NEW premises are being sought to continue a successful project in Okehampton which has helped people suffering from depression and mental health problems learn new skills to get them back into work.

The Castle Bell Project currently operates from the Castle Hospital on three days a week but new accommodation will need to be found when the site closes early next year to be replaced by the New Okehampton Hospital.

An offshoot of Bell Industries, which was set up more than 12 years ago at Marsh Barton in Exeter, the Castle Bell project, which is NHS-funded, offers sheltered workshops and training opportunities for people in the Okehampton area.

Development manager Robert Nunney said a lot had been achieved in the first year of

operation in Okehampton and many people had benefitted.

?It has given these people something to get up for in the mornings and it is the first step to getting back into work and building confidence to be part of society again,? he said.

Small contracts are taken on by Bell Industries such as basic assembly, packaging and upholstery and users of the project are paid for their work.

?We started off very small with basic packaging and small engineering projects, but it has been such a success that we have now started making armatures for DC Motors and are going onto bigger things,? said Mr Nunney.

Project workers have been told they have to be out of the Castle Hospital by April next year and are frantically looking for somewhere new in the town.

?We have known since the very beginning that the present premises were time limited but we have so far not been able to find alternative accommodation,? added Mr Nunney.

?The staff at the hospital have been wonderfully supportive and we are now looking to widen that support.

?The help we are seeking from the community is in the form of a suitable underused or empty premises or financial support to rent on the open market.?

An area of around 1,200 square feet is required with some amenities such as toilets and a private room. Most of the work comes in on pallets and so vehicles need to be able to get close to the building.

?There is no provision at the new hospital but I am optimistic that we will find somewhere suitable ? the project has got to continue because it is of great importance to the people who use it,? said Mr Nunney.

The development manager is also hoping to bring local businesses on board and make it a real community project.

?We are always looking for new contracts and this is a way local firms can get involved,? he said.

?Providing something like this on people?s doorsteps so they can walk to work is a much better option that having the transport them to Exeter.?

Anyone who can help the Castle Bell Project should contact Mr Nunney on 01392 208830.