A CAERPHILLY mental health project has received funding thanks to the National Lottery.

The Gateway Church in Cwrt Rawlin has been given £7,000 from the National Lottery for a six-month mental health project to support people in Caerphilly.

New classes to be set up are based on the Japanese principle of Kintsugi and are being organised by Claire Hughes, who was concerned about the effect lockdown has had on people in her community.

Ms Hughes is leading the project with virtual courses over Zoom or in person in community spaces. The courses will run over six weeks for both children and adults with an option for a further six weeks for adults.

Ms Hughes said: “We were excited to receive the funding as it means that we can resource and manage a greater number of courses across the town, hopefully helping far more people to positively deal with the challenges that life and lockdown brings. Whether on Zoom or in person, we hope to create an atmosphere where course participants will have the opportunity to not just hear from experts on topics like anxiety, anger, grief and self-acceptance but also unpack these topics through discussing them together.

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“There will be the opportunity during each session to reflect personally on the issues being discussed. Our hope is that these groups will provide a safe space for sharing and supporting each other through the challenges we face.”

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Kintsugi is a Japanese technique for repairing pottery with seams of gold. It repairs the brokenness in a way that makes the object more beautiful, and even more unique than it was before being broken. It makes a feature of the scars rather than hiding them away.

The wellbeing groups based on this principle are under the Kintsugi Hope banner, which was founded by Diane and Patrick Regan.

The groups are based around the same principles of the Kintsugi technique where people can experience safety and support as there is no shame or embarrassment in struggling, an increase in self-worth, confidence and wellbeing and clear pathways for additional support if needed.

Senedd Member for Caerphilly, Hefin David, said: “Over several years, I’ve seen first hand the work that Claire and her family do for their community, through the Gateway Church. Claire wants to help others and this project to run well-being workshops is another step towards that. I will do my best to support them.”

Anyone with an interest in being part of the Kintsugi group can contact Ms Hughes on info@gatewatchurchcaerphilly.co.uk or 07719356240.