British Summer Time

 “Spring forward, Fall back.”

British Summer Time (BST) starts each year on the last Sunday in March & ends on the last Sunday in October. In 2012, on Sunday 25th March the clocks will go forward at 1.00am, meaning we lose an hour; BST ends on Sunday 28th October. 

Summer time changes on standard dates throughout the EU, so Britain & Ireland constantly remain an hour behind most of Central Europe.

In 1907, Englishman William Willett, campaigned to advance clocks by 80 minutes. He wanted to see four moves of 20 minutes at the beginning of the spring & summer months, with a return to Greenwich Mean Time in a similar manner each autumn. The following year, the House of Commons rejected a Bill to advance the clocks by one hour during the spring & summer months.
 
Summer time was first defined by Act of Parliament in 1916: clocks were moved one hour ahead of GMT from the spring to the autumn.  During the Second World War, double summer time - two hours in advance of GMT - was introduced & lasted until July 1945.  Since the 1980s all of western & central Europe co-ordinate the date & time of their clock changes; accounting for Britain & Ireland maintaining their hour behind.

2012: 25th March & 28th October. 
2013: 31st March & 27th Oct. 
2014: 30th March & 26th Oct

MSM April ECM & BIG Walk change

The building work, school holidays, & Easter Monday Bank Holiday impact directly a number of Mid Staffs Mind activities & have led to the following date changes:

Executive Committee meeting will take place Monday 16th April, instead of Monday 9th.

MSM BIG Walk will take place Friday 27th April, instead of Monday 2nd.

Cannock building disruption

Due to building work to upgrade disabled facilities at Mid Staffs Mind's Cannock base, from Monday 27th Feb to Monday 12th March our services in Cannock will be relocated as follows:

@ Cannock Community Fire Station...

Monday 27th Feb 5.00 - 8.00pm Out of Hours+Plus Service
Referral only: please see your GP or CMHT for details

Thursday 1st March 10.00am - 1.00pm Oasis

Saturday 3rd 10.00am - 1.00pm Out of Hours+PLUS Service
Referral only: please see your GP or CMHT for details

Monday 5th 5.00 - 8.00pm Out of Hours+PLUS Service
Referral only: please see your GP or CMHT for details

Thursday 8th 10.00am - 1.00pm Oasis

Saturday 10th 10.00am - 1.00pm Out of Hours+PLUS Service
Referral only: please see your GP or CMHT for details

@ Cannock Library...

Wednesday 28th 10.00am - 1.00pm Work Club

Wednesday 7th March 10.00am - 1.00pm Work Club

… as of Monday 12th March we anticipate returning to our previous service pattern.

NB: the Badminton Club will continue getting together for a weekly social contact, prior to badminton commencing again at Cannock Leisure Centre on Tuesday 20th March.

Phil G's tune - at long last!

Sometimes you need to acknowledge an unsung hero - so here's to a great bloke, who had good taste in music, great respect for people, & was sharp as a snake... if you knew him, you'll know why, if you didn't - just enjoy... click

Schizophrenia & Allied Disorders

Oi, enduring or severely mentally ill people, their friends &/or carers, have a look at this!

Don't shout at me - this is a great website has useful information, advice, & explanation to offer - as to their 'psycho-political' position? That's nowt to do with us... click here

Hearing Voices

Pretty cool & informative animation about hearing voices: I hear I hear what you don't hear

... check out Hearing Voices Network & InterVoice websites (as in our Link list). The site of Marius Romme & Sandra Escher about accepting & making sense of voices is also well worth a look @ Hearing Voices.com

Is everything an illness?

Fears are being expressed that a new American manual for diagnosing mental illness & mental health problems will enable just about every behaviour to be deemed a potential 'disorder' & amenable to psychiatric diagnosis... Guardian article