New venue but the service stays thesame at Aware group

New venue but the service stays thesame at Aware group

26 August 2015

A POTENTIALLY life-saving support group for people affected by depression in Downpatrick is on the move.

The Aware Support Group, that has been providing vital peer support sessions in Down Arts Centre, is relocating to Downpatrick Social Enterprise Hub at the Grove Shopping Centre, from Tuesday, September 1.

The fortnightly group will retain its 7.30pm start time and new and existing members are encouraged to come along to the new venue from next Tuesday.

Aware (formerly Aware Defeat Depression) have 22 support groups across Northern Ireland, each providing a welcoming platform for people affected by depression, including family members and carers, to talk openly to other people affected by the illness.

Ballynahinch man Paul McAlea, who has attended the Downpatrick Group, says the help he found at the group changed his life.

“I was bullied as a young boy at the age of 12 and began to lose any faith I had in myself,” said Paul.

“Thoughts of suicide were familiar to me. These thoughts continued throughout my teenage years and into my early adult life. Things were tough and life was draining. I was finding it difficult in work and remember feeling anxious throughout my working life.”

Paul began attending Aware’s Support Group in 2011.

“I can honestly say that it has changed my life since,” he said. “After my first meeting I felt there was finally some hope in my life. I no longer felt like that 12 year-old child within. They have helped me believe in myself and trust other people, an asset I never thought I would possess.”

Cherry Cantrell, Aware’s Support Services Coordinator, encourages anyone who is affected by depression to come along.

“Our Support Groups provide vital support for people affected by depression. They can very often be someone’s first step on the road to recovery,” she said.

“That is why we would encourage anyone who is affected by depression to come along to the Downpatrick Social Enterprise Hub from Tuesday, September 1. It is free of charge and is taken by a fully trained Aware facilitator. Peer support can be a vital step forward for people suffering from depression and, as Paul’s story testifies, it can be life-changing.”