Foundation helps mum reach goal

SUNDERLAND AFC’s charitable arm is helping a mum- of- two kick depression into touch.

Melanie Stobbart is using her experience with depression to help other parents and families, thanks to a Foundation of Light programme focussed on mental health.

Melanie, 30, enrolled on the charity’s ‘ Family Learning Healthy Minds’ programme at Hedworthfield Primary School in Jarrow, during which she spoke about her own experiences with depression to help the group understand mental health issues from a personal level.

Now she has since taken a major step towards her ambition of becoming a Youth Worker, enrolling on a course through Tyne Gateway Trust which will help her become a ‘ Family Entrepreneur’ and help people who need help to overcome challenges in their lives.

“The programme has really opened my eyes on how much I can help other people who have unfortunately been in the same position as me,” she said.

“The support from the Foundation has helped me become more engaged with my local community and I have started enjoying life again.”

The Family Learning Healthy Minds programme is part of the Foundation’s Family Learning programme, which works with almost 2,000 families each year, and covers topics such as anxiety, depression, bi- polar disorder and other mental health issues likely to arise within families.