Taking action to make a difference with mental health

WEST Devon and Torridge MP Geoffrey Cox recently visited two local charities in support of Mental Health Action week.

Mr Cox visited the charities SURF (Service Users' Recovery Forum) and its parent charity Rethink in Tavistock.

Mr Cox has spoken in the House of Commons about the problems of local people affected by mental illness and is a trustee of local mental health charity, Make a Difference.

At the meeting, Mr Cox also agreed to become a patron and trustee of  SURF, which aims to show the talent that people with mental health problems have by reaching out to them and offering opportunities to discover and display their talents.

Mr Cox said he was pleased to learn that in one year SURF had doubled in size, demonstrating both the need in the local community and its success.

Mr Cox said: 'Charities such as SURF and Rethink are crucial to so many people with mental health illness, because they enable sufferers to feel supported and, in the case of SURF, offer people the chance to showcase what they can achieve.'

SURF will be holding its annual arts exhibition on September 26 at The Wharf in Tavistock.