June 2025 - Future Pathways

Donald loves to be creative. Here, he shares examples of jewellery that he has made.

Beatrice writes about lots of different topics. She writes poems about different emotions, stress and also the memories of people who have passed away. She has written two books. One is called ‘Tales of Ether: Stories of Wonder’. And the other is called ‘Tales of Terra: Poems of Life’. These books are full of different stories and poetry. Beatrice has dedicated her books to her teacher and to her niece.

My Epilepsy

On the day I found that I had epilepsy,
it was hard for me to understand and take in
my lifestyle had to change a lot
which was not easy for me to do
I had to be bit more careful when out and about.

My epilepsy makes me very speedy and chatty
and sometimes unaware of my surrounding
I feel a little spaced out
When I am spaced out, I think I can’t do much on those days.
I feel I’m in a different dimension.
It’s like being in Alice in Wonderland or down
the rabbit hole.

Having epilepsy doesn’t make me any different person
but it makes me a special person to be around
Epilepsy is not something to be afraid of or run away from either

LET EMBRACE IT
LET BE STRONG WITH IT
LET SHARE OUR STORY WITH THE WORLD

My Dyslexia

I wish I was different and not broken
I wish I could hear and understand
I wish I didn’t have dyslexia.
And it is not my fault
I was born with it

But I’m broken
I’m hard of hearing and don’t always understand things
I do have dyslexia and I don’t care
Where I’m broken or not broken
I’m proud of who I am and what I have became in life

In March 2025, we sent out a survey to everyone who gets our newsletter. Thank you to everyone who gave us feedback.

Here are some of the things we learned from your feedback:

Most people told us they find the newsletter easy to read.
Most people told us that it is easy to understand the articles in the newsletter. For example, people told us that we use clear language.
Most people told us that the length of the newsletter is about right. But some people told us that sometimes articles can be too long or have too much information.
People told us that they like reading about different topics in the newsletter. They also said that the tone of the articles feels positive and hopeful. The most popular articles are ones about types of support, creative projects and looking after your health and wellbeing.
Most people told us they like how the newsletter looks. For example, we heard that using headings and bold, bright colours makes it easy to follow and enjoyable to read.

Some of the feedback was about things that we should keep doing. For example, we should have a range of topics in the newsletter and write about them in a clear way. Other feedback was about things we could change. Here are some of the changes we will make to the newsletter based on your feedback. We will:

Print some copies of the newsletter in a bigger size, so that people can ask for a large print version if they need one.
Include key information about Future Pathways in our newsletters, such as our waitlist and the number of people who started working with a Support Coordinator.
Aim to make sure that our newsletters always include articles about the topics people like the most.
Look at ways to improve the design of the newsletter so that people continue to enjoy it.

We do 4 newsletters each year. They come out in March, June, September and December. If you would like to give feedback about any of our newsletters, you can:

Email us at engagement@future-pathways.co.uk
Fill in our online feedback form at www.future-pathways.co.uk/feedback
Phone us for free on 0808 164 2005 (lines open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm)

Donald shares his recipe for cookies. And you can also download a booklet of his other recipes (including coups and pasta) at the bottom of the page.

Donald’s recipe for egg-free cookies

Ingredients:

Butter – 250 grams
Caster sugar – 250 grams
Vanilla essence – 2 teaspoons
Self-raising flour – 400 grams (plus a little bit extra for dusting)
Baking powder – 2 teaspoons
Optional: you can also add in milk chocolate chips (50 grams) or cocoa powder (2 tablespoons)

This recipe makes around 18-24 medium cookies or 30 small cookies.

Method:

Heat the oven to 180C / 160C fan / gas mark 4.

1. In a large bowl, mix together the butter and sugar using a wooden spoon or an electric whisk. Do this until the mixture is light and fluffy.

2. Stir in the vanilla essence, flour and baking powder. If you need to, add 1 tablespoon of water to bring the mixture together. If you are adding chocolate chips or cocoa powder, put them in now. Then bring the dough together into a ball with your hands.

3. Sprinkle some flour over your work surface and on the dough too. Roll out the dough until it is 3mm thick. Cut out the cookies using cookie cutters. Then lay them out on baking trays lined with baking paper. Make sure you space the cookies apart.

4. Bake for about 12 minutes or until golden brown. If you are using two baking trays in the oven, swap the trays over halfway through cooking. When the cookies are done, leave them on the baking sheets for 5 minutes then transfer them to a wire rack to cool.

The cookies will keep in an airtight tin for 3 to 4 days. Enjoy!

Do you enjoy cooking and baking?

You can view and download more of Donald’s recipes at the link below.

In Beatrice’s writing about her dreamworld, she takes us on a journey to a mystical castle.

My lucid dream

I became lucid and then I went out of the window, and fall into the boat that was passing by with a person looking at and said ‘come and join me here’. When I looked closer, it was the double of me.

We rowed together across the river to the land for a bit, away from the window. We ended by the land with a castle and knight guarding it. On the facade there was huge banner like golden and a full phoenix-like bird which was protecting the castle and land around it, and all the castle was water and figures made out of stone. They looked like people.

As we both got out the boat, my twin started walk toward it. But I stayed still and unaware and frightened to follow her. She turned around and said to me ‘Come with me and meet the rest of dreamers here at the castle.’

I was unsure about this but followed her anyway as I was fascinated about it all. The few figures around the mound of the castle were scary to me. My twin say, ‘There are people that didn’t follow the guide line here’.

One statue stood out from the rest of them, it was a bird with big wide wings. I said to my twin about it and she said that it is the phoenix that guards the castle when we are here and not here.

But to right of the phoenix statue there was a warrior girl. She was slightly bigger than the bird statue and she was looking up at the bird like she was ready to get on it to ride it. I asked again who the girl warrior girl was. My twin said, ‘She is our lady of the castle here’. I than I said, ‘She has a name that she goes by?’ and my twin said ‘She is queen Iona and her phoenix has a name too which is Susan. They protect the castle and surrounding ground here for us all.’

I looked and I looked at the statue of warrior girl Iona for some time. During this I swear I saw her blink at me just as the phoenix blinked too at the same time to go and meet the others inside the castle here now.

So I went with her slowly and carefully into the castle. And on occasion I looked back at the two statues there. Just before we entered the castle and the door closes, I looked again and the statue began to sparkle and came to life. Then the castle door closed behind us.

Inside the castle hall there was others like us with their twin sitting and waiting on someone to arrive. We were all waiting for a bit then I asked who are we waiting on to come here. My twin said, ‘The lady of the castle, she be here soon’. But I didn’t understand. Then my twin said ‘No one question’ and ‘Be silent here, she coming’. After a little silence, the castle door opened again and the lady Iona and her phoenix come down the aisle to front of the hall and looked at us all sitting there silently.

The phoenix roared a fireball out and she said, ‘Those who are new here come forward to the lady Iona’. So everyone got up except me as I was scared. Then they walked up to lady Iona and the phoenix. Then lady Iona said, ‘There is one person missing from the group’ and that was me.

My twin said, ‘There lady, don’t be frightened, I’ll come with you, ok.’

So we walked up together to them both and then lady said, ‘There you, my child, come here at last. As we been waiting on you to arrive here. Now, since you are all here, let’s begin the welcoming of a new dreamer to the castle and land of untold dreams.’

Then the lady Iona and phoenix started to shine and give out energy and the phoenix also energetic movements to us all. It filled the whole hall, all the dreamers too there. It lasted for a while. Then all of a sudden it went dark and light come back off in the hall again.

Then phoenix is my guardian and the human was my souls in dream world. The lady Iona said, ‘One day you will all be able to do that when the time comes for you to do so.’ I asked a question to the lady Iona: ‘When we will know the time is right for us and will we get us a bird too?’. Lady Iona said, ‘You’ll know as you will shine and sparkle on the inside and outside my child. Each of yous will have a special animal gave to you too. Now let go out and get some food and drinking.’

Once we entered the big dinner hall, there sparkled and shined a circle hanging from the ceiling above the very long table which had every food and drink in the land out. The wall and columns shine brightly. They had paintings on the wall of dreamers that come and gone. They even had everyone who was there at night.

Once the lady Iona and phoenix come in, she said ‘Please all be seated and help yourself to the things on the table.’ So that’s what we all did. Some time went by and it was getting dark in the land of dream. Then Iona said to us all, ‘It is time you leave here and go back the your world. As it will soon be light in your world.’

So, we got up and went toward the castle door, which was already open for us to go through. Susan went, ‘One moment, I have something for you before you go.’ So Susan went to the lady of Iona and said ‘what is my lady?’.

‘Don’t stop dreaming of goals in life. Now hurry, it is almost dark here.’ As I run to where the boat was waiting, I looked back at lady and phoenix and the lady Iona was once more a statue outside the castle.

Discover more

Beatrice has written two books. You can read and download both of them as PDFs at the links below.

Trevor tells us more about why he writes and shares a poem from his latest book.

Trevor covers lots of different topics in his book In My Own Words. He writes about politics, alien life forms, artificial intelligence, world religions and much more. He also includes a selection of
poetry. Trevor always encourages people to think for themselves and have their own ideas. Trevor says:

“As humanity learns more about life, the universe, and the mysteries of existence, I believe we will also learn how to cooperate—to work together for the betterment of all life. History has shown us that enlightened individuals have used their intelligence for the common good. Despite the world’s challenges, there are always good people striving for progress. I trust there always will be.”

The Frustration of the Artist

The yearning to be understood
And not be merely seen as crude
For painting pictures in the nude
Which some folk think is very good

The artist paints, and with each stroke
Of brush, depicts weight of life’s yoke
The pan of ordinary folk
Who live life hard, it is no joke

Some people think his work a waste
And oft condemn it in their haste
But artists, working with life’s “paste”
Have sensed a life that few can taste

The humanness which drives them on
And bides them work from dusk ‘til dawn
Shows mankind’s spirit has not gone
And shows that Joy has not yet flown

We are all artists in our heart
And love is where we make a start.
Some minds would like to break apart
“It’s good,” they say, “but is it Art?”

Order your copy

If you would like a copy of Trevor’s book for free, he is happy to share it over email. You can ask for a copy by emailing Trevor at t.swistchew65@gmail.com or by emailing Future Pathways at
engagement@future-pathways.co.uk.

Please note that the book does mention some instances of abuse.

You can also order a printed copy of the book from Amazon. Search ‘Trevor Swistchew In My Own Words’.

AM was encouraged by her Support Coordinator to explore her interest in photography. Here, she shares her superb photographs of wildlife and the natural landscape.

Birds at sunset

Dandelion

Thornton Beach Walk

Sea birds

Dove

Hartsholme Park

“I am eternally grateful for the support, encouragement and patience that has been given by my Support Coordinator and Future Pathways. Not only has this given me an interest that keeps me occupied for hours at a time, it keeps my mind active and encourages me to visit new areas, see new things and enjoy our beautiful countryside.”

Low Tide at Thornham Old Dock

Beachside Walk, Thornham

Windermere

Cygnets

Swan

Here, we talk about men’s mental health. And we look at some of the reasons why men might find it hard to get help. We also look at things that can help men’s mental health.

In this article, we:

talk about the issues that many men may face
talk about why it is important to look after your mental health
offer ways to feel more relaxed and more confident in asking for support

Men can sometimes be told not to be vulnerable, get support or show emotions. This can make it harder for men to feel comfortable about getting support for themselves.

Why is it sometimes hard for boys and men to talk about mental health?

In society, there are many stereotypes. A stereotype is when there is a simplified idea of how a person should be. For example, men are often told to:

be protectors
rely on themselves (and not rely on anyone else)
be rational and not show certain feelings like sadness

This can make it harder for men to tell people when they are having a hard time, especially with
their mental health. But seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It takes strength to tell
someone that you are struggling.

The importance of looking after your mental health

Mental health is as important as physical health. Mental health affects how we:

make decisions
build and keep relationships
see ourselves in the world

When we do not take care of our mental health, it can affect our work, friendships and how we
feel about ourselves.

Instead of dealing with negative feelings and stress, sometimes we bottle up our emotions. But bottling things up can lead to our emotions building up. And we might try to cope in unhealthy ways. For example, some people might use alcohol or tobacco more. Or they might gamble or spend lots of time online.

Looking after yourself and getting support

Sometimes, opening up can feel like one of the hardest things to do. But seeking support means you are taking charge of your wellbeing. It shows you need things to change and that you want things to change. Here are a few examples of things that can support mental health.

Write down your thoughts

Writing or drawing your thoughts can help us to feel more focused. It can help us to understand more about the way we feel. And it can help us to see patterns or habits that we have. Writing or drawing our thoughts can be helpful, even if it is just for five minutes each day.

Keep doing things you enjoy

It is important to keep doing things we enjoy, like hobbies. This can help us to relax and give us a sense of purpose. We could also join a local group and meet people with shared interests.

Get a good night’s sleep

Adults need about eight hours’ sleep a night. But lots of us do not get enough sleep or good quality sleep. To get a good night’s sleep, remember to get outdoors during daylight and avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening. And try to go to bed and wake up at the same times every day.

Reach out

Many men feel lonely. But, we can check in with other people and ask how they are. Andy’s Man Club offers free peer-to-peer support groups for men across the United Kingdom. Groups are both face-to-face and online. They aim to end stigma about men’s mental health through confidential, judgement-free spaces where men can open up.
Find out more at www.andysmanclub.co.uk

More information

This article was written with First Psychology. They are one of our Delivery Partners. First Psychology have created a booklet about men’s mental health. You can view and download a copy below.

Creating Connections is a new resource for people who are interested in developing a relational approach to partnership working.

At Future Pathways, our relational approach is woven throughout our work. It underpins how we support people and how we commission support from Delivery Partners.

In this booklet, we:

share more about our relational approach to working with other services and what this looks like in practice.
encourage reflection on how this could be adapted in other service contexts.
describe our relational approach to evaluating the impact of our partnerships with other services
explore how taking an outcome mapping approach can enable and support this.
share what we have learned about the impacts of our relational approach for people with lived experience of in-care abuse and neglect and for other services.

This resource is designed for people who are interested in:

Developing a relational approach to partnership working over time
Demonstrating the impact of working relationally with partners
Learning about how partnership working can contribute to personal outcomes

We now have Peer Support at Future Pathways. This is open to anyone who is registered with the service, including people who are on our waitlist.

You can find information about Peer Support and about our events in the booklets below.

Peer Support is a way of connecting with people who have gone through similar things in life. People can come together to socialise, learn and support each other. The special thing about Peer Support is that everyone is equal.

Peer Support can happen in a lot of different ways like social groups and learning sessions. Peer Support is not about fixing problems. It is about being with other people who might understand, and feeling heard and accepted.

Peer Support can help people feel less alone and more hopeful about the future. It can be good to spend time with people who have been through similar experiences. And it can help people feel part of a community.

If you have any questions about Peer Support, or if you would like to come along to any of the events, please contact Mary.

Mary, Peer Support Lead
Email: peer-support@future-pathways.co.uk
Phone or text: 07552 393 019

Peer Support Main booklet

This booklet tells you more about:

what Peer Support is
what Peer Support will be like at Future Pathways
how to take part in Peer Support sessions

You can access the main booklet at the button below:

Peer Support events booklet 2025

In this booklet, you will find the dates of all the Peer Support sessions for 2025. We also have some information about 3 workshops we will be running.