A MENTAL health support group which helped dozens of dale folk through tough times has called it a day after eight-and-a-half years.
The Sufferers, Overcomers and Supporters (SOS) support cafe has met weekly in Barnard Castle to offer people an outlet to chat and
socialise.
But with volunteers becoming a little older and grant funding getting harder to find, the group has decided to call time.
SOS cafe leader Barbara Wright said it was fitting the group ended organically, just as it had started.
She added: “I think we’ve been quite a valuable resource to Barnard Castle and Teesdale.
“We’ve had all sorts of people come from all parts of the dale and it’s been quite a journey.”
The group came about during an afternoon tea in aid of a national mental health charity at The Witham and it grew to become a regular event once and then twice a week.
The SOS cafe has been held at its base at 5a King Street for the past six years.
But last week saw its final get-together with fellow group stalwarts Pete Whittaker and Cliff and Kathy Burrage joining in on a last buffet lunch.
Mrs Wright added: “Funding is hard to get all round now because everyone wants a bit of the funding cake – it’s been down to a combination of factors.
“I’ve had ill health and Cliff has not been 100 per cent.
“I’m 65 in May, Cliff is 69 and Kathy’s 66 – so we’re all getting on a bit. It’s a shame that younger people have not been prepared to come in and take up the mantle.”
Other groups which use the site, including a lip reading group, Chatty Crafts and therapist Nicky Morse will have to find alternative premises to work. Mr Whittaker added: “Like a lot of things in a small community it survives on few people and people cannot go on forever.”
Despite the end of the SOS group, most of its members have vowed to meet on an informal basis.
And the mood was not too downbeat given the cafe’s achievements in recent years.
“People from official health services including mental health services were actually bringing clients in to show them we were here,” added Mrs Wright.
“We had one lady come who simply wanted some company. We love it but the commitment for all of us has just been getting harder and harder and there are other things we want to do before we turn our toes up.
“We have all supported each other and most of us have had mental health problems at one time or another – or physical health problems, and we’ve all gone the extra mile to help each other. I think it’s a bond which will be unbreakable which is why we want to continue seeing each other on a regular basis.”
