Kris was stateside for 10 years and is now back home and bursting for people to hear his new music that was spawned from trauma and dealing with grief, but now he wants to share his journey and it all kicks off with his new single “Out of My Head” released January 2021.

After a spiral few years, constant gigging, writing with many artists and winning awards for his music he decided it was time to come home.

His new single “Out of My Head” is a culmination of things during lockdown where he uses a dream as a metaphor for his journey, with the release in the chorus representing what became of the all the pain.
Searle’s new sound finds his vocals delivering his best performance yet, where you can really hear the intent in his delivery.

He is currently working on his new music from his album Echo River, charting the journey he’s taken battling with his mental health which he feels very strongly drives his inspiration by way of healing his past traumas and releasing them in song.

Kris has now launched his wellbeing company Happy Here, an online and in-person creative wellbeing support community helping people to take an empowered approach to their mental wellbeing, breaking down barriers between people of all genders, sexual orientation and backgrounds and to connect with inclusive like minded people, where you can be heard with compassion, non-judgement and care.

The Happy Here team is providing wellbeing services within Kent with the help of their Happy Bus, a new and exciting creative outreach service. They offer this through social prescribing, a non-medical approach to providing mental wellbeing support. It utilises and encourages people to improve their wellbeing through identifying and recommending activities and resources based on an individual’s needs, interests, and capability; helping them find the opportunity then motivating them.

“We are proud allies and PRIDE ourselves on being a safe space for ALL regardless of your sexuality, faith, age, gender, disability or race focussing on social interaction and support to help cope with mental health issues and normalising the stigma attached to it.” Kris Searle – Founder and Creative Director.

John Butterworth is a local artist living and working in Whitstable. John learnt very early on that the life of a penniless artist was not sustainable, and he has worked hard to balance the demands of providing a roof over his head and living expenses whilst still managing to prioritise his art. He has been painting for more than 40 years whilst also teaching in further education and secondary schools. He also works at the University of Kent as an Art Technician, and has also spent 10 years as a carer. As John says: “Knowing that painting is my passion really helps with focusing on how best to find room and space for it.”

Art is more than a process or final product for John, in his own words “my sanity resides in my art” and whilst at one time, due to deep sadness and family grief, he was unable to pick up a brush, it eventually became the one thing that helped him to reconnect with himself. John explores many feelings through his art and when there are conflicts in life that challenge his equilibrium, he finds solace and peace in his studio where he can be himself. In finding the balance in life and cherishing his passion John says he is now trying to treat everything else with clear mindedness rather than wishing time away.

You can find John’s Art at www.jbutterworth.co.uk

Registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) AS14137
Member of the British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT)

I have been practicing Art Therapy for many of years working with children, adolescents, adults and elderly adults in various settings.

My specialist area is with children and adolescents working in are primary and secondary schools, pupil referral units as well as in private practice. I work with behavioural issues, profoundly deaf students, children with autism, bereavement and young people in Foster Care individually or in group settings.

Why Art Therapy?
Art Therapy is a gentle approach to expressing emotions using creativity. This can enable individuals to explore issues of concern in order to cultivate emotional resilience. Sometimes it can be hard to relate difficult feelings verbally, art therapy allows people a way of expressing themselves in a different way.

Having had cancer 24 years ago and going through a very messy divorce, I decided to revaluate my life and begin a new career in my late 40’s. I graduated BA honours Applied Art and MA Art Therapy. I was also raising three boys as a single mum.

I have since started up Art Therapy4all CIC which provides Art Therapy to the local community and addresses issues around mental health and wellbeing.

If you would like any information, please contact me at: arttherapy4all@mail.com

Caroline knows only too well how stress and anxiety can affect the body and mind. Her first experience being the age of 5 suffering with paralysis of both her arms for 6 months.

For far too long people have concentrated mainly on Physical Health and whilst this is hugely important it is only HALF the picture. Mental Health is as important and in fact integral to people achieving their full potential.

As a Holistic Therapist Caroline looks at the WHOLE picture of our health, bringing to her treatments her years of both personal and professional insights. She will share her own journey with depression in her early 20’s, her experience with post natal depression after the birth of her first child and now supporting family members with their struggles coming out of the Pandemic.

With a passion for cold water swimming Caroline helped set up the Bubbletit Bluetits Coldwater swimming group here in Whitstable mid pandemic and has enjoyed hearing all the positive affects this form of therapy has had on peoples mental health.

Caroline runs Lotus Therapies Whitstable from a cabin in her garden where she offers a range of therapies to support your physical and mental wellbeing from Massage, Reflexology, Thai Massage to Yoga and Pilates. She also has her own Award Winning range of Natural Skincare aimed at menopausal women.

To book a therapy please contact via her website www.lotustherapieswhitstable.co.uk or to check out her skincare range www.ollogii.com

JANET GROOM is an Author, Book Coach and Lover of Words. She knows first-hand how your stories and words can either crush you or be a powerful healing tool.

Growing up in the midst of ‘The Troubles’ in Northern Ireland, she found books were her constant companion, helping her escape reality to new worlds filled with marvellous mystery and magic. Her love of reading has now grown into a passion for writing.

Janet has to date published four books: her first fiction novel ‘The Naked Knitting Club: Book 1 – Casting On’, and two non-fiction: ‘Write to Heal’ and ‘Live the Rainbow’. At the beginning of the global pandemic, Janet brought together a group of 31 people from the UK and across the world, to compile ‘UPLIFT’ – a book filled with stories, poems and art to inspire hope.

As a book coach, she supports writers to plan, shape and hone their own stories ready for publication. She uses her writing skills along with her life coaching knowledge (Janet is also a qualified Life Coach and NLP & Hypnosis Practitioner) to ensure her clients reach their potential and overcome limiting beliefs to succeed in their personal writing goals.

Having recently returned to the UK, after living 15 years overseas (USA and Switzerland), she enjoys living by the sea on the Kent coast with her husband. She enjoys reading, baking and walking. Janet is currently studying for her Masters in Creative Writing at the University of Kent.

To find out more about working with Janet to write your own book, or join one of her writing workshops – please email her at

janet@janetgroom.com
www.janetgroom.com

Kerry is a feisty, fearless coach with over 20 years of experience in transforming lives. Her clients know her for her bravery in asking the uncomfortable question, her sense of humour, and quick witted way she releases a deeper understanding of who they truly are.
It can be the hardest thing to say life isn’t working when you are seen to be powerful and successful to the outside world but inside you feel lonely, and disconnected. Kerry’s clients are successful, smart, strong minded women, who come to her to be held in a space where they get to speak their truth, and be held accountable.
Kerry’s curiosity about the why people do what they do, started with a Psych degree and what followed was a ten year education in human potential and peak performance. Known for DeKluttered® and her best-selling book ‘Life lessons from your knicker drawer’.

She moved to the beach nearly 20 years ago to follow her dream and lives there with her two gorgeous boys, two crazy dogs and two cats who rule them all. A deep and simple life.

Kerry Hales
kerry@kerryhales.com

www.kerryhales.com

I am in the perfect position to help provide support, knowledge and skills in a small group workshop, a one-to-one or corporate setting, helping you to understand yourself, your personality type, your habits, identify your personal health goals and how you can achieve them through small changes in life style.

My career in the NHS began in the 1980s and I have worked in accident and emergency departments around the UK. After settling in Whitstable 21 years ago, I worked in local hospital outpatient clinics and more recently as a school nurse in a boarding school.

Because of my keen interest in the relationship between health and lifestyle I have continued to develop my wellbeing skills throughout my career and completed my health coaching course. Alongside this I attended a Prescribing Lifestyle Medicine course in London and I am a member of the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine.

I also have a degree in health studies and continue to keep my practice up to date through reading, attending courses and conferences.

Imogen is an inspirational speaker who mixes the hard loss of grief with warmth and humour while being vulnerable. She takes her experiences of losing her daughter Beatrix at 8 weeks old, to being a young carer for her mother and how the great outdoors, wild swimming and foraging has helped her and so many others she has worked with. Giving real life examples with actionable strategies that everyone can connect with and use.

Having a work environment where people are comfortable talking about grief is very important. Only 30% of those in employment say that they have had the company’s bereavement policy given to them in the past year. 46% of grieving adults felt actively avoided by others with 4 in 10 feeling isolated in the workplace. Imogen’s story really helps with ways to overcome this.

She worked as a strategic leader in the third sector for charities including NSPCC, RNIB and Family and Childcare Trust, and for startups in the Google Top 100 before launching her own brand, Bangers & Balls. She understands communication and feeling valued in the workplace is what drives results. She gives actionable content through the stories she tells to engage workforces and increase productivity while remembering at the heart of it, we are all human.

Imogen has co-authored four bestselling books, including her chapter in Unlocked – From Surviving To Thriving, about growing happiness, how going outside and connecting to nature without the noise of demands around us and technology can help you get unstuck and improve your mental health. “The chapter on Growing Happiness has particularly resonated with me, beautifully written, poignant, personal but full of practical actions I can take.”

She has been featured in international and national press, including The Guardian, The Independent, The Sun, The Metro, The Daily Mail, Newsweek in America, in house publications for corporates including Aviva, Natwest, O2 and Royal Bank of Scotland. She has also been heard on BBC Radio, 5 Live and ITV News and is recording for BBC 4 in May.

www.bangersandballs.co

Brent is the founder and CEO of the FAR Skate Foundation. He set this up in 2009 to help young people with social, emotional and mental health issues feel safe and supported whilst using innovative education to help them prepare for their future.

“I’ve worked with so many people who struggle with mental health issues and certainly since lockdown the demand our service at the foundation has tripled, it’s had such a negative impact on the minds of young people. Personally I have suffered throughout my life with mental health issues and now I try to use those experiences to guide and help others through their tough times.”

www.farskate.co.uk

Forth and Forage – Roman Veggies Taster Tour on Sunday 20th March 10am.

Meeting at The King’s Hall Roof, Beacon Hill, Herne Bay this walk will be approximately 1 hour with coffee and a talk afterwards at the King’s Hall.

Join Amy at Forth and Forage for a free taster into the world of wild food. No foraging experience is necessary to enjoy this gentle journey along the Herne Bay downs in search of Roman vegetables!

Expect to get up close and personal identifying edible plants and practicing safe and sustainable foraging. Our star species is also an invasive one which dominates the landscape in areas, so enjoying this edible plant can help provide more space for native species.

This is suitable for everyone. Footpaths are available for the entire route and facilities are available at the King’s Hall. Dogs welcome!

This is a free event for the Walking for Wellbeing community. If you’d like to enquire about a private tour, family events and more, visit www.forthandforage.co.uk and sign up to the free forager’s newsletter for the latest!

Jamie is a full-time window cleaner and a part-time ultra runner. In March of this year he will be taking on the ‘496 Challenge’ to raise money for Revival Kent.

The challenge will see him run the number of miles that corresponds to each day of the month (1 mile on 1st, 2 miles on 2nd, 3 miles on 3rd and so on), totalling 496 miles in 31 days. This will involve six back-to-back marathons and ultra-marathons, finishing with a 31 mile run on 31st March.

After a 15-year corporate career in London, Jamie started to suffer with his mental health. When he left his job in the city, he found himself spiralling into depression with no clear idea of who he was or what he should be doing with his life.

Angry, frustrated and increasingly unhealthy and unhappy, he started to seek help. But it was after receiving a punchbag and boxing gloves as a birthday present from his partner, he started to notice how exercise was improving his physical and mental health.

So Jamie decided to pick up an old love; he put on some trainers and started to jog around his home town of Faversham. After a slow start, not being able to run further than a mile or two, he quickly realised that running gave him the focus that he had been struggling to find.

Understanding that the corporate environment was toxic to his own mental well-being, he started a local window cleaning business and dedicated his spare time to running.

This led to the discovery of the little known world of ultra-running (any race further than a 26.2 mile marathon), and he was hooked. In the last couple of years has competed, and achieved top 10 finishes, in trail races ranging from 50km to 108km, as well as various challenges to raise money for charity including running 14 half marathons in 14 days.

Running is now embedded as a part of his life, and he and his partner – a yoga teacher - both strive to teach their children the value – and joy – of movement. With the recent addition of a rescue dog, Jamie has a running partner in training, and his mental health is thriving.

My name is Kelly lee and I am the founder Creator of Rosey Lees Remedies & Teas. I started this new endeavour in first wave of the pandemic as I was hugely aware of the impact it was having and would continue to have on mental health and wellbeing and I wanted to create products and services that that supported people during these difficult times and beyond.

As a master herbalist with over 20 years’ experience, I work with people on a holistic basis which means looking at the overall health and mental health of an individual and creating a prescription to help support them with their ailments.

In 2006 I qualified as an EFT therapist and recently retook exams and courses to continue my work, I also undertook a counselling skills Diploma course which allows me to also help support people on an emotional level to help them to better understand their emotions and how they may find ways to support their own wellbeing needs.

Rosey Lees is in some part a continuation of my previous work supporting the community. In 2006 I undertook and co-founded a company called Tao East Midlands the remit was to take on old derelict spaces and transforming them with the local community to make them reusable for individuals, groups, organisations and the public. This new community network worked together to support and grow the local community and space with a particular focus on tackling the social issues that affected vulnerable groups and individuals such as homelessness, mental health and children leaving the care system.

The volunteer programme we established allowed individuals to gain skills, confidence, receive community support and training and also helped vulnerable participants to rebuild their lives. Tao was successful in fundraising for a large variety of community activities and initiatives such as a textile products course to support young single parents, allowing them to upskill to create products for re-sell. This project ran for 3 years and provided opportunities for further study and placements at local colleges. The Ethos of Tao was always about supporting the well-being of the community and working WITH the community to create to provide the tools for their own self-created projects and changes.

My work is informed by my own lived experience both in terms of my mental health, and as a survivor of domestic violence. My experience and self-help strategies have been the motivation behind my work, these first -hand experiences mean I have a greater understanding and empathy and desire to support others in a positive way, sharing my knowledge, skills and self-help techniques.

I am particularly proud of my Wellbeing Journal initiative, writing, recording and taking the time to think about my own mental wellbeing has been incredibly powerful in my own recovery and in maintaining my wellbeing but I knew that sometimes you need a little help or prompt to get started. So, the Wellbeing journals were a response to that. The journals I created prompt users to understand and recognise their emotions, make sense of them, and deal with them in a healthy positive way.

Through my work with Rosie Lees supporting physical health, I became more and more aware of the mental health impacts on the lives of my clients and how they are interlinked, by developing the Wellbeing Journals I am able to offer these as an additional support. The need and demand for the journals became more apparent as I received increasing referrals just for the journals, so I was encouraged to start a Crowdfunder to cover the costs of producing them so that I can provide them for free to groups and individuals in need but who may lack funds. Journaling has always been well documented as a method to help lift, ease and alleviate anxiety and or depression. If you would like to support this project and help keep the journals free of charge, please take a look at or share the Crowdfunder.

You can also self-refer yourself or someone in need at roseyleetherapy@aol.com

All details are in strict confidence and are not shared with any other groups or agencies.

My guiding principle is a belief that it takes a community to build and strengthen each other and I strive to achieve this in both my personal, and work life.

Kelly lee x

Rebecca L Martin (known as Bex to those who work with her) is a journalist, content editor and copywriter with 20 years’ experience in media. Her career highlights include working as Group Digital News Editor at Marie Claire, InStyle and Look, as Celebrity Journalist at Sky and as Head of Copy at Boden. Bex has worked many a red carpet with a microphone and interviewed the likes of Cheryl Cole, Kristen Stewart, Mel B, Rita Ora and The Script. Today, she helps businesses to craft engaging content and traffic-driving copy across all their channels, from social media, to newsletters and blog posts. She has written for M&S, John Lewis, Sephora and more. She is a proud member of the Kent Chamber of Commerce, Non-Executive Director of The Umbrella Café CIC and a founding member of SOS Whitstable. Rebecca has had her own battles with depression and anxiety and will talk about how she manages them today.