Mental health community group continues to offer support to people of Grantham

A mental health support group, described as a “community ecosystem” by organisers, is helping to prevent suicide and encourage mental wellbeing.

The BHive community centre, based in Finkin Street, Grantham, continues to grow its range of support for those suffering from mental or physical health issues and provide a safe space for anyone feeling vulnerable.

With a variety of over 14 different activity groups and support sessions on offer on a weekly basis, BHive CEO Susan Swinburn encourages cooperation between the groups and everyone involved in the BHive network.

The available sessions include coffee mornings, men and women support groups, art classes, knitting classes and photography classes.

Susan describes the interconnectivity between the different groups and team leaders within the BHive as “a community ecosystem” and said that the service is “preventative, helping people to feel independent, safe and happy”.

She said: “We’re not in competition with anyone and we are here to support, share knowledge and our facilities with others.

“We want to empower people to be independent.”

The multiple mental health groups at the BHive are supported by the friendly NHS Neighbourhood Team, who provide non clinical mental health support, with Susan adding, “not everyone wants to go to the doctor [about mental health]”.

Susan explained that a single point of access to BHive can open a person up to the full range of opportunities available at the centre.

As well as this, the community centre encourages cooperation between local businesses, with Susan giving an example of home cake bakers working together to share recipes, equipment, or even customers when one member is overwhelmed with orders.

She outlined the importance of “everyone helping each other and promoting the best of Grantham. It’s not dog eat dog. It’s priceless.”

Malcolm Swinburn, a former CEO of BHive, now supports the development of the centre. He explained the importance of the men’s group, that offers support for men suffering with mental health issues.

He said: “The men’s group’s original main purpose was about suicide prevention, we have had some very positive examples of the work that’s going on here that is actually preventing someone from taking their life.”

Malcolm said that last week, the expertise in the BHive helped to avert someone committing suicide.

He added: “After getting supported, he is now in a better place and still very much alive.

“The family still have a dad. The wife still has a husband and the mother still has a son. They’re all just so important.”

Malcolm said that one of the nicest things about helping people was that they returned to give something back to the centre by volunteering their time when they were in a better place mentally, which Malcolm said was “humbling”.

Rob Dixon, a retired salesman, provides invaluable support to BHive as a volunteer fundraiser.

Rob said that had he not been able to volunteer, he might have needed the services offered by BHive to support his mental health. He said: “This is my release.”

When the sensory garden at BHive was deemed to need some TLC, Rob helped to acquire materials, supplies and equipment from businesses in the area.

As well as this, Stamford College bricklaying department lend a hand every Tuesday until the work is complete, to give students experience on a real life project.

Rob hopes that the garden will be ready in six weeks, and will subsequently become a useful venue for many of the BHive groups and be used for confidential one to one meetings for people who are new to the service.

He called the garden “a real community thing. All the groups will use it”.

There are also initiatives at the BHive to collect food for Grantham Foodbank and to take donations of unwanted toys, which are distributed to children and who need them.

Since 2005, Sandra Mullin MBE has been running a project called ‘On Yer Bike Grantham’ that restores and repairs unwanted bikes and finds them a new home.

However, Sandra did not have a permanent base for the project until becoming involved with BHive and now has her own space to store and work on the bikes, and a wider range of willing volunteers to help out.

Sandra said: “Every kid should have a bike.”

“[The BHive is] really going to be something. It’s exactly what Grantham needs.”

A person who attends BHive’s dementia cafe called the service “a haven of friendship and support”.

They said: “We enjoy coming to see friends, some of whom we’ve known over the years and who are now like us dealing with the effects of living with dementia.

“It’s a fun couple of hours and there’s always someone to talk to and to ask for advice and is a precious and valued resource for my husband and I. I’m so glad we heard about it and decided to come along. If anyone has a loved one living with dementia BHive is like family but better.”

BHive are appealing for more volunteers who are good listeners to come and help with the running of support sessions. If you are interested, call 01476 592775 or e mail Susans@blind-society.org.uk