August 13, 2019 9.58 am This story is over 55 months old

Life saving mental health hub saved from closure

They still need some long term funding
Brian ward, Natalie East, Cat Paton and Nathan Jones.

A pioneering mental health programme in Gainsborough, which has helped hundreds of people living with complex mental health problems, has been saved from closure.

The Pathways to Wellness programme, based at the Riverside Access & Training Centre, was facing closure when its funding dried up.

After hearing about their plight local health and safety company Stallard Kane Associates Ltd decided to step in and fund the project until a longer-term solution can be found.

As well as paying for the service to continue, the staff at Stallard Kane Associates Ltd have also refurbished one of the rooms at the centre on Market Street to provide a more private and welcoming space.

Director Nathan Jones said: “This programme and the team that work here don’t just help people improve their self-esteem or learn new skills – they save lives.

“Many of the people who access the service are at crisis point and have nowhere else to turn – there is nothing else like this in the county.

“When we found out it was at risk of closing, we just had to do something as we know how vital this service is to so many people.”

Cat Paton and Natalie East.

The Pathways to Wellness programme offers one-to-one counselling, support and training to anyone aged from 18 to 64 who are suffering from a wide range of issues including anxiety, depression and low self-esteem.

It supports over 150 people every year and is run by a small team of staff and volunteers, the majority of whom have suffered mental health issues in the past.

Team Leader Catriona Paton said she was overwhelmed by the response she got when people heard the programme was closing.

“We are so thankful to Stallard Kane Associates Ltd for funding the programme as we received over 30 letters from people in desperate situations saying they didn’t know how they would survive.”

Centre Manager Damon Parkinson says they’re now looking for other long-term sources of funding and hopes that eventually, they will be able to extend the programme.

“We’re so grateful to Stallard Kane Associates Ltd for keeping this service going but we can’t rely on their generosity forever,” he said. “We’d like to do something similar in Lincoln, but we just don’t have the money.

“I’m hoping if we can put a case together the government or the NHS will want to support the programme and see this as a model that could be rolled out nationwide.”