HAVE you or someone that you know been affected by mental health problems? The Panel of Reference might just be the group for you.

Meeting every month, the group has the sole aim of bringing together service users, carers and the family and friends of those affected in order to improve mental health services in Ayrshire.

Helen Clark, who is chair of the group described what the group does and what new people can get involved in,.

She told last Wednesday’s meeting in Stevenston’s Advocacy Centre: “We need to know as much as possible about mental health. We are all service users and carers.

“We need to be on top on what is happening so that we can go to meetings and conferences and talk about these things.

“The only criteria that we have for people to join our group is that they are service users, carers or family or a friend.

“We cover the whole of Ayrshire. We give members the chance to speak to professionals that they otherwise wouldn’t get the chance to talk to.”

The group meets in either the Advocacy Centre in Stevenston or in Ailsa Hospital in Ayr.

Group members are keen to stress the fact that having the meetings there should not put new members off.

There are various speakers who head along to the group and they come along and give their views and help in different ways.

They want to break down the stigma that still surrounds mental health and hopes that people can realise the problems that service users face.

One user said: “As long as you have a heart and a voice you will be welcomed here and sometimes I get really bad but I have a good partner who has stood by me.”

There’s no obligation for any group members to attend all meetings, it can be as much or as little as possible.

The group were struggling financially until they received £1,000 fromAsda.

Previous funding has helped to produce leaflets, which are also available in Urdu, Cantonese, Polish and Punjabi .

The group are now hoping to reach out to ethnic minority groups within Ayrshire as well.

The group are totally independent and are not part of the NHS.

Panel of Reference are always on the look out for funding and if any locals or local business wish to help then they can do so by contacting Helen on the number at the bottom of the article.

The group have also recently appeared on 3TFM to get their message across.

The next meeting will take place in Ailsa on February 17 from 2-4pm.

For the rest of 2016 the meetings will take place on March 16 (Stevenston), April 20 (Ayr), May 18 (Stevenston), June 15 (Ayr), July 20 (Stevenston), August 17 (Ayr), September 21 (Stevenston), October 19 (Ayr) and November 16 (Stevenston).

For more information or to speak to the chair before you attend your first meeting, you can call Helen Clark on 07765550009.