Charities

I'll be riding for two charities, Lothlorien and Napac. Here's some information on both of them.

Lothlorien is a therapeutic community for people with mental health problems. Its situated in a quiet rural setting in South

West Scotland and was originally started in 1974 by the Haughton family. They built the 13 bedroomed log house, one of the largest in its kind in Britain, from locally hewn larch and pine trees. It has been run since 1989 by the Rokpa Trust, an international charity founded by Dr. Akong Tulku Rinpoche of Samye Ling Tibetan Centre in Dumfriesshire. The community consists of 8 residents, with mental health problems and 5 voluntary co-workers, living in the main house and a further 5 people living in a move-on house, Roan Lodge, which opened in April 2003. The 4 staff, who have backgrounds in either social work, psychotherapy or counselling, come in on weekdays.The community has 17 acres of land, including vegetable gardens, woodland and pasture land.

The ordinary practical tasks of community life, such as gardening, cooking and cleaning, have a grounding effect and the rhythm of daily life provides a structure which helps restore a sense of balance to people’s lives. Relaxation, artwork, massage and

QiGong are also part of the programme. Over the winter months, there's a weekly basketry class, using willow grown at Lothlorien. Lothlorien Community is based on the therapeutic community model, which includes principles of collective responsibility and empowerment. Central to the life of the community is the daily meeting, where work and other activities are planned, and issues ae discussed with regard to living together as a group in an open way. Each community member is encouraged to share equally in decision making about community affairs. At Lothlorien, there's a strong belief in everyone’s potential for well being, even in the midst of pain and distress. Theres an avoidance of diagnosing or labelling, in an attempt to break down the distinction which frequently exists between those seen

as ‘well’ and those seen as ‘unwell.’ As a therapeutic community, Lothlorien aims to help people develop their strengths and work towards recovery through the shared experience of community life. All the members of the community play their part in creating a mutually supportive atmosphere and the experience of being part of a therapeutic community allows everyone involved to learn about themselves and how they relate to others.
I'd like to try to raise money towards a couple of projects that are currently under development at Lothlorien. Firstly the rebuilding of the old woodshed that has seen better days and secondly installations aimed at reducing Lothloriens carbon footprint. Things like the installation of solar panels, passive solar heating, better insulation, efficient heating etc.

If you would like to donate to Lothlorien please send payments to paypal at Lothlorien1@btopenworld.com or alternatively forward cheques and postal orders to:

Brendan Hickey(Manager), Lothlorien TC, Corsock, Castle Douglas, Dumfries and Galloway, DG73DR.

Many thanks, Jonny.

Contacting Lothlorien

Mail: Brendan Hickey (Manager), Lothlorien Community (Rokpa Trust), Corsock, Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbrightshire, DG7 3DR.
Telephone: 01644 440602. (Mon-Fri 9am - 5pm.)
Email: lothlorien1@btopenworld.com
Rokpa Trust is a registered charity (no. 1059293 ) and a company limited by guarantee.

How NAPAC began

NAPAC grew out of a lack of an integrated national body providing help and support to adults who have experienced childhood abuse.In early January 1997 a group of approximately 100 people met in London to discuss the idea of a new national organisation for people abused in childhood. Represented at the meeting were organisations supporting people who have been abused, academics and professionals working in the area of child abuse and people with personal experiences of childhood abuse.The meeting was set up by Peter Saunders; who had been actively promoting this idea since 1995. Many people heard about the meeting after getting in touch with Peter as the result of an article in The Times, which featured his story of childhood abuse and the difficult task he faced in finding help for himself as an adult. The result of the meeting was that a Steering Committee was elected, made up of individuals committed to seeing the idea of a National Organisation succeed. Trustees and volunteers for NAPAC currently include people who have direct experiences of childhood abuse and professionals working in the area of child abuse.
Respond to the distress caused in adulthood by ill treatment and/or neglect in childhood.
Establish a national information line and postal service for people requiring advice and information about help available to overcome the continuing impact of childhood abuse in adulthood.
Provide support, training, information and resources to persons and organisations supporting people who have experienced ill treatment and/or neglect in childhood.
Raise public awareness of the continuing impact of childhood abuse in adulthood.
Effectively campaign to alleviate the impact of child abuse in adulthood.

NAPAC plans to achieve these aims by:

The publication of helpful materials and information
The provision of training to persons and organisations that are supporting adults who experienced ill treatment or neglect in childhood
The establishment, maintenance and monitoring of a national register of counsellors and therapists who are committed to assisting adults who have experienced child abuse
Organising seminars and conferences on relevant topics
Promoting and liaising with relevant bodies on issues pertaining to childhood abuse and its continuing impact in adulthood.

If you would like to donate to Napac please click on the box below which will take you straight to Napacs donation pages.

Many thanks. Jonny

Contact NAPAC

Write to
NAPAC
42 Curtain Road
London
EC2A 3NH
Or send an email