Christmas cheer

For many years I have visited, just before Christmas, Hawthorne Ward and Maple Ward at The Orchards which is a unit at St James Psychiatric Hospital, Portsmouth.

Maple is a locked Intensive Care ward, for people very mentally unwell and Hawthorne is for those who are getting a little better (all people are aged between 18 and 60).

I make up a Christmas table for both units, with choccies, flowers and magazines and a card (from ‘People who care’) for all patients.

I also leave on Christmas Eve, colourful bags of gifts for those patients who have no family / carer/ visitor or friend.

I fill the bags with lovely gifts for those who have no-one in the world (the staff tell me beforehand how many patients).

I do not wrap anything, I just loosely put Christmas paper in the bags, as the staff should check that nothing could be a danger to someone with a mental health problem, something they could harm themselves with.

Also, I now phone the Adult Mental Health Team in Portsmouth and find out how many of their clients in the community also have no-one to care for them, and are alone at Christmas – I then fill many bags again (male and female, no names needed) and deliver them to Adult Mental Health Office, for the staff to take to those who would benefit from bags of Christmas cheer.

On Christmas Eve for the past few years I had some gifts left, which I took to Hope House (formerly Mill House) which is for the homeless folk, many with mental health problems.

The staff are so pleased to have gifts for their dear clients

Carers, friends (and The Lord Mayor) are so good each year and donate generously.

I need toiletries, choccies, biscuits, gloves, socks etc.

If you have anything to spare, Rachel (a lovely girl) at the Carers Centre at 117 Orchard Road (big cream building opposite Lidl’s car park, Goldsmith Avenue) has kindly put a box for me in their foyer under their Christmas tree – all gifts gratefully received and will go to someone alone and mentally unwell at Christmas time. These persons could be your friend or family member – I am grateful for any gift. Thank you.

Carer and chairperson of Compass Friendly Carers’ Support Group everyone’s help including MPs.

We have experienced a 159 per cent increase in crime across our Portsmouth stores from 2018 to 2019 but what concerns us most is the increasing number of these crimes that include the use of violence and/or weapons. How can our MPs help? We are campaigning for a review of sentencing guidelines for violence against shop workers.

When our colleagues are seriously injured in attacks, we need the sentencing to reflect the dramatic impact this has on their lives and the lives of their loved ones.

We are also working with organisations to provide additional rehabilitation programmes for the most prolific drug and/or alcohol dependant offenders.

With increased government funding, charities and organisations can provide more rehabilitation programmes to tackle the root cause of crime.

The issue is a national one and affects tens of thousands of people who work in the wider retail sector.

Let’s work co-operatively to make a difference.

Chief Executive Southern Co-op, Portsmouth