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Greetings All!
Report on the Recent Launch of HVI in Cork:-
The day was well attended, with a mixture of voice hearers, concerned relatives and friends of voice hearers and professionals, working in the area of voice hearing. We were delighted to see all corners represented, as it helped us to get a broad scope of input on the day. We were a little bit concerned at having only forty people attending, but as it worked out that was just about the right number for the launch to work.
We started
off with Greg White and Mary Maddock of the Mind Freedom Ireland (our sponsors)
introducing Tracy Millar (Belfast Hearing Voices Network) & Brian Hartnett
( voice hearer and peer advocate) who outlined hopes & program for the
day.
Hopes
included:
• To leave the day feeling that some connections have been made and
people’s voices have been heard.
• To leave the day with an action plan in place that will guide the
development of HVI in the short, medium and long term.
• For our conversations to be a contribution to the tide of international
conversations that support alternative approaches to thinking & talking
about voice hearing.
• To hopefully have contributed to our sense of community in Ireland.
A message of support from the UK hearing voices network
was then read out:-
I have been asked to forward this message of support on the foundation of HVI. From myself and my colleagues: Jacqui Dillon, chair of HVN in England on behalf of the trustees, from Julie Downs, on behalf of the staff and volunteers, from Peter Bullimore, chair of Asylum Associates, and from Dr Sandra Escher and Professor Marius Romme in the Netherlands, we are thrilled to hear of the response to your campaign and salute your efforts in this great cause. Whilst we are sad not to be in Cork today, we wholeheartedly promise you our support and assistance in the future. We also look forward to hearing your stories of today - not least as an inspiration to the Irish community in the UK.
all best wishes
From Dr Terry McLaughlin, editor of Asylum Magazine.
