Weymouth Sunday Lunch Club

• DT4 9DN, < 1 mile from this group
• Tag: Carers

We are a well-established voluntary peer support group that supports carers of people with lived experience of mental illness. Come and join us every Friday in a function room at the Garden Centre to share information and support in an informal setting over a cup of tea or coffee. We offer a friendly and safe place for a chat and can signpost you to other services. This is an exciting time to join our expanding group, and we welcome your input and ideas. Please feel free to call us for a chat or further information. The best way to contact us is via our email: weymouthcarersgroup@rethink.org You might also be interested in Rethink Dorset Carers Support Service who provide one to one and group support on a wide range of topics, including specialist emotional support, targeted 1:1 support to identify and achieve personal goals, navigating the mental health system, information on conditions, medications, as well as carers rights. For more information email dorsetcarers@rethink.org

• SP8 4AG, 30 miles from this group
• Tag: Carers

We are a small, well-established voluntary peer support group whose members are carers of people with lived experience of mental illness. We are reaching out to new members to come and join us to help the group grow and expand, as we know firsthand how valuable this support can be. We offer a friendly and safe place where we can share experiences and signpost each other to resources. We meet twice a month on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month from 10am until 12pm. On the 2nd week of the month, we meet in Gillingham at Gillingham Community Church, Wessex House, 8 High Street, Dorset, SP8 4AG. Then on the 4th week of the month, we meet in Shaftesbury at Father’s House, Christy’s Lane, Shaftesbury, Dorset, SP7 8PH. Please feel free to call us for a chat for further information. The best way to contact us is via our email: ndorsetcarersgroup@rethink.org You might also be interested in Rethink Dorset Carers Support Service who provide one to one and group support on a wide range of topics, including specialist emotional support, targeted 1:1 support to identify and achieve personal goals, navigating the mental health system, information on conditions, medications, as well as carers rights. For more information email dorsetcarers@rethink.org

• Some, 33 miles from this group
• Tag: Carers

Ilminster/Chard and Langport Mental Health Carers are a group that has been established and meeting for many years for mutual support and the sharing of information. They are all carers of people with lived experience of mental illness and have offered invaluable help and understanding to those in a similar position for many, many years. It has come the time for Mavis and Roger, who have been running the group for many years to move onto pastures new and this will happen after the summer of 2023 after a boat trip in August and a summer luncheon in early September. The group, therefore, is looking for new members, including those willing to help organise. It can be very informal – the group have been meeting at a garden centre café these past years - but it would be lovely to keep the wonderful legacy of this caring, warm and longstanding group going. All ideas are welcome! If you are interested in a group for family, friends and carers of those with lived experience of mental illness in this area please contact Dominique, the Community Group Development Officer for the Southwest, on the contact details above. She will be very happy to chat to you about the group and to connect potential and existing members and we would love to hear from you.

• EX8 4DD, 41 miles from this group
• Tag: Carers

We offer a friendly, welcoming space for carers, families and friends of people with lived experience of mental illness. Information, peer support and signposting will be offered alongside a chance to share experiences and make new friends. We also sometimes have speakers and run workshops with local organisations. We meet in Exmouth on the first Thursday of every month at St. John’s Court in an informal setting. Refreshments are available and someone will be in the lobby area to greet you. We will occasionally have a meal out together or other excursions. For more information and to let us know to expect you, please email exmouthcarers@rethink.org Please come and join us!

• SP1 2EE, 42 miles from this group
• Tag: Carers

February 2023: Do you care for someone with a mental illness and want to talk to someone in a similar situation? This is a long-standing and friendly group who meet to share experiences and learn more about mental illness and navigating the health and social care systems. The group is not presently meeting but are interested in new members and restarting the group so please get in contact if you would like to be involved or see a group for carers running in the area. Please contact the South West Community Group Development Officer, Dominique Toyra on the contact details above.

• BA14 7AQ, 49 miles from this group
• Tag: Carers & People with a Mental Illness

The Wiltshire Hearing Voices Group, which has been running since 2016, provides a safe and non-judgemental space where people with unusual sensory experiences, such as hearing voices, smelling, seeing, tasting, or sensing things others do not, can share experiences and coping strategies. Although up to 1 in 10 people hear voices, many are frightened to talk about them. This group is open to everyone who lives with hearing voices or other unusual experiences and the sessions are informal with a break in the middle. As it is a drop-in group, there is no referral process, and you are free to come and go as you please. The group is also a member of the Hearing Voices Network.

• TQ12 2RJ, 51 miles from this group
• Tag: Carers

COPE is a voluntary led peer-support group for families, friends, and carers of people with serious mental health illness who experience psychosis. Our group offers a safe, non-judgemental, and welcoming environment where members can meet to share experiences, signpost each other to other services and look after their well-being. We meet once a month and offer support and encouragement to one another in a respectful, confidential, and supportive space. To be heard is valuable. We meet at Newton Abbot library and the library and the room itself are fully accessible (there is a lift from the ground floor), and toilets are nearby on the same floor. There is provision for making hot drinks and refreshments in a small kitchen and tea and coffee will be provided but members will be advised to bring their own lunch if required. There is no parking at the library but there are many carparks within a short walking distance. The train station is about 10 minutes’ walk away and the bus station is less than 5 minutes away. Please drop us a line on the group email to find out more – we look forward to meeting you!

• BS1 4RH, 58 miles from this group
• Tag: Siblings

Do you have a brother or sister living with mental illness? You are not alone! When your brother or sister is unwell it can be a difficult time for you and your family. You might have lots of questions and concerns. You might be worried about your sibling and how best to support them. You might need some support for yourself and find it difficult to know where to turn. The Bristol Siblings Group is a voluntary led peer support and we run the group in the evenings, once a month, via Zoom. A supportive space: Whether your sibling is experiencing ill mental health for the first time, or they have been affected by mental illness for longer, you are very welcome to come along to our monthly meetings where you can: • meet other siblings • share your experiences and the emotions you feel as a sibling • access information on mental health issues and sibling support • realise you are not alone. A place to share: The group is very friendly and informal, and you’ll have the chance to offload, and talk about whatever’s going on for you and your family. It’s up to you how much or little you talk, but you can feel sure there will people at the group who want to listen and connect with you. Information and learning: We share information on how to look after someone who is unwell or share ideas about how to look after our own mental health.

• BS5 7AW, 58 miles from this group
• Tag: Everyone

We have been running free monthly guided meditation sessions at the Beehive Centre, however these are nor running at the moment, as of January 2024. Although we hope to have the group and running again in the future, we don’t have a date yet. Please check back here for future notices or email dominique.toyra@rethink.org. The sessions, run by Maurice, have been either Vedic Mantra or Grounding Meditation. Meditation can help to: Reduce stress, control anxiety, promote emotional health, enhance self-awareness, lengthen attention span, improve sleep, reduce age related memory loss, generate kindness, fight addictions, control pain and decrease blood pressure – as well as improve your general health and wellbeing! For more information on the Beehive centre please visit www.thebeehivebristol.co.uk