Fremington Parish Council with support from Devon County Councillor F Biederman and North Devon Councillors Jayne Mackie, Joy Cann, Helen Walker and Will Topps has taken an innovative step to fund a 46 week programme to help improve mental health within the Parish. The programme will be run by Clarity, a Barnstaple based mental health charity which offers a range of counselling and group therapy to people experiencing mental health or emotional issues.
For some time, Fremington Parish Council has wanted to help members of its community who may suffer with depression or anxiety, low self-esteem, be socially isolated or lonely and need support with these factors, as they all impact on mental wellbeing.
Cllr Sue Kingdom, Chairman of Fremington Parish Council said “I am delighted that Fremington Parish Council has taken the initiative to provide mental health services in its community. Mental health and isolation issues can affect anyone at any time and I know that all the local councillors are pleased that this council with the support of district and the county councillors are able to provide this service for our community.
Cllr F Biederman, Devon County Councillor for Fremington said “‘I am very pleased to be able to support this initiative by the Parish Council, there are so many in our community that suffer with varying levels of Mental Health, I went through a period of depression myself at one time, I was lucky to have the support of my employer, who organised a few support sessions, that made a huge difference to myself and enabled me to get over it relatively quickly. I hope this will give others a similar chance”.
Local ward member for Fremington, Councillor Jayne Mackie, says: “It is such a privilege to be able to give grant money and my support to such a forward-looking project. This initiative highlights how we need to start the conversation about mental well-being at parish and ward level and hopefully, more areas will take our lead”.
The group will run on a Tuesday from 12pm until 2pm at the new Beechfield Centre, which is due to open in September and will have two counsellors work with the group in a safe and confidential environment, helping them to build confidence, look towards positive outcomes and improve their social and communication skills.
Guest post by Kate Graddock, Clerk to Fremington Parish Council