Borough residents urged to get mental health help if needed

Kieran Jones and Scott Parker are offering both physical and psychological support to anyone who might struggle with daily life after the Government imposed a nationwide lockdown, which will only allow people to leave the house for essential travel, medical emergencies and food shopping for at least three weeks.

In January, the duo launched The Road To Recovery, a mental health support group meeting at The Bridge at Leigh, in The Avenue, once a week.

The aim of the group is to allow people to discuss their issues in a manner less formal than traditional counselling sessions or group meetings.

But since the Government imposed the strict prohibitions on social gatherings, the duo have had to think outside the box when it comes to how they can keep supporting their community.

“We want to ease the impact of self isolation, especially on the elderly. They often don’t have access to Facebook etc, so it’s hard for them to get messages,” said Kieran, who has struggled with his own mental health for several years.

“People will struggle the more and more they are caged in. We want to offer to pick up prescriptions, do bits of shopping for them.

“We’re not going to charge for it. They’ll pay for their shopping of course, but we won’t charge for our time.”

“If they need support, we can Facetime or Skype them, our phones are on 24/7. So we want to offer that mental health support but also a service where we can help them with anything they need.”

The duo also plan to launch a talking service for frontline key workers, as well as offering to shop for NHS staff and carers.

Anyone who would like to take advantage of Scott and Kieran’s offer can contact Kieran Jones on 07885 421737.

If you are strugling with the Covid-19 crisis or with domestic violence or any mental health issues you can also contact Samaritans 24/7 helpline on 0330 094 5717.