2021 – June – New Wellness Respite (Planned) – Penruddock House in Westmorland Christchurch.
SST’s newest planned respite, Penruddock House in Westmorland, is now open and accepting referrals and bookings for wellness respite guests. A warm and welcoming environment with six bedrooms above Christchurch with stunning views of the city and mountains and sky.
Come and focus on wellbeing and recovery in a welcoming and supportive atmosphere. Wellness respite provides a retreat-like environment away from everyday life. It is available for people experiencing emotional and mental distress to use as part of their wellbeing and recovery plan. Click here for the pamphlet.
GPs, (Health Coaches and H.I.Ps), and CDHB Case Managers can now refer people for respite (for a maximum of 28 days a year per person) to:
- Support mental wellbeing
- Take time out of the city away from busy lives
- Enjoy relaxing views
- Get hands on in the garden
- Start a craft project or do some art
- Enjoy walks on the hills
- Enjoy kitchen time and the congenial company of others
- Learn wellbeing and recovery skills including through our online Recovery College
- Gain insight and wisdom from other guests on their wellbeing journey and from our staff trained in Intentional Peer Support.
People usually come in and leave on a Monday or a Friday so they can experience a stay with the same group of people. However, we can accommodate people coming in or leaving on different days as the need arises.
2021 – May – Mental Health First Aid Course held in Christchurch
On Friday 28th May and Saturday 29th May, Stepping Stone Trust Facilitated another 2-day Mental Health First Aid course. Jess and the team of Facilitators have been running these courses for a number of years and were once again super encouraged by the feedback received from the participants, following the course.
Attendees said the content was relevant and helpful, the material provided a useful resource to refer to, and the Facilitators engaging and responsive.
The new location at the Archer Leisure Centre Auditorium (in the Archer Lifestyle Village), 166 Colombo St, Beckenham, Christchurch, was easy to find, warm and comfortable while still providing a professional space and atmosphere, enabling attendees to learn with confidence how to provide Mental Health First Aid in any situation to those around them. The morning and afternoon teas and lunches provided meant attendees had more time to chat / network / discuss the course content and generally relax in between sessions.
Attendees included team members from different organisations, office First Aiders, peer support workers, volunteers, and managers.
For more information please visit the Mental Health First Aid course page.
2021 – April – Gardening
This photo is of a garden project that one of our clients in the Mobile Residential Service is currently working on. He has grown all the vegetables from seed himself and he also made the raised garden bed himself.
This client has been at SST for a couple of years now and we have struggled to find an activity that he gains enjoyment from that will get him out of the house, however, one day I thought I would bring in some seeds, seed raising mix and a mini greenhouse from home and gave it to him and offered him a little advice on what to do.
I wasn’t sure what would happen. Within a week he had seeds germinating which excited him and you can see from the pic what happened from there. I managed to get him to come along to a gardening group at Barnett House on Tuesday and am hopeful that he will continue to attend.
2021 – Easter – BBQ at Merrin St
Over Easter, a fun afternoon was had at Merrin St, where Teneka and the MRS staff and residents put on a lovely afternoon for friends and whanau. Some of the residents’ children attended and were treated to an Easter egg hunt and a ‘count the jellybeans’ competition.
It was great to have support from other staff members too who helped out with the BBQ, served food and drinks, and spent time with those who attended, including Russell from the Maintenance team, Fiona from the Management team, and Annie – our Peer Practice Manager. MRS staff assisted the CEP and southside residential housing to attend too, meaning it was a great turnout.
2021 – March – Art in recovery
“I’m giving this to my Mum at the Easter BBQ today. I’ve never given her anything before.” Daniel (Merrin Street resident). Daniel and Peter took 3 buses each way (6 in total) for 3 hours (1.5hrs there and 1.5hrs back) to get to mosaics on 2 successive Saturdays.
That’s dedication and that’s recovery as citizenship in action and moving towards what you want in life. They have asked for mosaics to be put on again and Frances Caldwell the Barnett House Recovery College’s art facilitator has agreed to do it again in June. It was so great to get Merrin Street people involved in Barnett House. Rose from Sawyers attended too! Our first Sawyers person to come to Recovery College.
More information about the Barnett House Recovery College.
2019 – Coast2Coast Rickshaw Charity Ride Supports Stepping Stone Trust
The Team completed this ride safely and successfully, raising more than they hoped for the service! Read below for more information on the purpose of the ride which happened across the weekend of the 24th and 25th of March.
Stepping Stone Trust are grateful for the support of the Coast2Coast Rickshaw Charity Ride team. They have chosen to use their epic challenge, riding a rickshaw 250kms across the South Island, to raise funds for our Caroline Reid Family Support Service. This is helping to draw positive attention to our work in the mental health sector and raising awareness of the effects of parental mental illness on children and families. The project leader, Sean Pawson, serves part-time here with us as a Stepping Stone chaplain. He says, “My own experience wrestling with depression during my parenting years, and supporting clients at Stepping Stone, leaves me thoroughly convinced of the critical need many children and families have, and the real value of Stepping Stone’s work in this field.” A brochure containing more information is available here
