Co-production acknowledges that people with ‘lived experience’ of a particular condition, are often best placed to advise on what support and services will make a positive difference to their lives.

The Macmillan Mental Health Cancer Care project is looking for people interested in working alongside the Project Lead to develop and promote initiatives to improve the experience of people living with a mental health condition and affected by cancer. This is an exciting new opportunity to help improve future experiences.

The Co-production Group is currently working on:

• Promoting, implementing and evaluating a new initiative across the North East and North Cumbria to support people with sharing information when diagnosed with cancer – Passport to my Health and Well-being
• Training and development – creating e-learning modules - Coping with your Mental Health and Well-being when affected by cancer, in partnership with Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust Recovery College
• Encouraging closer partnership working and communications between cancer and mental health services.

Role Purpose:

To support the Macmillan Mental Health Cancer Care Project Lead to continue to develop and promote initiatives to improve the experience of people living with mental health conditions and affected by cancer.

For more details please download the volunteer role description below.

To find out more or to apply for this role please call Sarah Jane on 07802335570 or email: sarahjane.ashcroft@middlesbroughandstocktonmind.org.uk.

Could you volunteer as an Appropriate Adult?

Our Appropriate Adults are trained to support vulnerable adults in police custody. We work with Cleveland Police to ensure those individuals who need support due to mental health or emotional wellbeing issues can access it.

An Appropriate Adult is present for custody processes, to support the vulnerable person at a very difficult time. When a person with a vulnerability is arrested, an Appropriate Adult will be notified to attend the police station. This may be a family member, friend, social services, or one of our volunteers.

We operate a 24/7 rota system where volunteers can offer their time on the following shifts:

Morning - 07:00-12:00
Afternoon - 12:00-18:00
Evening - 18:00-00:00
Overnight - 22:00-04:00

The role can be quite challenging and will not suit everyone, but it can be very rewarding.

The most difficult shifts to cover are the evenings 18:00-00:00) and overnights 22:00-04:00, particularly at weekends and during holiday periods, so we are always looking for new volunteers who can cover those shifts.

You will be trained and supported to carry out the role, so if you would like to learn more or apply to volunteer for the service, please call Andrea Atkinson on 01642 257020.

Community Minded is a Stockton based project that supports people to give back to their community, either by volunteering or through a community action group. At the heart of the project is the belief that a good volunteering experience is good for your mental health.
We'd love to hear from you if you already know this and can use your own experience of volunteering to support others in a mentoring role.
You'll receive training and support to carry out the role and also opportunities for development.

We're also looking for people who have had their own volunteering journey to review our training materials and support packages. If you’d like to get involved and give a helping hand in either way then please get in touch with us on 01642 696635 and speak to Kayleigh, Matthew or Kim or email us at communityminded@middlesbroughandstocktonmind.org.uk