Yorkshire counselling charity marks 20 years of helping people with mental health

The Harrogate-based counselling and training centre currently has 150 clients on its books. By the end of next year, it hopes to be able to counsel 220, aged from four upwards, as well as creating partnership hubs with local churches. The first of these – Wellspring at St Stephen’s – is due to open this summer at West Bowling in Bradford.

Emily Fullarton, the executive director of Wellspring, says: “Post-Covid, the demand for our services has intensified...We are seeing children as young as four, although most of our counselling work with young people is with teenagers.

“In the UK, one in four people will experience a mental health issue at least once in their lifetime. According to local research, many people in Harrogate assume because it is a ‘nice town’ people don’t struggle with these issues. That simply isn’t true. There is a huge demand in Harrogate for our services and it’s increasing.”

Founding director Elaine Wainaina set up Wellspring as a Christian-based organisation to help those struggling with anxiety and depression. “Elaine and her fellow trustees soon saw the need to extend their counselling services to everyone who needed them, regardless of faith, sexual orientation and ethnic or cultural background,” Emily explains. “Our philosophy is underpinned by Christian values, but we are here to help everyone struggling with their mental health.”

The charity provides affordable short and long-term counselling for the Harrogate and district community, as well as training for counsellors, teachers and community organisations, and group sessions for those struggling.

It will mark its 20th anniversary with a church service and fundraising dinner later this year. The church service, which will be conducted by the Rt Rev Nick Baines, the Bishop of Leeds and the patron of Wellspring, is being held on October 15 at St Andrew’s Church in Starbeck, while the fundraising dinner will be held at the Crown Hotel in Harrogate on November 17.

Emily says: “This is a very special year for us. These two exciting events will celebrate how a small local charity has survived and thrived during the past 20 years and how we have tackled the problem of increasing poor mental health, anxiety and depression, which has threatened to overwhelm the NHS.”

“The impact of having counselling can be life changing,” Emily adds. “As someone that struggled in their teens with their own mental health, I know first hand counselling can you help you see the world in a more hopeful and better way, help you make more healthy life choices and just have a space where you can explore difficult things.”