Service for desperate survives its own battle

The Hastings and Rother Counselling Service based in the centre of St Leonards is a registered charity and relies almost entirely on donations - bringing with it a constant financial threat looming over the service.

But it hasn't stopped it helping local people tackle a whole range of problems, mainly depression caused through a whole host of issues such as unemployment, money worries and relationship troubles.

Most of the clients - who have to be at least 18 - are female but manager Janet Beale says one of the biggest changes is the growing number of men who want to talk.

"I'd say women make up around three quarters of the people we see but we're getting a lot of men in their 20s upwards.

"We're getting relationship problems or they're having problems as a one parent family, redundancy or sometimes it a case of anger management for them. They're not getting on at home so they'll see a counsellor.

"They've thought they have to keep a stiff upper lip so it's very positive that they're willing to see one of our counsellors."

Founded in 1992, it was set up as a lifeline to people who can't afford private counselling fees that can be as much as 40 an hour.

Instead clients will make a donation that they can afford.

"In the past I think people have seen counselling as self-indulgent but communities are different these days. There aren't so many neighbours looking out for each other or generations pulling together. So we're left with very isolated people, many who don't have any close friends or family around them, or a case where people don't seem to want to know or help. In a way counselling has become the substitute for the extended family."

As an indication of how popular the service has become, the teanm of 17 counsellors each sees between two and three clients, that's 45 every week ... adding up to well over two thousand sessions a year.

To keep providing that support network, annual running costs are now in the region of 25,000 but the group has to rely entirely on grants and donations. Only Janet's role is funded by health chiefs.

"We're renting at the moment but we've outgrown it. We've got two rooms and one office and it's a fine art trying to co-ordinate the number of hours that we try to provide. We want to relocate but still stay accessible."

The service is particularly keen to help from companies interested in an on-going sponsorship, rather than having to rely on one-off donations.

"Even if it was for 1,000. It's not a lot of money to a large company but it's crucial. Organisations like ours will always teeter close to folding."

The service is open to anyone living in Hastings and St Leonards as well as Rye, Bexhill and Battle areas. Appointments are available Monday to Thursday between 10am and 9pm.

Anyone interested in contacting Janet for more information on sponsorships or to arrange an initial consultation should telephone (01424) 428300.