After experiencing her own journey with mental health, Laura Allen-Carr set up an online group which was joined by around 700 women.

It led to her forming an in-person group at Parkside Community Centre in Seaham, which she now wants to expand into other areas.

“There are various men’s groups out there but as a woman suffering with mental health, I didn’t feel I could get the help I needed or that there were resources at hand,” explained Laura.

“It was a virtual group at first but I soon realised we needed a face-to-face group. I had to beg, borrow and steal for a venue and eventually we were gifted Parkside.”

Members currently travel from areas such as Gateshead and Sunderland to attend the weekly group in Seaham, leading Laura to expand the group.

The second Laura’s Ladies Club will now meet at The Fans Museum in Monkwearmouth every Wednesday night from 5.30pm to 7pm from Wednesday, September 17 and any woman aged 18 and over is welcome to attend.

“We had lots of women coming from Sunderland but for those who don’t drive that can be two trains and I soon realised Sunderland needed a group,” said Laura.

“The hardest thing is for people to come through the door for the first time, but we always have a facilitator to greet people at the door and always welcome people with a hug.

“There’s no pressure at all to share. We sign a confidentiality agreement and nothing is shared outside of the room ,” added Laura. “But when you do share you always find someone who’s gone through the same thing.”

Mental health has always been a big focus of the Fans Museum which was founded by Michael Ganley in a bid to harness the power of football to help the community.

He has already helped Andy’s Man Club to find a new home for one of their Sunderland groups after the men’s mental health group was affected by the recent introduction of parking charges at their original base at Beacon of Light.

Now, the ladies group will also be using the community asset weekly.

Michael said: “Laura reached out to me and said they wanted to offer a group in Sunderland but needed a space. So we had a chat and sorted a time and day for them.

“I would like to emphasize that the powers that be should also be supporting groups like this who do so much for people.”

Michael added: “You could say we are a male-dominated operation here, but we are all about the power of family and community.

“We support the whole family. It’s not just about working with men, it’s how partners can support each other and feel they are being supported.

“We’re community hub based around families, that, to me, is everything.”