EXCITING NEWS UPDATE:

Mark Hemmings, Senior Performance Manager at NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB (BNSSG ICB), will be coming to our next meeting on Thursday, 30 October to talk about the survey he has developed jointly with Susan Dunn Morua, leader of this group, with the aim of learning what people think about peer support and peer support groups in general.

All the comments and suggestions from the survey will be gathered together to analyse and use to help improve and develop the peer support provision across the Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire region to make peer support more easily accessible for everyone.

This survey is part of a project underway to improve support for people with ADHD pre and post assessment.

Meeting Dates:

Our meetings are held on the last Thursday of each month from 7 to 9 pm at the Bristol Central Quaker Meeting House on Champion Square. You do NOT need to email first, nor sign up, nor book a place, just simply show up! The meetings are free.

Here are the meeting dates for the next seven months:

30 October, 27 November, no meeting in December, 29 January 2026, 26 February 2026, 26 March 2026, 30 April 2026.

Aims:

The Bristol Adult ADHD Support Group is a peer support group with the aims of bringing together people with shared experiences; to treat everyone’s experiences as being equally important; to involve people in both giving and receiving support; to provide a space where people feel accepted and understood; and to learn how to grow and thrive.

Equal Opportunities Statement:

The Bristol Adult ADHD Support Group will not discriminate on the grounds of race (including nationality, ethnicity or national origin), religion or belief, sex, marital status or civil partnership, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, age or disability.

Membership:

Membership is free, without obligation, and is open to any person (without regard to gender, race, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, religion, or belief) who,

• is aged 18 and above,
• is either diagnosed with ADHD or is seeking an ADHD assessment,
• is living or located in the greater Bristol area and wider, and
• is willing to abide by the values and rules of the Group as follows:

1. Meetings are confidential, and attendees are expected to respect other people’s right to speak in the knowledge that their words will not leave the room.
2. Any offensive behaviour, including racist, sexist, or inflammatory remarks, will not be permitted.
3. Anyone behaving in an offensive way or breaking the Group’s Equal Opportunities statement (see above) may be asked not to attend further meetings or to resign from the group if an apology is not given or the behaviour is repeated.
4. People must respect the feelings and experiences of others and make no judgments
5. People are free to decide whether they are comfortable with actively sharing their experiences or actively offering support to others and act accordingly provided this is not actively done to the detriment of others.
6. People are asked to respect the fact that the building is a place of worship, and whilst the Quakers welcome people of all faiths and none, they do have rules which prohibit alcohol and drugs from being brought on site, and tobacco from being consumed on any part of the site including garden and front paved area.
7. We also ask people to NOT come to meetings if they are feeling unwell in order to protect those who might at increased risk of getting ill.

People can bring a supportive spouse, partner, or friend to the meetings. It is not necessary to book or reserve a seat before attending meetings. And since it’s a meeting for people with ADHD, we don’t worry about punctuality, so if you show up after the meeting has started just ring the front doorbell and someone will let you in.

Exceptions to the confidentiality rule:

The facilitator may not be able to maintain confidentiality in the following circumstances:

1. 1. 1. In an immediate medical emergency, the facilitator will contact the emergency services.
      2. If the facilitator is concerned that an individual is in a situation where their own life may be at risk or is at risk of harming another person, they may break confidentiality.

The facilitators will ask the individual about their preference regarding further support, this may include, for example, contact emergency services, the individual’s GP surgery or other support services.

Location:

The Meeting House is on Champion Square (BS2 9DB) which lies behind (to the south of) the large Cabot Circus multi-storey car park. The Meeting House is right across from the ground floor exit of the southwest corner of the Cabot Circus carpark. Here is a link to the directions and map.

ADHD Bristol Collective:

ADHD Bristol Collective also runs a support group for adults with ADHD in Bristol. They have weekly meetings on Wednesdays from 7:15 to 9:15 pm at St Werburgh’s Community Centre, Horley Road, St Werburghs, Bristol. These meetings are limited to 12 people per group which includes the two facilitators. More information is available on their Facebook page.

Urgent Medical Assistance & Crisis Help

1. If you are in need of urgent medical assistance please call 999 or if it is less serious, please call 111.

2. If you have concerns about your mental wellbeing or physical health, please contact your GP.

3. If you are feeling distressed or suicidal or would like a confidential listening service here are some free helplines:

• Samaritans 116 123
• Campaign against living miserably (CALM) for men, open 5pm to midnight 365 days a year, 0800 58 58 58
• Papyrus for young people under 35, open 9am-10pm weekdays & 2pm-10pm weekends & bank holidays, 0800 068 4141 or 0786003996
• Bristol Mind has the following helplines: emotional support,  trans+ and non-binary, and an Information and Signposting line.
• Rethink’s page about suicidal thoughts has ideas you can try to help you through a crisis

Worried about someone else?

1. Samaritans: how to support someone you’re worried about

2. Rethink: suicidal thoughts–how to support someone

Waiting List Information

We are aware there is currently a very long waiting list for adult ADHD assessments. It is a complex problem, it will take some time to resolve, but please be assured, we are working as hard and as fast as we can without compromising safety and quality.

Review date: 24/10/2025

Next review due: 25/10/2026

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