Spring 2023 Hopezine lands soon, see it here online first
Editor’s letter Spring is upon us and as the daffodills start to bloom, we at Hopezine are taking a moment to ponder what makes us happy. In mental health care, focussing on things that bring us happiness is known as positive psychology or compassion focussed therapy, which I’ve taken part in and that has brought […]
Blairmore Farm’s accessible Orchard cottage is lush
Tucked at the bottom of a rolling hill and overlooking the Perthshire Scottish countryside, is the Orchard Cottage at Blairmore farm. It’s a delightful, quaint space with the fields dotted with wildlife and farm animals. As Hopezine’s Accessibility Consultant, I reckon this is my favourite spot to stay in Scotland as the self-catering accommodation is […]
Wheelie good time at Pitlochry’s Enchanted Forest!
There’s something about a lit up forest that soothes and beguiles. At the Enchanted Forest in Pitlochry there’s a seasonal light show where you can absorb the magic and submerse yourself in feeling happy. There’s all the colours of the rainbow to behold in a truly beautiful forest setting as an inky sky covers the […]
Ballintaggart restaurant ticks all the boxes for accessibility, style & taste
What makes me feel happy? Food, of course! Paul and I recently inhaled the most splendid of seafood supers at Ballintaggart restaurant in the Grandtully countryside by a wee river in Perthshire. We are pushed to think of a time we had tastier fish. The razor clams were doused in the most delicious creamy sauce […]
Accessible rooms with sea-views at Brighton’s Hilton
The Hilton Brighton Metropole hotel ticks all the boxes for accessibility. It has five rooms with sea views that are wheelchair-friendly. And my girlfriend Erica says a sea view and the sea breeze is good for her mental health because it feels both relaxing and refreshing. We stayed here on a recent trip to Brighton […]
‘Swallowing clouds’ at Moshimo sushi bar
I’ve said it earlier on in this issue and I’ll say it again – food improves my mood and can help make me feel happy! Comfort food especially can help sooth anxious and gurgling stomachs. For this special happy edition of Hopezine I ordered my favourite comfort food at Moshimo restaurant in Brighton – dumplings! […]
Feel the magic at The Cauldron pub in Brighton
If we were eating a lot of food for this special happy issue of Hopezine, we couldn’t do so without a good watering too. So, we drank all the liquid at The Cauldron, a magical-themed pub set in Clarence Gardens in Brighton. We took an aperitif outside first and then headed into the warm interior, […]
Vegan and accessible: terre a terre in Brigthon
Paul and I went veggie for this issue of Hopezine and it was surprisingly good! Terre a Terre is a restaurant set within Brighton’s famous ‘Lanes’ that has a reputation for the best vegan and vegetarian food in the UK. Now, I was surprised Paul agreed to visit with me as he’s quite the carnivore! […]
Hopezine Editor’s ‘happy book’
Once upon a time I thought I was clinically depressed as I slept so much (a side effect of my antipsychotic medication) and spent a whole lot of time in bed feeling sorry for myself. I mentioned this to my care co-ordinator and she booked me onto a course of Compassion Focused Therapy, a talking […]
Hopezine Editor Erica Crompton’s new medical memoir – out now!
★★★★★ The Mind Surfer is journalist Erica Crompton’s memoir, a collection of first-person prose and journalism that details exactly what psychosis is and how she learned to manage it in her late teens to mid-thirties. This book is aimed at all people, young or old, whose lives have been touched by psychosis: themselves, their loved ones and their […]