PEOPLE are being encouraged to create supportive communities by having conversations with family, friends, or colleagues about mental health.
John Blewitt together with his wife Tash has been giving people in Wythall and Hollywood the opportunity to talk about mental health since September 2018 with their group Stronger Together.
John and Tash decided to start Stronger Together because John had struggled with his mental health throughout his life.
After he reached out and received help, he wanted to help others around him to talk about their mental health and feel more connected.
John said: “I’ve had depression on and off all my life. I got lucky and got help from my GP and had great support from my family.
“I started Stronger Together so that I could help people around me who keep their worries to themselves, just like I used to. In our activities sometimes we talk about mental health, sometimes it’s just about having fun in a supportive environment.
“It’s not just Tash and I who support people, other members of Stronger Together also run activities too. And we want this to grow even more.”
Stronger Together started by hosting a meeting at Wythall library on the first Saturday of the month between 2pm and 4pm. This meeting has gone from strength to strength and is very popular.
With the help of a small grant from Public Health in Worcestershire, Stronger Together has been able to expand its support in the area and bring the community together over the past year.
The group recently put together a mindfulness workshop at Hollywood Golf Course and John plans to run more sessions on different aspects of mental health later this year.
Working together with a professional counselling service, Stronger Together provides local people with three free counselling sessions, so they can see if counselling works for them.
Coun Karen May, cabinet member with responsibility for health and wellbeing at Worcestershire County Council, said: “The work the group Stronger Together does is really vital.
“A conversation really does have the power to change lives.”
Anyone who lives near Wythall and Hollywood who wants to find out more about Stronger Together and get involved should email [email protected] to get in touch.