Pioneering mental health support group Open Arms East Devon has issued a rallying call for volunteers to help them build on their success and manage a growing demand for their services.

The Honiton-based group, which recently achieved charity status, was set up four years ago by Garry Wakeham when the mental health facility he relied on closed down. Garry established Open Arms East Devon and it has gone from strength to strength, providing a positive space for around 80 members to enjoy friendship and creative activities together.

The group usually meets at Dunning Court in Honiton but lockdown disrupted their plans last year – and as Garry and his small team of trustees prepare for a return to normality, they are looking to bolster their roster of volunteers.

Garry said: “Becoming a registered charity will help us out financially. It has taken us a long time to get charitable status and we hope it will help the group be taken seriously for the work we do in the community.

“The number of people calling me to use our services is growing and we have members from Dunkeswell in the north to Seaton in the south.”

As reported in the Midweek Herald last week, Open Arms received a £700 grant from the Covid-19 Fund run by East Devon District Council and Devon County Council. This will help fund a printer and a tablet device.

The Open Arms trustees said: “This pandemic doesn’t just affect our bodies, it affects our minds. Feelings of loneliness and anxiety have risen during lockdown as we are forced to isolate ourselves physically.

“It may make us feel powerless but we aren’t. Unable to run its usual friendly sessions, Open Arms East Devon has been helping members old and new to stay connected and positive by providing support over the phone and delivering craft, activity and recipe packs for people to try at home. They are also looking to the future and planning how they can do even more when things open up and we can meet again safely.

“To do this they need help themselves and are looking for a team of super-hero volunteers who are understanding and practical so they can help Garry plan and run sessions, creative, to provide fun and inspiration via arts and crafts, tech-savvy to blitz our online presence and enterprising, to join our team of trustees.”

If you would like to be involved, you can visit the Open Arms East Devon Facebook page for more information or call Garry on 07716 519608.