A GLOUCESTER-based charity is ‘leaping’ into the Forest in May to offer free mental health and wellbeing support to local residents.

Thanks to grant funding from the National Lottery, county charity Diverse Leap is launching a new walk-in mental health help centre at the Candi Youth Space in Cinderford on Tuesday, May 9.

At the centre, fully trained volunteers will be on hand to talk to people about their mental health, give advice and refer them to other local services for professional support.

The centre will run in Cinderford on a weekly basis, every Tuesday between 11am and 2pm.

All of the charity’s volunteers are trained as Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA), a course which is accredited by the Royal Society for Public Health.

Founder and CEO Tara Leyshon says the centre gives people “the opportunity to speak, and be heard empathetically without judgement on issues or concerns that they have had.”

The volunteers, of which there will be ten in Cinderford, provide 1-2-1 support as a “listening ear”, offering not only empathy - along with a cup of tea - but also signposting to professional sources of treatment and activities which promote positive mental wellbeing.

A description of the service reads: “Our very firm intent is that no-one who visits Diverse Leap leaves us feeling lonely or hopeless but instead is empowered and supported to take more control over their own lives.

“So, although we appreciate it can be tough to talk about our own feelings and emotions, we encourage anyone who is feeling low or anxious to “take that leap” and come along and see us.”

All of the charity’s services are confidential and are provided free of charge.

Beneficiaries, which they refer to as guests, can either walk in at the centre or be referred there by local GP surgeries, social prescribing centres, social services, or other third sector organisations.

The charity launched at the Redwell Centre in Matson, Gloucester in May 2022, and subsequently provided a staff walk in centre every Friday afternoon.

This year, the charity was awarded a grant from the National Lottery Community Fund to expand its services, which is funding the launch in Cinderford.

The charity was reconstituted this month as a registered, unincorporated charity by the Charity Commission.

They have worked with the Forest Voluntary Action Forum (FVAF), the NHS Integrated Care Board and Gloucestershire County Council to bring their services to the Forest.

More information about the charity can be found online at www.diverseleap.org, or by searching for Diverse Leap on social media.