An Andover charity has been awarded thousands of pounds which it will use to employ new mental health workers.

Andover Mind, which provides support for those struggling with their mental health, was awarded almost £10,000 by the Pears Foundation. The charity says the money will help it reach more people during the pandemic.

A spokesperson for Andover Mind said: “Andover Mind is pleased to have been awarded additional funds of nearly £10,000 to enable us to reach more patients in our Andover Primary Care Mental Health service during lockdown. The money comes from the Pears Foundation via national Mind, and is designed to relieve pressure on services during this particularly difficult time.

“The service itself has been up and running since late Spring 2020 and our well-being practitioners and Peer Worker have seen many hundreds of patients. This money, though, enables us to employ new workers to talk to even more people.

“This initiative would not have been possible without the support of the Andover Primary Care Network, the two GP leads (Ruth Dyson and Katie Warburton) and representatives from other primary care and secondary care mental health services such as Andover Community Mental Health Team and iTalk.

“We all agree that services need more investment, and this project helps us to play our part in addressing the current needs of the local population.”

Andover Mind was established as the Andover Mental Health Club in 1984, and became associated to the national charity Mind two years later. They provide counselling, support and advice to those of all ages with mental health issues, as well as running projects such as the ‘ugly duckling’ scheme to upcycle furniture while helping contribute to positive mental health.

During the pandemic, research by Mind suggests that 60 per cent of people said their mental health got worse, with young people more likely to say theirs has deteriorated at 68 per cent.