A community charity that uses home-made pies to help tackle male social isolation in Stockton has received a four-figure funding boost from a regional employer.
Health and well-being charity Starfish Services Limited runs the weekly Men’s Pie Club, which aims to combat male loneliness and promote mental wellbeing through the shared activity of making pies from scratch.
It also operates the Place To Be project, an early evening drop-in service at the charity’s Yarm Road headquarters where anyone can come along between 5pm and 8pm every weekday for a cup of tea, a toastie and some friendly company.
Both projects are led by peer supporters with lived experience of poor mental health to help create safe, inclusive space for people experiencing emotional distress and suffering from poor mental health, loneliness or social exclusion.
A £1,800 grant from the Banks Group’s Banks Community Fund has now covered the cost of both the ingredients that the Men’s Pie Club will need through the rest of what is its second year and the refreshments offered by the Place To Be, which has been running successfully since 2023.
Starfish Services runs a range of different free activities which aim to enrich the lives of people living across the area, including a weekly art group, women’s group, bereavement group and a men’s group.
It is also about to start work on a vegetable garden that will eventually provide some of the ingredients that are used by the Men’s Pie Club.
Shelly Christon, youth coach with Starfish Services, says: “With the end of the afternoon being the time that many support services close for the day, the early evening can be a really challenging period for people who are struggling with loneliness and mental health issues if they have nowhere to go.
“The Place To Be provides a warm, welcoming environment where anyone can come along and spend some time with people who can empathise with how they might be feeling.
“We get a real mix of people coming along, with some attending regularly and others just now and then, and by treating every person with kindness and respect, the whole group gets on really well.
“The Men’s Pie Club has been a huge success over the last year, with members feeling much more comfortable about talking and opening up while they’re making and eating each week’s recipe together.
“We’ve seen strong friendships being formed across both groups and we know how much of a positive impact they have on our members’ well-being, both in what they tell us and what we see with our own eyes.
“When one service user began attending Place to Be, his self-esteem was very low, but through the power of peer support, he has gained confidence, completed courses in peer support and now volunteers and co-facilitates the Men’s Pie Group alongside long-standing volunteer Martyn Robinson.
“Knowing that the Banks grant has covered our food costs for the coming year is absolutely amazing and everyone in our groups is so excited to know that they can rely on us being there right through the year.”
Kate Culverhouse, community relations manager at the Banks Group, adds: “The concepts behind these two groups is very simple, but they’re clearly highly effective in how they deliver support when and where it’s needed.
“We’re very pleased to be able to support Starfish Services’ excellent work and we’d strongly encourage anyone who feels like a cup of tea and some company would benefit them to drop in one evening.”
For further information on Starfish Services, please visit https://www.starfishhealthandwellbeing.co.uk/
The Banks Group’s community funds are independently managed by Point North (formerly the County Durham Community Foundation).
Anyone from a community close to a Banks Group project who is interested in applying for funding from the Banks Community Fund should contact the company via its website enquiry form (www.banksgroup.co.uk/contact-us/) to find out if their group or project is eligible.