Life change is just a call away

Date published: 24 February 2010

A helping hand is being offered to people in Bacup to boost confidence and enable them to take control of their lives.

Twelve places are available on a free eight-week programme beginning early in March.

Gill Knott, operations manager for community charity REAL, said: "In effect BLAST is a mini life coaching course. People will be able to explore issues in their lives like depression, stress, assertiveness, relaxation, mood swings and problem solving and find solutions to help them lead a better life.

"We have been running these courses for years and have had some fantastic results. The feedback is so positive and people leave feeling better able to cope with problems and life in general; some have also felt confident enough to go back to work."

The courses are run by trained psychotherapists at REAL’s centre at St James Square, Bacup.

"We find that often people believe they are the only person who feels they can’t cope, but meeting others on the course, and sharing their experiences, makes them feel not so isolated and helps them plan a way forward," said Gill.

"Most people at some time in their lives find things a struggle, BLAST is a free non-judgmental programme working with people to help them have a better life for themselves and their family.

"It is available for adults from Bacup and if you feel you could be helped by the programme give me a call for an informal chat."

Anyone wanting to know more can contact Gill on 871730. A further course will be held in May.

The eight two-hour sessions are funded by Bacup Chat, a community organisation which provides mentors to help people overcome their problems.