A Durham mental health charity which uses arts and crafts to support local people’s well-being is getting event more hands-on in its work with the help of a second four-figure grant from a regional employer.
The St Margaret’s Centre aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people in County Durham by providing a safe, therapeutic environment for them to regain their confidence, motivation and self-esteem while learning new skills and meeting new friends.
Based on Margery Lane in Durham City, the Centre provides local people with a space to learn new skills while being around others who might understand what they’re going through, and hosts a wide range of therapeutic activities, including woodwork and joinery workshops.
A £2,000 grant from the Banks Group’s Banks Community Fund has now enabled St Margaret’s to buy a range of new tools, materials and supplies that will be used in its different workshop sessions.
Workshops are open to anyone with any level of woodworking skill and experience, from complete beginners to experienced craftsmen, with tuition and guidance available for anyone that needs it over however long they want to take part.
Products made in the workshops, such as bird tables and feeders, place mats and Christmas decorations are sold to raise money for the charity, while the groups also take on furniture restoration and renovation projects.
Founded in 1991, the St Margaret’s Centre supported more than 410 people over the last year, including 216 new referrals, and has almost 100 volunteers supporting the core St Margaret’s team in the delivery of their work, with a number of people who initially came to the Centre for support have since volunteered to run peer-led craft sessions themselves.
It also runs arts & crafts and gardening sessions and hosts a community café that is open to the public and enables people to learn about working in hospitality while developing their confidence and customer service skills in a supportive environment.
Attendees only require a mental health need, rather than a formal diagnosis, which means the Centre can act as a point of early intervention and help to prevent symptoms worsening.
It has a dedicated support worker to help with a wide variety of issues that can have a mental health impact, including housing, benefits, debt management, relationship problems and healthy living, while the whole team is trained to provide emotional support as required.
Lisa Harrison, manager at the St Margaret’s Centre, says: “The services we provide are tailored to the needs of each individual, in terms of how long they access them, the sorts of things they do and the support they need to make the most of what we offer.
“Some of our joinery workshop participants have never done this sort of thing before, while others bring a lot of skills with them and particularly value the sort of camaraderie that they’d previously had with colleagues in the workplace.
“We see the difference these sessions make to the well-being and confidence of our service users, especially when participants go on to share their skills and learning as volunteers.
“Demand for our support remains high, and it’s important that we maintain the quality of the services we provide to ensure they have the maximum possible positive impact.
“Banks’ continuing support in helping us cover our operating costs and making sure we have all the supplies we need to keep delivering these services plays an important role in achieving that objective.”
It’s the second time that the Banks Group has supported St Margaret’s, with a £2,000 Fund grant given in 2024 helping to cover the materials and tuition costs for the Centre’s arts and crafts sessions, which include painting and drawing, calligraphy, fabric crafts, clay modelling and leather jewellery making.
Kate Culverhouse, community relations manager at the Banks Group, adds: “The St Margaret’s team helps hundreds of local people when they need that help the most and in ways that enable their service users to become happier, healthier and more confident.
“We’re very pleased to be working with another amazing community organisation in our home city and to be helping St Margaret’s keep up with the demand for their support.”
For further information on the services provided at the St Margaret’s Centre, visit www.stmargaretscentre.co.uk or follow @smcdurham on Facebook and Instagram.
The Banks Group’s community funds are independently managed by Point North (formerly the County Durham Community Foundation).