Signing-up sessions announced for potential mental health supporters in Sidmouth and Honiton
'Community connectors' will make help available in people's everyday lives. Picture: Getty Images - Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Mental health support ‘built into people’s everyday lives’ is the aim of an initiative taking place in five East Devon towns.
Sidmouth, Honiton, Ottery St Mary, Seaton and Axminster are all taking part in the project to introduce 10 'community connectors' in each of the towns.
These will be people who already meet and talk to others in their day-to-day activities, and will be trained to offer on-the-spot help and signposting.
The initiative, called 'I belong', is being run by local health and well-being groups in the five towns.
Di Fuller, chairman of the Sid Valley Help trustees, said:
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"'I belong' is a local approach to offer informal support built into our everyday lives. It is based upon research on coping and experience of community development that has demonstrated the need for more informal support."
Community connectors should be over 18 and able to spend 18 hours at training events during February.
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A signing-up event will take place at The Beehive in Honiton on Tuesday, January 21 from 9.30am until 1pm.
Anyone interested should contact Steve Craddock from Honiton Health Matters on 07835 939246 or email honitonhealthmatters@gmail.com for more information.
Another signing-up event, for Sidmouth residents, will take place at Kennaway House on Thursday, January 23, from 4pm until 5.30pm
Anyone planning to go along should contact Di Fuller on 07786 816 890 or email di_fuller@hotmail.com to confirm attendance.
