An OPEN day for a new Three Towns men’s mental health group has been a huge success.

A New Hope held the drop-in event at Saltcoats Library on Saturday, November 9.

Members of the community enjoyed a cuppa and cake and met different local organisations offering various mental health services.

A raffle and tombola on the day raised £200 for the group. They also received a welcome donation of £150 from Saltcoats twins Emy and Lola Finnigan, who raised funds with a running challenge.

Keith Lavelle, the man behind A New Hope, thanked everyone who attended and supported, adding: “It went surprisingly well. People could find out about different services in the Three Towns that can help with mental health.

“It was more of a kind of a networking thing, talking to different people. That was good because when it comes to mental health, we all want the same thing.”

As the Herald reported previously, Keith started A New Hope in September after losing his friend to suicide and having also struggled with depression himself. The Ardrossan dad hoped to provide an environment where men could talk openly about their feelings.

Just two months on, the fortnightly group is thriving, and Keith is positive that it has rescued some men from the darkest depths of despair.

He said: “We generally have about seven guys every two weeks but we’ve also had people that come and go so I would say we’ve got about 14 all in all, which is brilliant for a group that’s only 14 weeks old.

"When I started this, I went with the idea that we help one person, but I know for a fact that the lives of two people have been saved and that’s phenomenal. It’s something I needed.”

A New Hope is open to men aged 16 and over and takes place every second Tuesday from 6-8pm in Saltcoats Library. The next meeting is November 26.