
Hear Our Voice – Start Dates
Hear Our Voice is about building people’s confidence and skills so that you are able to achieve your personal goals …
Hear Our Voice works with disabled people. They share through film, audio, photography, and animation the issues that affect them. This project is funded by the Big Lottery Fund and supported by Bradford Council.
Hear Our Voice is about building people’s confidence and skills so that you are able to achieve your personal goals …
If you are interested in joining one of our Hear Our Voice groups, get in touch with Anna the HOV …
Raza is the Hear Our Voice Mentor for the Deaf Expressions group. Raza was previously a participant on the Hear …
Come to BTM to find out more about the Hear Our Voice project on Tuesday 7th June 2pm-4pm or Wednesday …
Saul has begun working on the Hear Our Voice project as a part time mentor. This is what he has …
Here’s what the Monday Group thought about the Hear Our Voice project.
The Hear Our Voice Monday group have been working on a project about social prescribing. They were interested in finding …
This is a video I made for World Suicide Prevention Day 2021. In it I talk about my experiences of …
We interviewed lots of people for the Our Lockdown documentary project and will be sharing everyone’s stories on our blog. …
The Hear Our Voice Wednesday group interviewed a lot of people for the Our Lockdown documentary. We will be sharing …
The Hear Our Voice Wednesday group interviewed a lot of people for the Our Lockdown documentary. We will be sharing …
This week it’s Learning Disability Awareness Week and the theme is creativity and art. The Hear Our Voice Monday group …
The Hear Our Voice Wednesday group interviewed a lot of people for the Our Lockdown documentary. We will be sharing …
Volunteers from the Hear Our Voice project have worked on the making of this film about the experiences of people …
Simon is a member of the Monday group and has been working on putting together this video about what he …
The Wednesday group have now finished interviewing people on Zoom for the Our Lockdown documentary. Some of the group have …
Anthony has been working on a video to spread the word about IMAS and the online sport sessions they have …
Jacob is a member of the Hear Our Voice Wednesday group. Here is the story of how the pandemic has …
I was a little nervous about filming that day as we’d not been in the office for over a year, …
Hana from the Hear Our Voice Monday group has been working hard editing her videos at home.
I’m a Bradford Born Chinese, lived in Bradford for most of my life and have a degree.I have OCD and …
We have started our Zoom interview process for the Our Lockdown documentary. So far we have heard some great stories …
I’ve had a varied creative career so far; with a BA in Creative Writing and my first published fiction being …
In the Monday group we have started to think of a highlight from the week before to share in our …
I’ve volunteered at BTM since 2015. I enjoy writing and anything creative, although my particular interests are illustration and animation. …
BTM and its volunteers have secured funding, through a small grants programme being run by CNet. It will be used …
Here is an interview with Anthony from our Monday group talking about his plans and hopes for the new year.
Saul is a member of the Hear Our Voice project and attends the Wednesday group. This is a book I …
Simon is a member of our Hear Our Voice Monday Group. He has made this video about what he wants …
We’ve been a little quiet on the Hear Our Voice project recently. The groups have been working hard on their …
Anthony from our Monday Group talks about Zoom and it’s pros and cons!
OCD Awareness Week My name is Simon. I wanted to write an article about my experience because this week is …
Damian’s View on the Lockdown and Mental Health I’ve been thinking about another national lockdown and how it’s going to …
Hana from our Monday Group has made a video at home about her experience of lock down. Hana joins the …
Chris is part of the Wednesday group and is a brilliant writer. He has written short stories and poems as …
Anthony received a tablet from BTM through the Keeping Connected project. This means he has been able to stay in …
Saul made this video diary a while back and we’re only just sharing it now! ‘Here’s my latest video diary …
I have a condition called Complex PTSD which is a form of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Follow this link to understand more about this condition as it will help you understand why I feel the way I do.
The main issue with my condition is that I’m constantly looking out for anything that might be a threat. This means that I’m always anxious and watchful for danger. Hearing the neighbours or people talking outside puts me on edge and I go into fight, flight, or freeze mode.
When I am outside, I become overly watchful and this affects my spatial awareness. I feel quickly overwhelmed by busy places with lots of people and will feel frustrated because I want to get out but feel trapped.
For this reason, I don’t mind social distancing or staying at home but I feel isolated when I’ve had flashbacks or nightmares. I experience emotional flashbacks which means I am more likely to panic than relive traumatic events. This is because I can’t remember a lot of the traumas, I simply remember how they felt.
The virus itself feels threatening and when I go out it adds to my anxiety. Signs in shops, masks, and restrictions are a reminder of this threat. I try to challenge these fears by going out and accepting that much of my anxiety is based on past events. I’m still aware of the need to slow the progress of the virus so I follow government guidelines as much as possible.
Part of having CPTSD means I am prone to overthinking and catastrophizing. I often worry that things will never change and that the restrictions are now permanent. Again, I try to challenge this by questioning the likelihood of this happening. It doesn’t help that the restrictions seem too complicated and inconsistent in how they’re enforced. I often feel like things aren’t changing or that they’re getting worse.
This undermines my confidence in how the authorities are dealing with the virus.
Most of the time I’m able to deal with the difficult situation by accepting that there isn’t much I can do to change government policies except try to follow the restrictions. I try to distract myself by keeping busy and doing things that will make my life better when things get back to normal. This includes learning new skills, doing online courses, looking for work, and planning for the future.
I always try to stay aware of how I feel and remind myself that my condition will make things seem much worse than they are. Practicing self-care is important. I try to eat well, go out for walks and keep in touch with friends.
One of the most positive things about social distancing is that it’s given me space to focus on myself. I’ve used the tools I learnt in therapy to deal with and resolve a lot of my issues.
I feel that when the restrictions are lifted and life returns to normal, I’ll have a different perspective on life. This is exciting but also a bit scary because it’s new, and my natural response is to feel anxious. I’m optimistic though and I know that I’ve got through tough times and changes in life before.
The main thing is to stay aware, keep busy and remind myself that this is a temporary situation and whatever happens I’ll get through.
Over the last few weeks, Saul from our Wednesday group has been putting together some illustrations to go with poetry …
Munim has made a video about his return to Safety First in Bradford. He talks about what has changed.
My Opinion on the Government Restrictions How do you find out information about government restrictions? My carers have shown me …
The Wednesday group have been having weekly Zoom calls since April. They are working on individual projects at home and …
Hana is part of the Hear Our Voice Monday group and has recorded this video at home for her BTM …
The Monday Group have been meeting on Zoom for some weeks now. The group are working on their own projects …
This is a video I created while at home during the Coronavirus pandemic. The original object was to pass the …
Simon is a member of the Monday group. Before lock down, he had started a video project about comics because …
Damian from the Monday group has written this blog about his experience and thoughts of the coronavirus lock down. What …
Hello my name is Damian. I am a member of the Hear Our Voice project. Over the coronavirus crisis, I …
Some of the Hear Our Voice Monday group met up on Zoom yesterday. We had a great catch up and …
Below is an account written by one of our volunteers on the The National Lottery Community Fund Hear Our Voice Project about their experience during the coronavirus lockdown.
Hi
This is about my visit to Thornton medical centre under coronavirus conditions for David
My visit to Thornton Medical Centre for blood test :I had to go to Thornton because my surgery was closed due to coronavirus.
Thornton is far away so I had to take a taxi.
You couldn’t enter the surgery as you normally would.
I had to stop at the front door.
The door was locked.
I had to press the intercom button to speak to the receptionist.
She asked me if I had any symptoms and if I had been in contact with anyone who had had covid 19.
She then asked me if I was wearing a mask. I had to have my facemask on before i went in.
Then I went to the waiting area.
The chairs were arranged 2 metres apart.
When I had my blood test I was still wearing my mask.
The nurse taking my blood was wearing PPE, a visor, mask and gloves.
S
Here’s a video I made about scintillating scotoma which is a type of migraine with an aura. Not all migraines …
The Hear Our Voice groups are meeting weekly via video call. We’re interested in documenting what people have been doing …
Simon is part of the Hear Our Voice Monday group. During lock down he has been taking note about what …
Some of the restrictions due to coronavirus have recently been lifted in the UK. In his most recent video diary, …
Yesterday, the Deaf Expressions group, who are part of the Hear Our Voice project, had their weekly video call. We …
Munim has been thinking about the services that he would usually use if the UK wasn’t in lock down at …
Video calling has become an important part of everyone’s lives during lock down. Every week the Wednesday group have a …
When we’re at BTM, the Hear Our Voice groups learn a range of computer and digital media skills. A few …