CHILDREN sang their hearts out in support of mental health services for all.

Shoppers at Groves Nurseries in Bridport were treated to carol singing from five local choirs, including St Mary’s Bridport and the Sir John Colfox Academy, raising money for Dorset Mind, the local mental health charity that is just launching its services in west Dorset.

The charity's fundraising manager, Dee Swinton, said: “It was a great day and more than £200 was raised so we would like to thank Groves Nurseries for arranging such a delightful event and helping us to raise funds that will go towards our plans in west Dorset. We will be launching a series of support services that are a mixture of talking therapies and befriending that have proved to be very successful in East Dorset.”

Dorset Mind is an independent charity providing mental health services for people across the county. It offers support to anyone facing a mental health problem, or to people caring for those who are.

There are currently few mental health services in west Dorset without large waiting times. The recent Dorset CCG Review recommended that vital statutory services should move eastwards, meaning that many people in west Dorset will have little or no access to mental health services. This is combined with the fact that many parts of west Dorset are very rural. A lack of accessible help will leave people with poor mental health in a vulnerable position, the charity warns. This can lead to greater isolation, which again has a huge impact on wellbeing and physical health.

A spokesman for Groves Nurseries said: "Big thank you to all our choirs with those lovely voices making it seem really like Christmas and we raised about £200 for Dorset Mind. Brilliant, so thanks for your donations to this great charity."

For more information, visit www.dorsetmind.uk