Sharing experiences, swapping local knowledge, or tackling the crucial questions, such as which pubs have the comfiest seats .. Come on in!
Fun fact: WhatsApp was given its name because it sounds so much like “what’s up!”. Being an informal way of saying “hello, how are you?”, its founder was passionate about creating a virtual space which makes it as easy as possible for us to be there for, and feel support from, our friends and family round the globe (or, just round the corner).
As creatures who thrive on connection and cooperation, there’s now over 2 billion of us using WhatsApp, 100 billion messages sent daily and 1 billion WhatsApp groups existing collectively within our phones. Correction: 1,000,000,001 WhatsApp groups, with the birth of Arthur’s of Newcastle…
The Arthur’s of Newcastle WhatsApp group has been created to give you (our wonderful Geordies!) a safe, easy way to connect with other young people with similar conditions near you. Sharing your experiences, swapping local knowledge, or tackling the crucial questions, such as which pubs have the comfiest seats, who does the best coffee near the Freeman and where can I find a sympathetic hairdresser?! Through the group, you can also co-create blog posts, articles, and videos with us. Whether it’s supporting and collaborating with us on our ideas, or contributing some of your own, this is a great way to help others who may be a little further behind in their journey. The added beauty of all this happening via WhatsApp is that you can join in as much or as little as you’d like (we’ve all been tempted by the ‘mute’ function before).
If you live, work, study, or receive your care in or near Newcastle then please see this as your formal invitation to our “what’s up!” group. Accept your invitation, by emailing Hannah with your phone number and your connection to Newcastle!
Like most invitations, and because we want to keep this space lovely, safe, and helpful, we do have a short list of rules that we’d like you to be aware of before you RSVP. Unlike other invitations, we’re not going to ask you to bring a dish, pre-book a taxi, or add a song to a Spotify party playlist, but we would like you to do the following:
• Please respect each other: We think this one will be quite easy, but just a reminder that patience and tolerance for alternative views is valued in this group.
• Be supportive: Arthritis can be a real nightmare at times – you probably know that already. The support of others who understand is so important during the tough times. Although Arthur’s Place is not a space for medical advice, if you can possibly help someone, through sharing your own experiences then please do.
• Be kind: It really does go a long way. If you’re unkind, you may not be able to stay in the group.
• Be 18-35(ish): It’s really important that everyone here is aged 18 or over. This is because Arthur’s Place is not set up to safeguard or support children.
• Keep it in the group: Please refrain from contacting individuals outside of this group without their expressed consent first. We all have enough WhatsApp notifications to keep up with already!
• Online safety: A little reminder here, of how you can stay super safe when meeting new people online.
If you’re absolutely happy with all of the above, then we’d absolutely love to greet you!
Now, go and enjoy the rest of our Newcastle focused resources. We’ve touched base with the local council, universities and hospitals to handpick the most useful local info and links, spanning mental health support, exercise, employment, transport, university life and more!
We might also have a regional discounts page on its way to you soon. Us Northerners do love a bargain after all…
