FocusAF

Tracey Noon is the Operations Manager at Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Council for Voluntary Service (BPRCVS). Her job is to help local groups and people make their communities better places to live. In this episode, Tracey talks about her own journey and how her experiences help her support others. We talk about why volunteering is so important, and how using your own story can make a big differ...

What song do you want to be played at your funeral? Where would you want to spend the end of your life? Having honest conversations about death can bring comfort, connection, and control. It’s a part of life, so let’s talk about it. Jenny England is the Compassionate Communities Project Lead at St Catherine’s Hospice in Preston. It’s her mission to help us all feel more comfortable talking about d...

Chloe is one of our Advocacy Managers at Advocacy Focus. She has worked with us for 10 years and now supports children and young people with their mental health under our St Helens contract. In this episode, Chloe talks to us about what children’s mental health advocacy means, how it helps, and why it’s important. We recorded this as part of Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week, to help more pe...

In this episode, we’re joined by Dawn Sheedy, a fully qualified financial advisor and passionate advocate for financial wellness. As the founder of Dawn Sheedy Financial Management , she’s on a mission to change the way people approach money, believing that financial health is essential to overall wellbeing.  Dawn shares her insights on breaking the stigma of debt and empowering people to take con...

We talk with Amanda Robinson, an award winning health and well-being coach and founder of Health Steps. Amanda shares what it’s like to work with a health coach and how they can help people feel better at work and in life. We also chat about how your gut and brain are connected, give easy tips to make your gut healthier, and share small steps you can take to start 2025 feeling great. Resources:  V...

Our Spot Purchase Advocates are skilled and help people through their health and social care journey. They work in different areas of advocacy to provide the right support when it's needed.  In our latest episode of FocusAF, we talk to Advocacy Focus Manager, Leanne Barber, to learn about the important role of a spot purchase advocate. Towards the end of this episode, Leanne mentions previous...

Meet Jody, the new host of FocusAF! Jody is part of our Community Focus team and served 16 years in the Royal Navy, 18 years in dentistry, and is passionate about helping others and advocating for her two sons.  Have a listen to our latest episode to learn a bit more about Jody and what you can expect in this new season of Focus AF. Visit our website: www.advocacyfocus.org.uk Connect with us: Face...

It's Free Wills Month and we're joined by Kirsten Marshall from Wills on Wheels to discuss all things Wills and Lasting Powders of Attorney (LPAs)! Kirsten talks us through what Wills and LPAs are, who needs to consider creating these documents and what they mean in real terms. As well as this, we go into how much these documents cost and how you can go about creating them. Need help wit...

In this episode we interview Darren Hayward, experienced self-advocate, and discuss all things self-advocacy including his extensive voluntary work supporting Trafford Council to improve services for autistic people and those with learning disabilities. We also chatted to our very own Independent Advocate, Ashley Mee, who shared his top tips in creating and supporting a self-advocacy group as well...

Trigger warning: This episode discusses death, car collisions, and serious injury. In this episode we welcome Karen Blair, Chief Executive Officer of Aftermath Support a Northwest charity supporting victims of car collisions. We discuss the complexities of witnessing, being a victim of, or being a loved one of someone who's been killed or seriously injured in a car collision. Our host Carolin...

In this episode we are joined by Daniel Murphy, from TVS Supply Chain Solutions a multi-national logistics company, to discuss workplace wellbeing. We talk about TVS' journey in this space and share ideas of what you may want to try in your own business. Dan also shares what's coming up for TVS in the future, we discuss how Advocacy Focus has helped them in this journey, and share tips f...

FocusAF series 2 is here! Listen to the first episode of the new series, ‘Court of Protection’ with host Carolina de Almeida, joined by Megan Taylor from Stephensons Solicitors and Leanne Barber from Advocacy Focus, to discuss two Court of Protection cases. In this episode, you will hear about two real people whose lives were changed by the advocacy and legal support they received to access the Co...

Get ready to learn about the biggest challenges of leading a charity. Find out what it is really like to be a charity CEO and find out how you can make a difference in YOUR community. You can connect with Justine on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justine-forster-273115ab/ Visit our website: www.advocacyfocus.org.uk Connect with us: Facebook: AdvocacyFocus LinkedIn: advocacy-focus Insta...

In this episode, we take you along to Racheal's visits and give you an insight into what a day in the life of an advocate can look like. We go from our office to a mental health ward, care homes, and supported living homes. Listen to find out more about how we support people live the life they want to live. Visit our website: www.advocacyfocus.org.uk Connect with us: Facebook: AdvocacyFocus L...

Mark was unhappy, living in a care home far from his family and subject to a high level of restrictions to his day-to-day life. Leanne, one of our Advocacy Managers, talks us through how she supported Mark to move closer to family and regain control of his life. If you'd like to find out more about our advocacy services, please check our website:  Visit our website: www.advocacyfocus.org.uk C...

In this episode, we are joined by our very own Charlotte Murphy, an Independent Advocate at Advocacy Focus. We talk about James' story and his experience through the Child Protection processes, and how we supported him through multiple changes of Social Workers, complex decisions about where he would live, and who he could keep in contact with. James' story is an example of the importanc...

Diane and I got together to chat about money! Taboo-no-more, we talk about debt, savings, and financial goals with some top tips on how you can begin your journey to financial wellbeing. You can find Diane on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diane-broadhead-3bb25333/ And to find out more about Haworths, check out their website: https://haworthsfs.co.uk/  Visit our website: www.advocacyfo...

In this episode, Shelley and I discuss the different therapy services available at Flourish, the benefits of therapy, and the work we still need to do to challenge mental health stigma. We have a candid conversation about our own experiences of poor mental health and what helped us find balance. You can connect with Shelley on Linkedin here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelley-perry-211b7844/ Find...

In this episode, mental health advocate Dorcas Onabanjo joins us to discuss how marginalised communities are impacted by poor mental health, the difficulties some may face when accessing support, and what we can do to create more supportive communities  Visit our website: www.advocacyfocus.org.uk Connect with us: Facebook: AdvocacyFocus LinkedIn: advocacy-focus Instagram: @advocacyfocus

Dr Lewis Turner,  CEO of Lancashire LGBT, joined us for a conversation about all things inclusivity at work. We talk about the support Lancashire LGBT offers to the people of Lancashire, and how employers can make their organisations more attractive to LGBTQ+ talent and more supportive of their LGBTQ+ employees. To find out more about Lancashire LGBT, check their website here: https://lancslgbt.or...

In this episode we are joined by Kate Mercer, owner of Blackbelt Advocacy to talk about the six types of Independent Advocates. You will meet ‘The Silent Resistor’, ‘The Radical Aggressor’, ‘The Rescuer’, ‘The Helper’, ‘The Make Your Own Rule Breaker’ and ‘The Playful Truthseeker’. Which advocate type are you? To connect with Kate, follow this link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-mercer-18716412...

In this episode, we are joined by Megan Taylor from Stephensons Solicitors and Leanne Barber from Advocacy Focus to talk about what the Court of Protection (CoP) is, what cases it hears, and the Advocate's role in such cases. To find out more about Stephensons Solicitors, check out their website: https://www.stephensons.co.uk/ Connect with Megan here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-taylor-...

Jennifer Chesworth from Be Happy Resources joins us to discuss children's mental health. We talk about how early poor mental health can develop in children, some common misconceptions, and what preventative actions we can take. Post-recording note: The statistic we recorded about children who lost their parent or caregiver due to the pandemic is incorrect. The latest statistic available is 1...

Mark Edwards from Seriun joins us to discuss mental health and technology. The positives, negatives and tips on how you can use technology to better improve your mental health at work. You can find out more about Seriun here: IT Support & Telecoms Support | Tailored Solutions from Seriun Visit our website: www.advocacyfocus.org.uk Connect with us: Facebook: AdvocacyFocus LinkedIn: advocacy-foc...

Content warning: this episode discusses trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder This episode focuses on trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and our guest speaker is Gemma Margerison, Chief Executive Officer of Connected. You can find out more about Gemma's work on her website https://iamconnected.co.uk/. You can buy her book, The 12 Ways of Wellbeing for a Holistically Healthy Life, h...