Duncan Marshall

Personal experience of mental distress inspired me to work in mental health some time ago.
 
Since then I have held different roles ranging from Support Worker to Social Services Manager in Hampshire, to my current post as Engagement Officer for England's historic campaign challenging mental health discrimination - Time to Change.
 
As Involvement Worker for Portsmouth, I was introduced to, and soon began to understand the importance and passion of local service users for, Thinking Ahead. This stretches back to when things were not working that well with a steering group which was struggling with ownership/identity agendas: was the website user/carer or Social Services controlled?
 
Around this time I was part of the developments of the site becoming independently managed. This included the original constitution, the setting up of a new management committee structure and subsequent success in gaining independent funding.
 
I am really pleased with our achievements to date and am ever determined to strengthen the site's position as a mental health resource and information provider for local people.
 
I would like to see the website take on new developments as we fully realise our commitment to inform and update those with an interest in Portsmouth's mental health.
 
We're always very keen to hear your views about all things mental health and local, so please get in touch with me through: duncan.marshall@thinkingahead.org.uk
 

Jane Brickwood

Mental health has interested me for many years and many reasons. I suppose a good enough reason is that depression has bugged me and members of my family at various times. My working life has swung from legal secretary to nursing and then into mental health where I have worked for the last 8 years. I now work part-time with the Richmond Fellowship in North End which supports people with mental illnesses in various types of accommodation in Portsmouth.
 
I`ve always seen the Internet as a great provider of contact with the outside world without one having to face people (and I`m sure we all get those days!), so I was really pleased to watch the development of the Thinking Ahead website and wanted to become involved in some way. I hope that, as more and more people have access to computers, this website will become a place for people to find company and expression.
 

Suki Jones

I became interested in contributing to this website, when I first moved to Southsea around six months ago, and was working as Service User Involvement Worker. After 23 year working in Mental health, many of those as a manager, I felt that it was time for me to change direction. So I am now semi-retired and working once more at my Art. I have not lost my interest in people who experience mental health difficulties and feel I still have something to contribute.
 

Stephen Corrigan

I have been involved in adult mental health services in Portsmouth for just over eight years. My interest in mental health stems from a period of about a year when I supported a close friend through a psychotic episode.
 
I worked as a support worker on the acute and intensive care units at St James (King Villa), in registered care in the community and spent almost four years as General Manager of Portsmouth Mind.
 
I am currently employed by Portsmouth City Council (Health, Housing and Social Care). I have spent 3 years as Joint Contracts & Projects Manager for the integrated Adult Mental Health Service. My job involved monitoring community contracts i.e. contracts awarded to organisations to provide community services such as Advocacy, Drop Ins, Befriending etc., and managing projects such as reviews, performance systems, consultations, National Service Framework assessments etc.
 
I am now Service Development Manager for adult social care and work across all of the care groups. My work focuses on service review, development and commissioning.
 
I have been involved with the website, in one way or another, from its conception and have fond memories of the day we named it. I can remember the discussion around how we wanted it to be based around recovery and hope for the future - hence the name thinkingahead.
 
I hope that the site will help to give people with mental health issues information, and through the forum, support and an opportunity to share experiences and have their say.
 

James Gagliardini

I have just come into post as the new Service User Involvement Worker for Adult Mental Health and thoroughly enjoying it! Previously I was working for Hampshire Primary Care Trust within the Commissioning Team, where I supported the Associate Director of Strategy & Planning.
 
It was through personal experience of supporting someone to access adult mental health services in the city that inspired me to work within mental health. Service User Involvement was an area that greatly interested me as I have always felt it important that service user's voices are heard. Who better to bring about change than those actually using the services?
 
As a new member of the team I can honestly say without bias that the website is fantastic and I have used it myself in the past. The other members have worked extremely hard over the last few years to get it up and running and I hope to contribute to its continual success.
 
If you would like information about how to get involved with service user involvement, please contact me on 07834750981 or email me at involvepompey@googlemail.com. Alternatively, I am based at Fratton Community Centre, so feel free to drop in.
 

Kev Goldring

I have been a user of the mental health system for many years, and continue to be one. Some aspects of treatment have been good, for which I have been truly grateful. Others leave a lot to be desired, which may be changed for the better by service user involvement. and Thinking Ahead. I feel that by my involvement with Thinking Ahead, I am putting something back in, in exchange for what I have taken out.