MENTAL health activists in Wyre Forest have launched a voluntary talking group to provide a safe place for people suffering in the area.

The You Matter - Mental Health Matters Facebook group was set up by a team of mental health campaigners, including three district councillors, in an effort to identify gaps in local services.

Leigh Whitehouse said: "Mental health services in the Wyre Forest are not sufficient. This group has been set up to first and foremost support local people experiencing mental health issues, but also to identify gaps and feed back ways to better the service via the appropriate channels."

The group plans to hold targeted, gender-specific talking sessions and opportunities for people suffering with mental health issues to socialise with each other.

Their first meeting saw 28 people attend and the Facebook group, aimed at people over the age of 18, has attracted more than 700 members in its first three weeks.

Leigh added: "We are not a mental health service but a group of mental health activists seeking change."

Fellow administrator Marie Holmes is now in the process of setting up a pop-up mental health and well-being provision for young people and parents in the Kidderminster area.

There are also plans to set up a peer support group for men.

For more information, search You Matter - Mental Health Matters (Wyre Forest) on Facebook.