Home About Active in Community Blog Dean Coombes info@stridingforwards.co.uk Contact Us: 07938 057 451



We setup the Striding Forwards a year ago. A simple voluntary project, where we have not profited financially, and simply treated this as a free enterprise giving a gift to Wales and Cardiff over the past year. We have happy news to report we have now formed Striding Forwards into a Community Interest Company.

What has Striding Forwards done to help communities in Wales and Cardiff?

There has been a lot of good stuff going on. Firstly, we have joined forces with Time to Change Wales. The Time to Change Wales campaign is funded by the Welsh Government.



It is a campaign that is run by Mind Cymru and Afariad Cymru who manage a network of champions going out and educating the public on what mental illness is and why we should not be afraid of mental health conditions, sharing their experiences of having a mental illness and beating the negative stigma and side affects going on to live much better lives.

Dean Coombes who has both setup Striding Forwards is a Time to Change Wales champion, and has delivered many mental health anti-stigma talks contributing to online discussions and open air events in Wales and Cardiff, telling people that mental health is nothing to be afraid of.

Dean setup Striding Forwards after receiving news 3 of his friends took their own lives and it moved Dean to help people away from suicidal thoughts. Here is Dean pictured below at the recent Cardiff Mela campaigning with Time to Change Wales.



We have been active in the community

We are active in the local community because we want people of all backgrounds to have good mental health and increased confidence. Here are photos of us presenting our materials at Grangetown Festival teaching people techniques on how to control anxiety to help them increase their confidence.






What results have we produced.

Dean at first setup Striding Forwards independently and invested his own money into this voluntary project and the results have been clear to see. Dean has worked with people in local communities showing them that they can manage their mental health. Confidence is a key ingredient if anyone is to succeed in everyday life. We are helping people from our local community find their confidence. Here are examples.



The first person we worked with was un-employed and was a heavy drinker and occasional substance user. Overtime he cut down on drinking and completely cut down on substance misuse. Within 4 months of working with him he found himself a job as a supervisor in a retail store.



The second person we worked with was a heavy drinker. Over the past 3 months he has cut down on his drinking and has found a flat to live in as well as finding himself a girlfriend who is supporting him through difficult times, he is on the up.



This person was a heavy drugs user. He has now completely stopped taking drugs and has now setup his own painting and decorating business which he has been trying to do for years.



We have been offering encouragement to a person who is going through mental health conditions. We hav been supporting him while going to Alcohol Anonymous meeting with him regularly. This person has beaten his drink problem. This person is going from strength to strength.

 We have gained creditable testimonials over the last 12 months.

We have already received some awesome testimonials from other local charities who are helping communities in Wales with mental health conditions. Here is what the Jacob Abraham Foundation said about our anxiety and depression workshop.




"Dean’s delivery of the Understanding Anxiety workshop was great. He is professional, friendly and knowledgeable on his subject matter. Our team found the workshop to be interactive, informative and fun and it encourages a practical focus on managing and understanding Anxiety. This will really help people to understand their own anxiety and build resilience when it comes to feeling anxious. The workshop is an innovative way of helping a client understand their emotions and is a very beneficial workshop"

 The Jacob Abraham Foundation are based in Cardiff. They are a leading charity in Cardiff that raise awareness on mental health issues and help people who are experiencing suicidal thoughts. Visit their website to learn more about the Jacob Abraham Foundation.

www.jacobsfoundation.org.uk

We also worked with a person called Mark to help him with his anxiety. Here is what Mark said on how we have helped him.



"I am very thankful to Dean my mentor who has taught me how to control my anxiety that was really getting in the way of me living my life. The control techniques and just knowing what anxiety is has helped me manage negative thoughts and my confidence has increased. I would recommend a session with Dean he can help you."

 We have loved re-tweeting sobriety victories on Twitter this last 12 months.

Through-out the last 12 months we have unashamedly retweeted people’s success stories winning the battle to become sober. Here are a few visuals.



These are the best sobriety influencers we have found to be inspirational and if you would like to follow their Twitter accounts feel free to.

https://twitter.com/ASoberLady

https://twitter.com/all_sober

https://twitter.com/FaithDRecovery

https://twitter.com/UnashamedAlc

https://twitter.com/way_of_sober

https://twitter.com/SOBERNATE1

Lets conclude.

If we can help just one person to sobriety, better mental health, increased confidence or from whatever situation they require help that will lead them to a brighter future, then it is all so very worth it.