The Drop In at Brighton and Hove Speak Out continues to be busy with members new and old popping in. Whilst at the Drop In members are offered the opportunity to have one to one advocacy support with issues they are struggling to cope with in their everyday lives. They also come to meet up and socialise with old friends and also to make new friends. The kettle is always on for a hot drink and of course a biscuit or two.
The Speak Out Drop In members always look forward to the Arts and Crafts on offer and are very enthusiastic when planning new projects. Being around the table engrossed in the activity is a great way of opening up conversations about what is going on in their lives and if they need any support. Sometimes a chat and peer support from the other members is all that is needed and other times a little bit more.
So we saw the return of Loom Bands to the craft table which caused a great lot of excitement and a lot of mess, how do they manage to get so mixed up and everywhere.
We also had a visit from the local Police they spent a couple of hours with the group giving everyone the opportunity to ask question about keeping safe in the community. They also spent time with individuals giving them time and space to talk privately about their concerns. The conversation about safety often comes up at the Drop In so it was really helpful to have their input and also for our members to meet them in a safe space so maybe in the future they would feel more able to approach a policeman if they needed too.
