The Anthony Seddon Fund continues to provide significant support to those affected by mental health issues from their centre in Ashton.
The way the charity delivers support has changed, but its volunteers are no less passionate about the services they offer.
Head of Fundraising and Community Mental Health Development Worker at the George Street-based charity, Angie Wild, added: “We have seen an increase in people coming to us. Traditionally, people could walk through the door and see one of our peer support groups, but now, people have to book.
“We’ve done everything we can to keep to the government guidelines. We’ve got hand sanitisers, masks are mandatory, and we are open.
“The Anthony Seddon Fund is a lifeline. We’re here, we care, and we want to get you through this lockdown.”
Many of the charity’s weekly groups still meet, including a dedicated space for ladies and another for carers.
Booking is by email or phone, at 0161 376 4439, is required for the following services:
· Knit & Natter, Monday 11am-12.30pm.
· Ladies Group, Wednesday 11am-12.30pm.
· Carers Group, Thursday 11am-12.30pm.
· Talk Shop, Thursday 4-7pm.
Last week the Anthony Seddon Fund welcomed dedicated fundraiser and community champion William Mahaffey to its centre as he explained how his training efforts to complete a swim of the English Channel on behalf of the charity were progressing.
Angie also took the time to thank William, who is training to swim the Channel this September.
She added: “When William walked through the door to our centre many months ago, we were just drawn to how inspiring he was. He especially wanted to champion men and mental health.
“He’s been an absolute advocate for our men and been fantastic fundraising for us.
“We’re doing everything to support him, and any money he raises will be put back into our charity to support people who are living with mental health problems.
“At the moment, walking, cycling and running are things we can still do to fundraise without breaking social distancing rules, so I’d encourage people to help out.”
As previously reported, William’s training programme has been curtailed by lockdown, but he continues to train hard even with pools having had to close.
He has started running four times a week while also cycling three times a week, plus continuing to acclimatise himself to the freezing temperatures in local reservoirs with full support from specialist coaches.
The cold water dips in the local reservoirs are all William can allow himself to do in the current situation, a technique that will help him massively when it comes to the event of his swim.
“I’m getting used to the three degree temperature at the moment because the Channel will be between 12-15 degrees. If I can handle the cold now then I’ll be in a much better position then,” he explains.
William has a JustGiving page which can be found at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/william-mahaffey2
Meanwhile, the Anthony Seddon Fund continues to update its Facebook page with new events, activities and government guidance.
Follow them at https://www.facebook.com/theanthonyseddonfund/
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