“If I’m having a difficult day, being around the people, and the structure of the day is just super-helpful, I always feel better at the end of the day when I go home.”
Sharon was one of the first people to seek support from Growing Well at Tebay Services since it opened in January 2023. During Mental Health Awareness week she shared her story with Megan Paterson of BBC North and Kate Walby of ITV Border.
“My husband Mark died by suicide last year and it shattered my world. I used to start to just find things that would help me through a really dark period, and this just happened to be coming up at the time and I thought, well give it a go.
“The pain of losing Mark was so jagged and incomprehensible. It’s all day by day but I still wake every morning and think – I have to get through another day, and how am I going to do that?
“And knowing that Growing Well is here for me once a week is really helpful. The people are so lovely, they are so supportive and it feels like such safe, supportive environment for that reason.
“I get a huge amount from coming here. If I’m having a difficult day, being around the people, and the structure of the day is just super-helpful, I always feel better at the end of the day when I go home.
Click here or on the image above to watch the ITV News feature and hear Sharon’s story.