We need to raise £1,500 to pay for essential adaptations and improvements for The Solace Centre to transform a meeting room into a private and peaceful space. This improved space will enable the Solace team to provide over 70 members with the opportunity to receive 1:1 support with their mental health and other personal challenges that they may be facing.

The Solace Centre is an out-of-hours mental health service that supports members and associates who have long and enduring mental ill-health (including schizophrenia, bipolar, anxiety and depression), combating loneliness and isolation through social inclusion, maintaining wellness and healthy lifestyles in Ealing.

Since 1992, Solace has offered a relaxing, accepting community hub where members are treated with dignity, listened to, and heard on how their Centre works best for them. It's a safe place where they can support one another through lived experience, involve themselves in activities and seek assistance, advice and reassurance from staff who go the extra mile tackling barriers to health and wellbeing.

The Solace Centre is a busy and vibrant place, with daily activities and different people visiting to be part of the community and socialise. The hustle and bustle of the environment makes it difficult to have quiet and private 1:1 conversations with members. The team have managed to work around this for a long time, but having somewhere to provide this essential support is desperately needed.

If you can give this Christmas to help reach our target, it will go a long way in supporting people with mental ill health in the community to make their day-to-day that little bit easier.

About The Solace Centre:

Loneliness is difficult for mental health. Solace Centre provides a safe, welcoming space where people with mental health needs can meet in a relaxed, accepting environment to socialise and build friendships.

Solace has operated for almost 30 years and is the only daily out-of-hours mental health resource centre available to people living in West Ealing.

Solace’s motto – chosen by members, is: “Together accepting difference”, because of the diverse range of ethnicities, religion, age, diagnoses and backgrounds. Members collectively run and maintain the centre voluntarily, cleaning, gardening and donating items needed. They choose the weekly activities and special events they want to do; including creative art groups, mindfulness, silent discos, cooking and BBQs, helping to develop skills, confidence, purpose and self-esteem.

Medication can impact on people’s ability to wake up and feel fresh in the mornings, resulting in many waking up later and feeling drowsy. Solace is designed by members to open in the afternoons and evenings. This is also a time when members feel the loneliest as they may well not have a job or have family/friends to socialise with. Solace has been called the pub with no beer, a space where people can enjoy who they are and laugh. User Involvement is embraced, as is learning and development, to support the many challenges and growth for all those who attend.

The impact of the Solace Centre is extremely impressive. 100% of members surveyed this year declared they were either ‘very satisfied’ (87%) or ‘satisfied’ (13%) with the centre.

The Solace Centre team always strive to provide fun and engaging activities for the members and this Christmas will be no different. The Solace Centre will be hosting a Christmas party in a few weeks time, which will be a jam packed day of celebrations. There will be Christmas decorations and food, as well as Christmas Carols, a performance of Jack and the Beanstalk and the day will be finished off with a silent disco!