A NEW support group has been launched in Tenbury to help to fill the gap in mental health care.

It meets at Temeside House in the town every fortnight and is already being attended by men and women of all ages.

People who attend have a range of conditions including depression and anxiety.

It is intended to help to fill a gap in mental health care by giving people the opportunity to help each other and to share experiences.

Fiona Chaff has a mission to help people with mental health problems to Tenbury and the Teme Valley.

She came to the town 18 months ago from Shetland in the far north of Scotland where she worked a drop-in centre for people with mental health problems.

Fiona announced at the beginning of the year that she wanted to bring the same idea to Tenbury in a bid to help fill the gap in the care provided for people with mental illness.

She is appealing for people who would be prepared to help to establish a charity and also to volunteer to help at a drop-in group.

Fiona also wanted to hear from people who feel that they would benefit from a chance to socialise.

Now she has the support needed to get the group off the ground but still wants to hear from people who would like to volunteer of feel that they would benefit from such a group.

“There are more people with mental health problems than is often imagined,” said Fiona.

She has set up the group partly because of her own experience of mental health problems within her own family.

“A chance to meet up and to socialise can make a lot of difference because isolation can make the illness worse.

“Mental illness can be very isolating and I know that a group can help people to manage their condition and get better.”

She said that there was a serious shortage of support groups.

An important has involved funding the project.

“I think it is highly unlikely that there would be any funding from the NHS and so we will have to find our own money,” added Fiona who fits running the group around her job as a care worker.

There is some training available for helpers including suicide intervention.

The government has said that it is giving a higher priority to mental health care but Fiona says that there is a shortage of basic support at the grass roots.

It is a problem that can be worse in rural areas because of the isolation and distance from services.

According to the Mental Health Foundation, in any given year one in four adults and one in 10 children will suffer from some kind of mental health problem but only a quarter of them receive treatment, leaving the rest to cope on their own.

It is a problem that can range from making life difficult to being life-threatening. More young men who die do so by their own hand than in any other way including road accidents and cancer.

Mental health issues put a huge strain not just on those who are directly affected but also upon families, friends and carers.

But, with proper support and treatment, most people with a mental health problem can live a normal life, including holding down responsible jobs and good relationships.