We meet on the third Wednesday of each month from 4.00pm to 5.30pm over Zoom.
Group Coordinator: Sue Flowers, Pete Flowers
We have been set up by Sue and Pete, who established the group to provide an opportunity for people who are caring for their loved ones affected by mental illness in the North Lancashire and South Cumbria area to come together.
The group aims to provide a safe, supportive and confidential space for people to connect, share their concerns and learn from each other. Sue and Pete have their own personal experiences of caring for family members with mental health conditions and understand how important it is to have others around you who really understand the nature and complexity of what you might be facing.
The group was due to launch in early 2020, but unfortunately due to the lockdown the launch was delayed; we now have a small and welcoming group who have met monthly since November 2020
The meetings are held every third Wednesday of each month and are open to anyone who has a family member with mental illness or anyone who identifies has a mental health carer in the surrounding areas of Lancashire, South Cumbria, and North Yorkshire.
Within the meeting, we provide a safe and supportive opportunity for people to share their own personal experiences of supporting someone with mental ill health and receive suggestions and tips from other members. We also aim to encourage personal wellbeing in addition to the wellbeing of those we care for, and intend to share knowledge of local sources of support; on occasion will have people attend the meeting to present information that our members may find useful.
So far we have had to meet online (on Zoom) rather than face-to-face, but the group does plan to meet in person during the summer We know that for many of us, the most important thing we get out of the group is that we are not alone and know that other members experience the same challenges.
The group will be meeting once a month on Zoom. If you want to find out more or attend the group, please contact us via email or phone.
Location
Similar groups
Accrington Burnley and Pendle Group
, 28 miles from this group
Tag: Carers and People with Mental Illness
The Accrington, Burnley and Pendle Group runs a wide array of activities across Burnley for people living with mental illness. We believe that by providing sports and social activities we can help to improve the mental and physical wellbeing of members and reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness.
Our group activities vary from going to the gym to visiting the local cinema to see the latest Hollywood blockbuster. We meet on the first Friday of each month to plan our activities for the following month, so all our members can help decide what we do.
The group is entirely peer led, and is run by Greg and a group of volunteers who each have a personal experience of mental illness. An important part of what we do is providing peer support to each other and sharing our experiences with others facing similar challenges. If you’re interested in finding out more, please get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you.
Meets in various locations across Burnley.
The Fylde Family Support Group was established by Stuart and Toni, who have close family members affected by severe mental illness. Our dog walking group take place every Wednesday Morning from 10.00am to 11.30am in Stanley Park Blackpool. Our indoor groups remain suspended and will resume later in 2021
Our group is in its 10th year of supporting carers by providing helpful information, a listening ear, empathy and suggestions for getting the best care for loved ones living with mental illness. We have excellent knowledge of local and national mental health services, as well as strong relationships with local service managers (both NHS and also social services teams from Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool and Lancashire councils). Our group offers peer support both in the group and at meetings that carers may attend such as needs assessment or clinical interventions. This gives carers the confidence and support they need.
Carers can access the group via email or telephone or attend meetings in central Lancashire These give people plenty of opportunity to share experiences with each other and also tend to be mini conferences featuring key speakers. If required, we can contribute to travel expenses or we can try to arrange lifts. Our basis is a belief that the best support for carers of people with mental illness is to have the best care for their loved ones. If you wish to get involved in the group, require any support or want to sign up to our newsletter, please contact us. This group is open to anyone across Lancashire.
The Southport Seasiders Mental Health Group is a group that is open to anybody who has experience of mental illness and lives in or around the Southport area. We currently hold a drop-in meeting on Wednesday afternoons in a local cafe near the railway station. The group provides an opportunity for people to give and receive peer support, share personal experiences of mental illness, and hear from others about how they manage their mental illness. We hope that people will develop new friendships from attending the group as well as learn new skills and tips on how to better manage their wellbeing.
The group aims to provide a place for people who experience anxiety to come together in a safe, supportive and non-judgmental plaec to share their experiences of mental illness and anxiety. The group will do this by running a bi-weekly informal meeting where people suffering from anxiety can give and receive peer support from each other.
Our Harrogate Support Group began to form in 1986, but we officially registered with Rethink Mental Illness in 2002. We offer people living with mental illness and those who support them the chance to come together in a place of mutual support. Our friendly group meets once a month in the afternoon and offers a safe and welcoming space for people to share their experiences and socialise. Tea and coffee is provided; however, because we meet in the afternoon, many members bring their own lunch, so they can enjoy this as they talk. We have a wealth of fact sheets and information, including a resource library, which members can access, as well as information on other local services. Occasionally, we organise for speakers to attend meetings and talk about on topics of interest to further support members or keep them up-to-date with changes to services and care. From time to time, we also arrange social outings and activities outside our regular meetings and work together to fundraise and join local events. New members are always welcome.
Our group was set up by Ben to support people in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction who also have mental health difficulties (dual diagnosis). We know that many people use substances to manage their mental health. When they receive treatment for their dependency on drugs and alcohol often their unresolved mental health issues become bigger challenges again. Due to a lack of integrated dual diagnosis treatment, people often don’t get immediate support for mental health issues if they are in drug and alcohol services and vice versa. We set up our group to support people who are dealing with both mental health and substance misuse difficulties.
We offer peer support group meetings which are open to people who experience dual diagnosis and their family members, friends and carers. Within our meetings we share information about other organisations and services that offer support and members also share personal insights into what works for them in terms of their recovery.
We hope that by attending our group, people can find a source of mutual support from others with similar experiences and realise they are not alone in facing these challenges, thereby reducing the sense of isolation that people with dual diagnosis and their family, friends and carers can often face.
For enquiries about the group, please contact the group coordinator Ben on the above phone number or email.
The Rethink Mental Illness Manchester Group is a group for people affected by severe mental illness to come together to share information and support with each other.
Our group was started in 2008 by Mary, who has a close family member with severe mental illness and wanted to meet others with similar experiences. The group is open to everyone: people personally affected by severe mental illness and their family members, friends and carers. As a peer-led group, we find that one of our most valuable offers is that members are able to feel comfortable talking about their experiences with others in a similar situation. Members often share suggestions based on how they overcame similar challenges in their lives, though sometimes just the opportunity to talk can help reduce feelings of isolation. We also occasionally arrange for guest speaker to attend a meeting, and we sometimes organise social events. In the past, this has included us going on the ‘folk music train’ to Glossop and running arts and crafts taster sessions which allowed members to try vinyl cutting and pottery.
If you wish to find out more, or want to sign up to our newsletter, please don’t hesitate to contact Mary.
Our Northallerton Carers group has been running since 2003 and offers carers that support people with mental illness the chance to come together in a relaxed and welcoming environment. Our friendly group offers a safe space for people to share their experiences freely and without judgement, so our members feel less isolated and more supported. We provide information, share knowledge and skills, and occasionally organise for speakers to attend meetings to keep us up-to-date with changes to services and care. We actively welcome speakers from our local trusts and services as this provides a valuable opportunity for visiting professionals to gain an insight into the lives of carers, which will hopefully lead to better communication and understanding in the future and service improvements. Visiting speakers from other organisations provide other helpful information, including practical help, benefits advice and where to access additional help to support members in their caring role at home. Our meetings are strongly supported by our local carer support officer and The Northallerton Carers’ Centre. As well as offering information and support, we try to have some fun and organise a few social events. We warmly welcome new members.
