Local wellbeing group ‘Doodle Chat’ are fundraising for supplies.
Admission to the weekly group is free and materials such as pens and paper are also supplied free of charge by the organisers, but those funds are running out.
Directors have previously hosted an art raffle and created a GoFundMe page to gain funds but they are currently considering multiple options to raise the money.
Noah Roberts, director, said: “Obviously what we’re trying to do as directors is push forward to fund raise. So that we have a more steady income, so that doodle chat can expand and grow because we know it’s needed.
“We see the people that are coming, but we can’t provide more.”
The group offers drop-in sessions, to allow anxious people to come and go whenever they want, without the pressure of missing anything if they skip a week.
Source: Toby Almond | All Rights ReservedEd Thompson, artist and director, said: “I will never read through our comments book in public, because it’s far too emotional but people talk about; feeling accepted, feeling connected to the community, improved wellbeing, improved mental health.”
The group recently won an award as the Health and Wellbeing Project of the Year in the Leeds Compassionate City Awards.
Visitors who attend Doodle Chat say it is important for socialising.
Sharon, who has attends every week, said: “I suffer from depression, because of my disability, I can’t get out a lot. So, coming here. I’ve met people, I do drawing here and then at six o’clock, I go over there and do some knitting with some other people.”
Adam, a volunteer, said: “Without these kind of places, a lot of these people would just be sat at home, by themselves.”
Robin Stones, another volunteer, said: “It’s a completely non-judgmental space where people can connect.”
Doodle Chat runs every Wednesday from 3 to 9pm at Left Bank in Burley and you can donate to them using this link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/doodle-chat-cic
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