textiles and more, participants will be taking part in the creation of a care-based art project that will be able to travel to different Tower Hamlets communities in the future.

Workshops will mainly take place online through Zoom every Saturday from June 5th to 17th July, 11am-1pm. However we thought it would be great to start the workshop series off in person at the CCTH centre so artists and participants can get to know each other a little better.

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