Happy 6th Birthday LifeSIGNS!

As you know, this month LifeSIGNS celebrates its 6^th Birthday; how much do you know about our little organisation?

I remember LifeSIGNS back in the early days when I was a member of the first Message Board. I can't remember my username back then, but I do remember the name Wedge! Of course I never knew at the time that one day I would be working alongside the man himself, but even from the beginning I knew that LifeSIGNS was something special, and it's certainly had a huge impact on my life.

I'd spent so many years struggling with my own self-injury, but I was in a silent and lonely world where I didn't even know the words self-injury existed. It wasn't until I discovered LifeSIGNS that I realised I wasn't alone, I wasn't the only person hurting themselves, and there was help and support out there. Because of LifeSIGNS I felt empowered to face up to my own self-injury, 'come out' to my loved ones and seek support. So you see, I am living proof that not only has LifeSIGNS been in existence for 6 years now, but it has been helping people all that time too. Literally tens of thousands of people.

I've not been a constant at LifeSIGNS for all these six years. I've left and re-joined three or four times over the years. But I always felt myself drawn back, whether it was for some extra support, some ideas for distraction techniques or simply because it was somewhere I always felt I belonged and would be welcomed. The one reassuring factor each time I returned was the presence of Wedge. LifeSIGNS has changed so much over the years, but Wedge has always been here, and that in itself makes it all the more special.

The last time I rejoined two years ago, it was for a specific purpose, and that was to finally give something back to Wedge and his organisation that had done so much for me. It took me a while to persuade him that I wanted to help, but I was so proud when I first accompanied Wedge to a conference last year as a Director of LifeSIGNS and heard him speak, and I'm both proud and honoured to be here now working alongside him for LifeSIGNS as we celebrate our Sixth Birthday.

Thank you LifeSIGNS and, more importantly, thank you Wedge – for without you the LifeSIGNS we all know and love today would not exist.

Please do join us for our 6^th Birthday Facebook Event – you don't have to go anywhere or do anything – it's just a show of support.

Happy 6^th Birthday and I hope I'm here to celebrate the next six too!

SANEline change their phone times

SANE is a national mental health charity which aims to raise awareness of mental illness and campaign to improve services and initiate and fund research into the causes of serious mental illness through its research centre. Information and emotional support is also provided to anyone affected by mental illness via the helpline, SANEline and by email, via SANEmail.

How to Access:

Call: 0845 767 8000 – open 6pm – 11pm everyday

Email: sanemail@sane.org.uk

Medical Students Training

Jules and I were in the Midlands today, as I was invited yet again to return to a teaching hospital and talk to medical students about self-injury.

I was a feeling a little off-colour today so I may not have performed at my best, but there were loads of questions after my little seminar, so that was good.

I've promised to expand our hand-outs as well, so that attendees can take more of our ideas and information away with them.

One trainee doctor spoke to us afterwards to say that he already knew our website and it has been a great help to a close friend of his - which was wonderful to hear.

We'll be back again soon.

Don't forget that the LifeSIGNS Voluntary Organisation turns six years old in May – please join our 'birthday event' on Facebook :)

Training in Liverpool

I'm supposed to be blogging to tell you that I've just been to Liverpool to train some counsellors and nurses, but having seen a little more of Liverpool I have to exclaim about the city and the people!

I saw so many grand stone buildings, and so many new buildings being built – the streets are paved with diamonds and there's just so much to see, well, the streets are very wide and the stonework is superb. Annoying as it may be to say, but no wonder Liverpudlians are so proud of their City of Culture.

I've only been to Liverpool a couple of times, this time to deliver training for the LifeSIGNS Vol Org, while last time I was working in some of the less well-off areas of Liverpool, where investment and regeneration hadn't touched. I know all cities have problems, so I'm not glossing over the social difficulties, but I have to say I was bowled over by the scale of the city.

More than the city itself, people were nice to me. If you know me at all, you'll know I don't play well with strangers – I'm fearful and wary of people in the street (yes, I've been mugged before, and suffered bullying and abuse) but people in Liverpool are not shy and have treated me warmly, and I've only been here for a few minutes!

The taxi driver asked what I was doing here; I'm always careful how I talk about Self-Injury Awareness Training, I don't have the energy for any kind of debate or debacle after I've spent hours talking to professionals, so I said “I was training the counsellors in how to approach young people in distress” - not an entirely evasive answer, just a careful one. He was very impressed and told me about the voluntary football club he runs. He takes his team to Norway each year, which is often the only opportunity for travel they'll get, as parts of the community are not so well-off. Rob, as he became known to me, is a paragon of positivity, and proudly told me of his own children's ambitions (dentist and sports photographer!) and of his own world travels, as he and his wife have lived in Hong Kong, Monaco and Australia. Basically, Rob has made his own luck in life, while some of his other school friends have languished, staying in the same pubs and spending their money down the betting shop. Rob doesn't believe in waiting for others to provide you with opportunities, he believes in seeking them out yourself. Of course he's returned to Liverpool after some years away to have his family, and his wife runs her own business and Rob loves driving his spacious cab and working with children and young people in his spare time.

I told him he needs to get Channel 4 involved as he's got quite a story to tell, but he shrugged and said:

“Aye, but it's like I tell my footie kids, as long as you're enjoying what you're doing, nothing else matters.”

It must be working, because Rob's family are doing well and working on all their ambitions, while his football team of 12 year olds have just won the league!

Rob, you should be a life coach as well as a football coach, the world needs more positive, active people like you.


Don't forget that the LifeSIGNS Voluntary Organisation turns six years old in May – please join our 'birthday event' on Facebook :)

LifeSIGNS will be six years old in May!

Wedge founded our voluntary organisation in 2002, and although he has worked with several different members of our Management Committee over the years, Wedge has been the one continuum throughout. I’m thrilled to be here for our latest and greatest birthday!

So many people have great ideas and early enthusiasm, but it takes something special to maintain the work and dedication needed to grow and develop an organisation over such a long time. Many organisations fail within the first year, and many more web based organisations never update their pages or create anything new because they lack the creative skills and drives necessary to say anything of importance.

Wedge has those skills in abundance, and together with some fantastic people, has created the LifeSIGNS we all know and love today.

You can read more about the history of LifeSIGNS online.

Currently, Wedge and I run LifeSIGNS, with guidance and help from our dear Mods and supporters. We also look forward to increasing our Management Committee members later in the year in order that LifeSIGNS can continue to grow and provide new and fresh ideas and services.

LifeSIGNS is more vibrant and busier than ever, just look at the news on our home page! Our website it getting so many hits that Wedge has had to increase the size of his server in order to cope with all the traffic!

We are on Facebook, MySpace and Bebo, with new members joining us every single day. We are proud to be a part of Bebo’s BeWell campaign, where we feature alongside such organisations as the Samaritans and Childline.

We would like to thank everyone who supports us or who is a part of our thriving community. Many thanks to all our Newsletter Members, Message Board members and social networking members for your support, both now and over the last six years.

It’s not easy managing a whole organisation, and it’s not even always pleasant, but it’s certainly worthwhile. We are passionate about raising awareness about self-injury, and with your help, we do, we really do. Making a difference in the world is such a reward – thank you all.

If you want to celebrate our May Birthday with us, please ‘attend’ our online Birthday Event on Facebook – you don’t have to do anything or go anywhere, it’s just a show of support.