Supporting Mental Health in Sunderland
Cllr Lyall Reed, Deputy Leader of the Sunderland Conservatives, has been working cross-ward and cross-party to expand the options for mental health services across Sunderland. From Roker to Ryhope, Barnes Park to Doxford and of course throughout his own ward of St Michael's.
Working with the Sunderland Samaritans and with fellow councillors, Lyall helped secure thousands of pounds for the Sunderland Samaritans to run monthly drop-in mental health sessions across Ashbrooke, Tunstall and Hill View, and pushed for other councillors to support the project in their own wards. The East Area committee was also convinced to grant nearly £4,000 to improve and upgrade the Sunderland Samaritans building. So the volunteers who use the building can have better facilities and a better building.
In my ward I found out that we had a large number of elderly loneliness and this project stemmed from that, but it also goes further. We need to make sure the mental health support is available for everyone when they need so these monthly drop-in sessions will work towards that. They will allow the Samaritans to become more involved and embedded into the local communities.