Be the Difference was created in 2019 following the suicide of a local young person which left the community in shock. In the weeks that followed the event it quickly became apparent that there was a dire lack of support available for anyone unable to wait for the NHS (up to 9 months at that time) or who could not afford to pay for private therapy themselves. During a 6am RockSpin class at The Studio, and thanks to David Bowie’s ‘Under Pressure’, Belinda Darley launched a fundraiser to help make a difference. Within days £6,000 had been raised and Be The Difference started to change lives.
Over the last 2 years we have managed to help over 120 people and have raised and spent over £30,000 on counselling fees. Every penny raised has been used to provide support for the people who need it the most, particularly during the last 12 months. There have been many cases of attempted suicide that we have been able to reach quickly and effectively. Thanks to the generosity of local supporters, we have not yet had to turn anyone away when they needed us.
We have a wonderful bank of therapists on whom we are able to call. They each have their area of specialty including psychotherapy, PTSD, children’s mental health etc and we have emergency professionals in place for the most urgent of calls. We also offer support to the family members which is vital for the ongoing treatment of the individual.
With our new charity status, we are now launching a range of support and wellbeing groups to help people struggling with their mental health.
Be The Difference was set up to support the mental and physical wellbeing of our local community, through private counselling sessions, support and wellbeing groups, exercise therapy and peer to peer support. We aim to build resilience and improve the individual’s quality of life, whilst recognising the need to support their family, carers and friends along their journey. We aim to reduce social isolation in our community by bringing people together and forming healthy support networks.
