Jersey Recovery College has appointed HR specialist Teresa Lamy as its new chair.
The independent community-based charity, which focuses on using education to help people move beyond mental health difficulties and to manage wellbeing, has also recently appointed four new Directors who join its existing five-strong Board in a voluntary capacity.
Teresa, a retired HR professional with more than 20 years of experience in senior people leadership roles, has worked with diverse groups of people facing a range of challenging situations.
She said: “Having led the people strategy of large organisations for many years I have had a professional connection with mental health issues for a long time. From struggling in everyday life to managing a serious mental illness, I know that the impact of life events can often be devastating and I’m excited to be able to give my time to a charity in an area that I am passionate about.”
Teresa said: “Recovery colleges provide enormous value to the communities they serve. Education is a powerful tool in mental health recovery. Jersey Recovery College is one of a number of sources of support that people on the Island can draw on as they go through their recovery journey. It supports people by providing free classroom-based and online facilitated group sessions, all co-produced and delivered by people with lived experience of mental health difficulties and a professional or subject matter expert.”
Teresa was one of 130 Islanders involved in the design of Jersey Recovery College as it was being set up in 2016 and has remained connected to the charity ever since.
Jersey Recovery College is based on an established model of Recovery Colleges throughout the UK and Teresa says she has been impressed by the range of courses available locally. This term’s free courses at Jersey Recovery College includes sessions on co-production, yoga, eating disorders, balanced living (emotional coping skills), trauma, suicide awareness and recovery. Courses are free to attend and self-referral.
Teresa added: “The college is founded on the principles of hope, opportunity and empowerment. Whether attending a course, working with peer facilitators or experiencing clinicians sharing their knowledge, being with the Jersey Recovery College can be uplifting. It can be very powerful to know that there are others out there with similar struggles.”
The other new Directors who have also been appointed to the Jersey Recovery College’s Board are Jonathan Wilkinson, Jacqui Richards, Niall Doran and Anny Bodenstein. They join vice-chair Jake Bowley, Simon Milner, Georgina Cook, Phil Brown and Kate Kirk on a voluntary basis working alongside the JRC core team headed by Executive Officer, Beth Moore.
