VOLUNTEERS working for Mental Health Action Group Redditch (MHAG) say they were inundated by people anxious to talk about the stresses and strains of modern life at their stand in the Kingfisher Shopping Centre.
The occasion was to mark Mental Health Action Week but such was the demand for help and advice that chair Rosie Palmer said they would definitely be doing it again.
“Before the event I said if we only one or two people speak to us then we have managed to make an impact on someone’s life, but we were inundated.
“It just goes to show the need for mental health support, the need for a cohesive service and signposting so that people know where to go for help.”
Visitors to the MHAG stand in Walford Walk included parents worried about their school aged children, about their older children who were now adults, women suffering from post natal depression and both men and youngsters ‘just struggling with life’ said Rosie.
The two day stand was also supported by Health Watch, the Department for Work and Pensions and Time For Change.
“Our thanks go to the Kingfisher Shopping Centre because their support was amazing,” said Rosie.
“There were also so many people who didn’t want to talk but who came in and picked up the leaflets and others who bravely came and talked to us about the challenges in their lives.”
The team also received enquiries from people keen to volunteer and have already been offered help by the Kingfisher for when they stage their next event.
MHAG Redditch is an umbrella organisation which provides a guide and directory of all the services that deal with the promotion of good mental health and the great supporting groups that back them up.
For more on them visit www.mhagredditch.org.uk or call 07939 232104.
