A support group for people suffering from depression is to reopen in Swanage, Dorset, as part of a wider move to look after the wellbeing and mental health of local residents.
Swanage Depression Group was originally set up in 2013 but closed in 2023 through a lack of qualified and trained officers to run sessions.
Swanage Depression Group is hoping to lift dark clouds
Twice monthly meetings
But now, with a setup grant from Swanage and Purbeck Rotary, training from a mental health professional and a new base at Swanage’s Focus Centre, the group is again ready to offer support to those who need it.
An open meeting will be held at The Focus Centre off Swanage High Street from 7 pm on Wednesday 2nd April 2025 for anyone who is interested to learn what is planned for the new group – whether joining it, helping to run it or even sponsoring it.
From Wednesday 7th May 2025, twice monthly meetings will be for members only and will be strictly confidential, with the first meeting of the month being a sharing and support session and the second being a craft session including chat and share.
The sessions will all be held at the Focus Centre, Swanage’s former day centre which is now hosting a wealth of support to Swanage including toddler groups, health visitors, speech and language therapy, employment advice and drug and alcohol services, as well as mental health and loneliness support.
The Focus Centre is bringing together all manner of support and advice groups in town
“Make a very real difference to lives”
Swanage Depression group organiser Alan Dominy said:
“Nationally, one in six people suffer from depression, and although not everyone is in a bad way with it, there are a very substantial number of people, often those on their own, who find it very difficult to cope.
“These are not just people saying they feel low today, it goes much deeper than that, and can be an inability to cope with life because of overwhelming feelings which they find really hard to get out of.
“Often with extreme anxiety it can be an effort to get out of the house and meet new people or deal with new situations. To even access a group like ours, stepping over the threshold into a new building or talking to a new person, can be very stressful.
“But we think that as a group of local people who experience depression, either ourselves or in our families and friends, we can aim to support each other and make a very real difference to people’s lives.”
The Focus Centre is next to the Swanage Methodist Church in Chapel Lane
Wanted to give mutual support
The group first started up in 2013, set up by a group of people who had suffered depression in some way and wanted to give each other mutual support.
It was quite experimental at the time and met fortnightly for the next 10 years, attracting up to 15 people a session and even opening a sister group in Wareham as word spread about the meeting place.
But eventually the numbers of leaders who were qualified and prepared to manage the groups fell to just two, who also found there was nowhere for them to offload their own feelings.
When one of the last two facilitators was not able to continue, the group was unable to carry on running – but for the last two years there has been a lot of behind-the-scenes work to start it up again.
The launch of the new Focus Centre in spring 2025
“Empathetic, good listeners”
Alan Dominy said:
“Last year we had a fresh meeting to see what level of support there would be for that, then formed a steering group which has been meeting for six months, and we now feel we are in a position to open up again.
“We have recruited three new facilitators, people who have some experience of depression so they have an idea what they are dealing with, but who are empathetic, good listeners and able to manage a meeting effectively.
“We would still like more to join us, otherwise it may be too much for those of us who are doing it, and ideally we would like another female to balance out the team dynamics.
“We have a mental health professional on our steering group who is able to help us with training and supervision, and we also now have a base in The Focus Centre as part of their overall wellbeing package.
“Now we would like anyone who has an interest in what we are doing to come to our open meeting, whether that’s to help us run it, people who need the support we will be offering or even someone who would like to help with a bit of finance!”
There will always be a warm welcome at The Focus Centre in Swanage
“Sharing experiences good and bad”
Application forms will be available at the meeting for people who would like to be a part of the group. All those interested will all be seen individually before being invited to join the group meetings, which start in May 2025.
Once regular meetings have started, they will be for invited members only and strict confidentiality rules will apply, so that those taking part can feel safe to talk about their life situations.
Alan added:
“We will be sharing experiences, good and bad – previously, we found that those who had discovered ways of coping were able to share how they had managed it with people who were struggling to cope.
“Some people only stayed for a short while and went on having improved their situation, and a lot of people found the sessions very helpful.”
Further information
- The open session will be at The Focus Centre, next to the Methodist Church, from 7.30 pm to 9 pm on Wednesday 2nd April 2025, with tea and coffee served from 7 pm.
- Anyone unable to make the meeting but who would still like to know more can contact Alan Dominy on 07871 799479, or by emailing swanagedepression@outlook.com
