My
BRIT 2012 mile blog; sharing encounters and memories from every county of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland throughout 2012
2012
BRIT miles with a spinal cord injury; the equivalent of 310 marathon distances
in 330 days to support young people post-trauma
Thanks
to everyone for supporting me on my toughest challenge
This
month’s BRIT 2012 mile walk is November in the West Midlands
Day 296 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk
was hosted by the University of Worcester http://www.worcester.ac.uk/ on their St. John’s Campus.
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| Coat of Arms of the University of Worcester |
I received a very warm welcome on
arrival by Professor David Green, the Vice Chancellor, and his staff who had
kindly coordinated the day. After being introduced to key staff I gave a
talk to students on BRIT followed by a Question and Answer session where I
responded to questions on BRIT as a charity, the BRIT 2012 mile walk and some
of the challenges over the past four years.
The day was organised into 5 one
mile circuits of the campus where I was joined by students from a wide range of
courses. It was an absolute pleasure to meet the students and I was
delighted to be joined by a large number of students with disabilities who I
spent a great deal of time with, discussing their emotional journeys and coping
strategies. It was an invaluable insight and I am sincerely grateful to
everyone I met for sharing such personal feelings, thoughts and emotions.
It was a super day and I am
sincerely grateful to the Vice-Chancellor, his staff and the students for
looking after me and for making Day 296 such a positive experience. I am
also grateful to the University for the offer to support BRIT with our future
Social Media campaign and I look forward to working with the University in the
future.
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| With some of the students from Worcester University who joined me on Day 296 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk |
I ended Day 296 with 172 miles to
go.
On Day 297 I travelled to
Hereford where I visited Hereford 6th Form College http://www.hereford.ac.uk/
and Hereford College of Technology
Hereford Sixth Form College was
established in 1973 as the sixth form for Hereford city and the surrounding
area. While most of the College's students live in Herefordshire, many travel
from Wales and the adjoining counties. The College offers a broad general
education in a caring and supportive environment that enables students to gain
the qualifications they need to enter higher education or employment and the
opportunity to participate in a wide range of enrichment activities such as
Sport and Drama, Young Enterprise, the Student Representative Council and the
Duke of Edinburgh Award.
The College is housed in
purpose-built accommodation including specialist classrooms and laboratories, a
Performing Arts Centre, a Music Centre (incorporating a recital room, practice
rooms and recording studios), a Sports Hall and Fitness Centre. The Student
Services area includes a Library & Learning Resources Centre, a specialist
Careers Library, a new Well-Being Centre and an IT Centre. There is a student
cafe and a large study and social area (the Pavilion). A new Business Studies
teaching block also houses a large area for study, rehearsals and exhibitions.
After meeting and talking with
students studying sport, I visited The Pavilion where hundreds of students gave
me the opportunity to talk to them about BRIT and where we then shared a
Question and Answer session. It was a pleasure to spent time with so many
students and I was astounded by how many students spoke to me one-to-one about
how they had self-harmed in the past and talked to me about the difficulties
they faced and the emotional journeys they had been on.
Mind
infoline
The
Mind infoline team provides information on a range of topics including:
types of mental health problem
where to get help
drug and alternative treatments
advocacy
They
aim to provide details of help and support for people in their own area.
To
Contact Mind infoline ring 0300 123 3393 or email at info@mind.org.uk
The honesty of the young people I
continue to meet is a very humbling experience and all the discussions and time
I spend with young people not only educates me and gives me a greater
understanding , but gives a rare insight into the very personal challenges that
young people face and the reasons for why they have often felt so low and so
desperate. I feel very privileged that young people trust me with their
innermost feelings and I feel honoured to spend time with so many brave and
sincere young people.
For more information on help with
feelings of self-harm and professional advice, please go to the Mind website; http://www.mind.org.uk/help/diagnoses_and_conditions/self-harm
My thanks to everyone at Hereford
6th Form College for welcoming me and looking after me this
morning.
Earlier in the year I met a super
charity called Papyrus http://www.papyrus-uk.org/
who offer Confidential Young Suicide Prevention Advice. Papyrus do the
following:
·
Reduce Stigma associated with suicide - through 'suicideTALK'
·
Increase Awareness of young suicide and how to help prevent it
online information; professional advice)
·
Campaign as a UK charity to prevent young suicide
·
Listen and Learn - supporting/disseminating research/knowledge
·
Contribute to local, regional and national suicide prevention strategic
action
To
contact Papyrus;
HOPELineUK
0800
068 41 41
email:
pat@papyrus-uk.org
SMS: 07786 209697
SMS: 07786 209697
This afternoon I visited Hereford
College of Technology http://www.hct.ac.uk/
where I met students on public services courses. Once again, it was a pleasure
to meet the students and after speaking to them about BRIT, answer questions on
the charity, the walk and the other physical challenges.
.JPG) |
| With some of the students I met at Hereford College of Technology on Day 297 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk(1) |
Hereford College of Technology’s
Mission Statement is simple, "Success
for our Students",
and to do everything possible to ensure that they receive the very best
education and training.
Their Vision Statement is to give their students the best possible
education, training and personal support so they may:
· Gain employment in their chosen
vocation
· Further develop their
career
· Progress to higher
education
· Realise their full
potential
· Make a positive
contribution to the community
I am grateful to the staff and students for making me feel so welcome today
and for hosting me on Day 297 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk. My very best wishes to
all the students I met today with their studies, aspirations and their futures.
I am ending Day 297 with 166 miles to go.
Kind regards,
Phil