Bath woman pays tribute to city's 'lifeline' mental health Mind group after losing mother and husband
A woman from Bath says a local mental health group has been her 'lifeline' since losing her mother and husband shortly before lockdown.
Sue Clayton has been attending Bath Mind since January and ahead of World Mental Health Day on October 10 she told ITV News that she would have struggled with her grief without the help of the group
Open Opportunities is a community support group that meets at Manvers Street Baptist Church in the city every week.
It offers people with ongoing mental health issues the opportunity to engage in social activities like table tennis, art classes or a friendly listening ear.
Sue Clayton reached out to the charity after she became 'paralysed by grief' when she lost her mum just before Christmas in 2019, followed two months later by the death of her husband.
She says: "It's invisible how people are feeling. The friendliness and support that I felt at Bath Mind changed my life. Although I'm not out of a lot of my feelings, has been great, really great."
In March at the start of the pandemic Bath Mind had to postpone its face-to-face meetings because of government restrictions.
The support group started socialising online.
But demand on the service has grown as charitable donations have decreased.
Max Webster, of the charity, says the phone lines have been busier than ever as people turned to the only resource they could.
He adds: "During lockdown a lot of people could only speak on the phone or via zoom, so the face to face interaction has been a lifeline for people to see friends that they hadn't seen for a long time."
Sue is one of that number who say without Bath Mind her life would be very different.
Although she still has dark days, she says she knows charity-run groups like this help her, and others, to talk about ideas and thoughts to keep their mental health stable
She says: "It's been a lifeline to be honest. I didn't think I'd ever turn around from being the carer for everyone else and I turned around and actually needed help for my mind a swell."