Watch: All you need to know about the Peterborough project helping residents with their mental health

A Peterborough project helping people dealing with mental health issues has been growing – and from small seeds, the scheme is now flourishing.

The Seeds of Sunflowers mental health and wellbeing support group has been meeting every month at the Herlington Community Centre in Orton, helping a range of people with a range of issues.

It was set up by resident Tanya Collier and Orton Waterville ward councillor Nicola Day, after the pair recognised a lack of support for those with mental health issues.

The Peterborough Telegraph spoke to cllr Day about the project – and the difference it was making to people’s lives across the city.

Cllr Day said: “The Seeds of Sunflowers project came about when a local resident, Tanya, messaged me and told me there was not much support for mental health and well-being in the Community, particularly if you've just had a particularly bad mental health episode.

"I myself have got bipolar, and have experience about what she was talking about, so I used my Community Leadership Funding (CLF – a sum of money all Peterborough councillors receive to fund projects in their wards) to set up The Seeds of Sunflowers mental health and wellbeing support sessions. It covers Orton Waterville and Orton Longueville wards, but we also welcome people from across the city.

"We have an hour session where we talk about a number of things, including medication and holistic therapies, and we have now set up a programme of events, with different speakers from April all the way through until September.”

The sessions are designed for a range of people.

Cllr Day said: “We welcome anyone – they could be a friend or family member of someone, or maybe just really interested in wellbeing.

"Some people who come to the sessions have mental health issues that they talk through, sometimes it is family members. We have a well being element, that links to how you can be well, without having to have a mental health issue.”

The free sessions are held on the second Tuesday of every month, from 7pm until 8pm at the Herlington Community Centre in Orton Malborne.

The next session takes place on May 13, where there will be a crafty card making session. On June 10, there will be a session held by Lewis Vernum, who founded the Project Abundance which runs at The Green Back Yard in Peterborough, who will talk about how community growing initiatives can help both individual mental health as well as the local area and the environment.

And on July 15, there will be a session titled ‘Mental Health and Homelessness: A personal journey,’ which will be led by Nabil Ilahi.

For more information, contact cllr Day by emailing [email protected]