Why not set yourself some goals for 2020 and gain qualification and life skills that could even save lives?
That’s what we are all about here at Ajuda – educating people to save lives.
Here’s what courses are taking place over the next few months.
You can book courses direct on our website or you can give the team a call on 02920 576883 and we’d be happy to help with any enquiries
We celebrated our 10th anniversary, launched brand new courses, won awards, trained hundreds of delegates in a range of courses, launched a new website, and launched 2 new events
CELEBRATING 10 YEARS!
We celebrated 10 years of Ajuda!
A very special milestone was hit in 2019, too, with Ajuda celebrating a whole 10 years in business! In this past decade we have trained over 60,000 people, developed an extensive catalogue of popular courses, and worked with some fantastic people and organisations over the years.
To celebrate, Ajuda had a 10 year party at the Copthorne Hotel in Cardiff which included a fantastic meal, entertainment and a charity auction.
The chosen charity for the event was the ABF Soldiers’ Charity, a charity that our director Dawn supports regularly.
We hope that the next 10 years will bring us just as much fun!
TRAINING NEWS
New Mental Health Courses Launched!
2019 saw the launch of some brand new Mental Health First Aid courses on offer to our customers.
According to Mind Charity, every year 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem.
At Ajuda we want to be at the forefront of the battle to stop the stigma surrounding mental health, and training people to spot and treat the signs of mental illness is key to reducing the number of people suffering in silence.
We offer both adult and youth training for mental health, and can offer the course in-house at our Cardiff Bay training centre or at a venue of your choice. Please check our website for the next upcoming course dates.
Hundreds of delegates trained in First Aid, Food Safety, Fire Safety, Manual Handling and much more!
We’re pleased to see that people are fulfilling their recommended training requirements.
We are incredibly proud of the feedback we have been receiving from delegates across all of our courses in the past few months and would like to thank all of our trainers for their exceptional training delivery.
We run regular training courses at our Training Academy in Cardiff Bay but we can also provide in house training at your workplace, business or school.
We are flexible and accommodate our customers to meet their training needs.
We even use real fire on our Fire Safety training!
You can book courses direct on our website
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OVER £4,000 RAISED FOR CHARITY
The ABF Soldiers’ Charity is one very close to Dawn’s heart, and she regularly fundraises for them in a variety of different ways including her events. In September, Dawn took on another big challenge for ABF Soldiers’ charity – climbing Mount Toubkal in Morocco.
Standing at 4,167m, Mount Toubkal is the highest peak in the Atlas Mountains and the tallest mountain in North Africa.
Dawn took on the challenge accompanied by her husband, Ianto, who both served in the army for a combined total of 45 years.
Together they smashed the challenge, and also raised an amazing £4,132.33 for the charity.
Thanks to all those who donated and supported.
NEW WEBSITE
⭐️EXCITING NEWS!⭐️
We launched a brand new website at the start of the year, which means you can now book places on our open courses online, direct from the website.
You can also view all our courses, read interesting and helpful articles, download our brochures and much more.
We will soon be launching a brand new website shop where you can purchase a range of first aid supplies 💻
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MENTAL HEALTH EVENTS LAUNCHED
To coincide with the launch of our new mental health courses, we have also created two brand new events. We recognised that there was a big demand in Wales for more discussion and awareness around mental health, illness and wellbeing – so we have decided to give our customers what they want and create bigger events for these topics.
Our annual Talking Mental Health Conference was officially launched on 10th October 2019, and welcomed over 120 delegates, 25 exhibitors and 7 speakers to Cardiff City Stadium for a day of inspirational talks and real-life experiences of dealing with mental illness. We are also preparing for our bigger Mental Health & Wellbeing Show which will also be held in Cardiff City Stadium, which will include over 50 exhibitors, 30 speakers and we already have over 400 people booked to attend!
If you would like any more information on how to get involved with these, please contact us today!
WINTER TIPS AND NEWS
Take Care of Your Mental Health
this Christmas
Keep Warm this Winter
with these tips
Christmas fire safety tips for your home
Stay safe his winter with our health & safety tips
UPCOMING COURSES
Emergency First Aid
(1 day course)
£90+ Vat
27th January
24th February
First Aid at Work
(3 day course)
£210+ Vat
27th – 29th January
24th – 26th February
Adult Mental Health First Aid
(2 day course)
21st & 22nd January
11th & 12th February
Youth Mental Health First Aid
(2 day course)
4th & 5th February
16th & 17th April
Take a look at the full 2020 open course calendar
We can also deliver in house training at your venue!
Get in touch to find out more
MULTI-AWARD WINNING
Zokit Business of the Year Award Winner
It’s always an amazing feeling in the office when the Ajuda team are recognised for our efforts and achievements in educating people to save lives. So, the team are absolutely over the moon to be named as “Business of the Year 2019” at this year’s Zokit Sprinconf!
Winner of the Welsh Vetrans Award
A word from Dawn:
“Super proud this evening, I was honoured to be a finalist, but for Ajuda to be announced as the overall winner for Business was just awesome. For those who don’t know I served in the military for 12 years, not only did it make the strong women that I am today but it’s where I met my husband Ianto who was also serving solider. A massive thank you to Sean Molino and the team at the Welsh Veterans Awards for putting together a great evening.”
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ONLINE TRAINING
Why use our online training platform?
Online training is;
We have over 80 training courses to chose from!
SAVE 15% ON COURSES BOOKED IN JANUARY!
Good morning!Can you believe we’re now in 2020? We hope you had a lovely Christmas and Happy New Year! Our office is now back open and so we are offering a 15% discount on all training courses booked this month!And there’s plenty to chose from, just take a look below
Download our 2020 calendar
Why chose us for your training needs?
Call the office on 02920 576883 or email admin@ajuda.org.uk to enquire about any of our training courses
Take a look at our range of online qualifications that we provide on our website here
We are in this time of year when everyone starts running out of time to find the perfect presents for their relatives and friends. Although it is one of the most festive and positive months, many of us may not see it that way. Christmas might be an extremely rough time for people suffering from mental health conditions. We gathered some useful tips to help you manage with all sorts of Christmas problems and hopefully lower the pressure you put on yourselves.
Have you ever run out of tasks and end up sitting purposelessly at work? Yes? That’s great news! You can use this time to think about your Christmas presents! But don’t make them a priority and postpone your tasks to do it. You need to prioritise all your commitments and after fulfilling them (or during the lunch break) you can plan your presents.
During one of the busiest times of the year everyone is overloaded with work either in their workplace, at home and often both! It is important for you to know your limits. You don’t need additional tasks before Christmas if the deadline is long after the festive period. Make a list of all your work commitments and put them in the order according to their deadlines. This will help you focus on the most important tasks instead of starting for the ones that you won’t be able to finish. If you have too many tasks assigned before Christmas, try to speak with your manager to come up with some solutions.
We all need time out regardless of what’s going on in around us. It’s completely fine! You don’t need to worry about everything this Christmas. Ask your family and friends for help or, if you don’t want to ask them directly, try to convince them using some Christmas movies. Prepare a simple movie night (no special dishes – just popcorn and hot chocolate) and relax with your loved ones. After such a night you might suggest that would be fun to try out some of the movie ideas and voilà! You’ve got some voluntary help from your loved ones and priceless time you spent together.
Don’t fall into the illusion that alcohol makes you happy and that all the problems seem to fade away after a glass of wine. The fact is that alcohol can make you feel relaxed but it’s just temporary. Your problems won’t disappear and postponing them won’t help you deal with stress. In fact, it’ll leave everything on the last minute and your stress scale might just blow up. Don’t fall into this trap. Stay with the recommended limits or just go out with your friends to reduce the stress instead of sitting at home with a bottle of wine.
Christmas time is a perfect excuse for all-day meals. We don’t do breaks. The temptation to overindulge with food is enormous and that is the reason to stop and think. Our diet has a huge impact on our mood, and this may cause some mood swings during Christmas as we all want to put the diet aside. But we need to remember that maintaining a balanced diet is extremely important to prevent irritability and to maintain stable mood.
With all the responsibilities and Christmas rush, people tend to disrupt their sleeping patterns to make sure that everything is perfect. But sacrificing the sleeping time just to achieve a perfectly decorated house might not be the best idea. You should have enough sleep because if you don’t, you put your mental health at risk. Divide the Christmas task between members of your family this year and make sure that all of you, including yourself, are having enough sleep during this festive time of the year.
Feeling lonely can also have an impact on your mental health. For some people Christmas might feel like an emotional tornado while for others this might be the loneliest time of the year. All of us should keep in touch with our loved ones but also find it as a chance to meet new people to socialise with. Go out for the Christmas Market or Christmas Wonderland and have fun! That’s your chance to join the random choir singing Christmas songs or bump on some stranger with whom you can later go for a hot chocolate. Don’t miss out!
Winter cold and exercises? It doesn’t sound like a good motivation. But that should become your routine especially during this festive time. Sport makes a huge difference for our mental health. That doesn’t mean you have to get up at 4 and go for a run so you can still stick to the schedule. Dancing around and singing also qualifies as exercises! Choose something you enjoy, and start to feel the difference in your life as this becomes routine.
Apart from physical exercises, you should keep your mind on track, as well. Ajuda offers a vast variety of courses including Mental Health training courses. You can increase your awareness to help yourself and others. Don’t miss out on the Mental Health & Wellbeing Show which takes place in May 2020. Christmas time is the best opportunity to offer mental help and this show might be your perfect gift for your loved ones.
Christmas time might be the most dangerous time of year for people struggling with mental health issues. Don’t underestimate it. Make sure that you, your family and friends are aware of this problem. Spread the word to make Christmas special for all people in your surroundings. Be the one that makes a change! And most importantly, be the one who cares for himself before you decide to take someone else’s problems on your shoulders.
Find time for yourself – take a long bath or go on an errand. Even five minutes for yourself might be helpful to keep your life balance.
The first Talking Mental Health Conference in Wales was so successful that will be staged for a second year, organiser Dawn Evans has revealed.
The event held at Cardiff City Stadium to coincide with World Mental Health Day on October 10 was sponsored by Remploy and opened by the Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Councillor Daniel De’Ath.
Among the 120 attendees were Jack Sergeant Alyn & Deeside AM and Dr Henk Parmentier, Vice President for Europe at the World Federation for Mental Health.
Following the death of his father Carl, suicide prevention campaigner Mr Sergeant has launched an initiative called The 84, named after the 84 men who take their own lives each week in the UK.
Jack said: “The more we can talk about mental health, the more we can help people get through their days.”
There were 30 exhibitors including Mind Cymru and Action For Children, and the line-up of speakers included former Bristol, Wigan Athletic, and Wales footballer David Cotterill, who talked about the pressures of international football and their effect on mental health, and June Jones, the Campaign and Strategy Lead for Time To Change Wales, which aims to end the stigma associated with having a mental health issue.
Peter Davies, Regional Director, Wales, for ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, also talked about the mental health support it provides to soldiers, veterans, and their families, and Rachel Kingsbury, a mental health first aid trainer with the Ajuda Training Academy, spoke about the impact of anxiety and depression.
Dawn, the CEO of Ajuda, a multi-award-winning specialist mental health and vocational training company based in Cardiff, said: “We offer groundbreaking mental health first aid training to our clients and we see how important talking about this issue is for so many people in workplaces across Wales.
“So, we decided to bring people together to talk about the subject, to share insights, create strong relationships, and share best practice. We hope our conference will help to end the stigma about discussing mental health.
“The event had such a warm reception that we felt we must host the conference again next year in Cardiff on October 8.”
Dawn is also the driving force behind the Mental Health & Wellbeing Show which will be coming to Cardiff on May 21, 2020. You can book tickets here.
There will be 60 exhibitors and 20 seminars all on topics related to mental health and wellbeing.
Attendance is free with seminars starting at £10 and the show sponsorship partner will be Remploy.
One in four adults, along with one in ten children, will have a mental health issue.
These conditions can profoundly affect millions of lives, affecting the capability of people to make it through the day, sustain relationships, and maintain work.
The stigma attached to mental health issues can make it more difficult for those affected to pursue help.
We can make a difference and contribution by raising awareness. Talking Mental Health is a national conference to help people understand and recognise poor mental health and to make a difference.
Keynote speakers talked about their own personal journeys with mental health conditions, sharing their recovery stories. A range of companies and services attended on the day, showing how they support people with a mental health condition.
The event was a day of inspiration, motivation, learning, networking, sharing and positivity around mental health.
WHY MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID?
Mental illnesses often start in adolescence or early adulthood and it is important to detect problems early to ensure the young person is properly treated and supported. The YMHFA (Wales) course teaches adults who have frequent contact with adolescents, such as parents, guardians, school staff, sport coaches and youth workers, how to assist adolescents who are developing a mental health problem, experiencing a worsening of a mental health problem or in a mental health crisis.
The Government Green Paper ‘Transforming children and young people’s mental health provision’ plans for every school and college to have a designated lead in mental health by 2025. The designated Youth Mental Health First Aider will be a trained member of staff who is responsible for the school’s approach to mental health.
This course is designed to meet this requirement by providing you with a clear understanding of the role of the school mental health lead. This step-by-step course will take you through essential skills needed to develop a multidisciplinary, whole systems approach through effective practice procedures to ensure the improvement of mental health and wellbeing in your school.
COURSE CONTENT & AIMS:
The YMHFA course teaches adults how to assist adolescents who are developing any of the following mental health problems, experiencing a worsening of an existing mental health problem or in a mental health crisis.
Developing mental health problems including:
Mental health crises:
It is designed to be interactive and participants are encouraged (if they wish) to share views and experiences. Whist sharing experiences can benefit the training experience participants must be aware that Mental Health First Aid is designed to help participants support others and is not intended as a therapy session for the participant. This is for the comfort for all participants.
Please note that due to the sensitive topics discussed within the training it is recommended that participants have a level of well-being before attending.
COURSE DATES
The next course wil be on the 21st & 22nd November
Dates of upcoming courses can be found on our website here
For in-house bookings we can deliver this anywhere in Wales, for groups between 6-12 participants.
COURSE COST
£140 + vat per person or £1,400 + vat for an in-house course for up to 12 people
COURSE VENUE
We run this course monthly at Ajuda Training Academy in Cardiff Bay.
LENGTH OF COURSE
2 days / 14 hours
It is recommended that these 2 days are run consecutively however they can be spread across a maximum of 2 sessions within 3 weeks.
WHAT IS INCLUDED
We provide a fully qualified, experienced trainer, all the course materials, and certificates for participants on completion of the course.
BOOKINGS
To book a course or find out more information call Rachel on 029 20576883
Email: rachel@ajuda.org.uk
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At Ajuda we have a range of training courses taking place each week at our Training Academy in Cardiff Bay.
Why chose us for your training needs?
OUR COURSES
MHFA (Wales) Adult
2 Day Course
16th & 17th December
£120 + vat per person
First Aid at Work
3 Day course
18th – 20th November
£210 + vat per person
MHFA (Wales) Youth
2 Day Course
21st & 22nd November
£140 + vat per person
Emergency First Aid at Work
1 Day course
18th November
£90 + vat per person
Level 3 Paediatric First Aid
2 Day Course
25th & 26th November
£160 + vat per person
Level 2 Fire Safety & Fire Marshal
1 Day course
5th November
£90 + vat per person
First Aid Trainer
3 Day Course
5th – 7th November
£425 + vat per person
2020 Calendar
Planning ahead?
Download our 2020 calendar
WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY
The #TalkingIsALifeline campaign aims to encourage men to talk about their mental health without the fear of being judged. Talking is a Lifeline emphasises that talking about mental health might be one of the bravest things a man can do.
Research conducted by Time to Change Wales found that self-stigma and a lack of understanding of mental health stops many men from talking to family and friends about their mental health problems because of fear and anxiety about negative consequences.
Many men have told Time to Change Wales that the pressure to ‘man up’ and ‘be strong’ has led to them suffering in silence. The campaign uses everyday settings and accessible language to normalise conversation around mental health.
The three male heroes are relatable individuals for other men to aspire to and feel comfortable discussing mental health. They show how they have experienced positive change through talking openly about their mental health.
Time to Change Wales Campaign and Strategy Lead, June Jones will be speaking at Talking Mental Health National Conference on Thursday 10th October at Cardiff City Stadium
Tickets and more info is available here
1. Every year one in four adults, along with one in ten children, will have a mental health issue.
2. These conditions can profoundly affect literally millions of lives, affecting the capability of these individuals to make it through the day, to sustain relationships, and to maintain work.
3. The stigma attached to mental health causes a damaging, albeit ill-informed, attitude, making it more difficult for those affected to pursue help.
4. We can make a difference and contribution by raising awareness
5. The best way to deal with this stigma is through facts and a better understanding of mental health problems. From identifying the causes, pinpointing solutions, and ultimately recognising that we are really dealing with medical issues.
6. Talking Mental Health is a National Conference that will be taking place to help people understand and recognise poor Mental Health and to make a difference.
7. We will have a range of key note speakers, talking about their own personal journeys with Mental Health Conditions, and sharing their recovery stories.
8. There will be a range of companies and services attending on the day, exhibiting how they can support people with a mental health condition.
9. There are plenty of opportunites to network with others and start aconversation about mental health
10. The event will be a day of inspiration, motivation, learning, networking, sharing and positivity around Mental Health
Mair is a young patient activist, speaking openly about life with mental illness and autism.
We are delighted to be including her in the programme of amazing keynote speakers at the Talking Mental Health Conference at Cardiff City Stadium on World Mental Health Day (Thursday 10th October)
Mair’s activism includes public speaking, trying to affect change in mental health and/or autism services by contributing to relevant organisations, panels, committees and executive boards.
“I hope to break down misconceptions, stereotypes and stigma relating to mental illness and autism, and to create a future where mental health services are fit for purpose.”
We’re so excited to hear what she has to say at the event.
Tickets are available to book, with early bird prices available until the end of August
Talking Mental Health National Conference will be taking place at Cardiff City Stadium on World Mental Health Day. (Thursday 10th October 2019)
The conference is full of knowledge, inspiration, success stories, all related to mental health conditions.
There will be fantastic key note speakers talking through out the day, one of which is Thomas Duncan Bell, otherwise known as The Bipolar Businessman.
Thomas is mental health speaker, working with everyone from the Institute of Directors, to Red Letter Days and even Prince William & Harry’s Heads Together Charity.
He also writes a blog called The Bipolar Businessman where he enlightens to others to the fact, that they’re not alone.
“My mission is to change peoples perception of mental health in business… to prove that it’s because of our diversity that we are more valuable assets as human beings… And if in reading my stories, or watching my videos, you find something, of that missing part of yourself, then I’m glad I was there as a catalyst for change…”
His talk is titled “Motivations & Discovery – The Path to Becoming More Human” and we cannot wait to hear his story.
For more information about the event or to book tickets please click here
On Thursday 10th October, we will be hosting Talking Mental Health National Conference, at Cardiff City Stadium.
Mark Williams is one of our fantastic keynote speakers and his seminar is titled “The Importance of Fathers Mental Health”
Mark is a keynote speaker, author and International campaigner. Mark has had a journey that will inspire you and that when you are rock bottom there is only one way to go and that is up. While having speech therapy and scared to speak on his school stage, now have spoken around the World at many conferences.
Both Mark and his wife Michelle suffered crippling anxiety after the birth and Mark hit rock bottom when he began to experience suicidal thoughts. And yet the reason for the torrent of negative emotions and spiralling depression had less to do with their son than the mental health issues that were confronting them. In hindsight Mark recognises that he had experienced a condition long recognised in mothers, that of post-natal depression.
The problem at the time was that Mark felt he could not speak to anyone about his stressful condition and ultimately it led to a breakdown. There is still a stigma attaching to men admitting that they have post-natal depression and this makes them reluctant to seek help or even talk to their friends and loved ones about it.
Eventually Mark was put on medication and took a course of cognitive behavioural therapy and mindfulness which turned things around. Now Mark and Michelle are closer than ever as a couple and have a fantastic bond with their son. Mark wants to get the message out about the condition and the help available.
Perinatal mental health issues may arise in the final months of pregnancy and for up to six months after the birth. Today it is estimated that one father in three experiences post-natal depression. In Britain the estimate by the National Childbirth Trust is that 73% of new fathers worry about their partner’s mental health while 38% worry about their own mental health. Mark is committed to raising awareness of mental health issues for fathers and has already spoken at over 100 conferences and events. Mark has delivered workshops and training around the UK and has recently visited Australia before taking his message to New Zealand, the USA and Canada.
He founded International Fathers Mental Health Day and #Howareyoudad campaign to make sure all parents are having support for the whole family.
Mark has spoken on television and radio stations around the world and works with Dr Jane Hanley who have both published articles on Fathers Mental Health together. Mark was awarded Inspirational father of the year and local hero at the Pride of Britain Awards in 2012 and was invited to meet The Royal Family on World Mental Health Day in 2016.
You can find out more on his website www.reachingoutpmh.co.uk
To book tickets to Talking Mental Health National Conference please visit Eventbrite here
