The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
‘People can feel safe to talk at city’s Hope Hub’
Volunteers will share experiences as part of ‘Foolish Optimism’ mental health project
Scotland’s first Hope Hub will open in Dundee tomorrow to provide a safe space where people with mental health issues can support one another.
The event is being held in Blend Coffee Lounge to coincide with World Mental Health Day and will conclude a six-week mental health project, known as Foolish Optimism.
The initiative was spearheaded by Tayside charity Front Lounge.
Foolish Optimism volunteers will share their short films at the Hope Hub, to spread awareness for World Mental Health Day.
The films are intended to spark discussion and offer practical advice, with topics including two friends discussing “things to live for”.
Leigh Addis, a volunteer at Foolish Optimism, said: “A Hope Hub is the idea that people with mental health issues can get together in a place they feel safe.
“We want the Hope Hub to be run by people who had experienced mental health issues because they’re the only ones that are going to know.”
Local organisations will be providing entertainment, with music from Drumdee and crafts from Art Angel.
Front Lounge is raising funds to introduce more Hope Hubs in Scotland and to set up a Hope Forum, so youngsters can help shape policy on mental health services across Tayside.
Chika Inatimi, project leader at Front Lounge, said: “Each week, we engaged new audiences and helped spark discussions between individuals but also different groups throughout the city.
“We’ve had people podcasting, blogging and getting in touch about the films, they have made a huge impact.
“Coffee shops bring people together so we thought we’d welcome everyone in, whatever their situation or story, and create what we hope will be the first of many Hope Hubs in Scotland.”
Derrick Thames, director of Blend Coffee Lounge, said: “When the opportunity came along for us to partner with Front Lounge, it was perfect.
“For us, as with them, mental health is health, and we want to support those in our city who are dedicated to such work.
“We are very excited about the event but even more so for the development of a Hope Hub in Dundee and hopefully more across the country.”
The free event will take place from 6 to 9pm tomorrow in Blend Coffee Lounge, Reform Street, Dundee.
Coffee shops bring people together – we welcome everyone in. CHIKA INATIMI
Poor mental health is one of Scotland’s major challenges. The NHS estimates that one in four people will have at least one mental ill health episode during their lifetime while approximately one sixth of the population will be facing a mental health challenge at any moment.
The statistics are frightening but a significant shift in attitudes towards mental ill health in recent years has meant the issue is now being tackled head on.
Work to improve mental health provision within NHS Tayside is ongoing after an independent inquiry was scathing in its assessment of services earlier this year.
For campaigners such as Gillian Murray, who lost her uncle David Ramsay to suicide three years ago, the reshaping and upgrading of mental health services in the region cannot come soon enough.
It is vital work and must be given the utmost priority to ensure the most vulnerable in society can access the help they need, when they need it.
But it is also heartening to see initiatives in the education sector and a growing support network emerging among those suffering from mental challenges within the community itself.
Scotland’s first Hope Hub will open in Dundee this week and will provide a safe space for anyone who needs it.
It is a positive step and hopefully one that will be repeated across Scotland as the country gets to grips with this crisis.