THE creators of a soon-to-open hub providing mental health support for young people in Wirral is appealing for volunteers to deal with an expected 'surge' in demand for its services.

Branch, due to launch in November, will aim to match children and young people in Wirral with the correct mental health support and information they need.

Commissioned by Wirral Council and the Cheshire and Merseyside ICB Wirral Place, Branch is an alliance of several organisations across the third sector and NHS, including the Open Door Charity, Action for Children and Wirral MyMind (formerly CAMHS).

Open Door - a mental health charity based in Birkenhead and member of the alliance – is aided by the support of volunteer peer mentors.

Volunteers take members through Bazaar, a programme that supports individuals to improve their mental health using elements of mindfulness, CBT and by helping to provide a further understanding of their own thought patterns.

According to the National Centre for Social Research, one in five young people aged eight to 25 have a probable mental disorder, with recent research from the Guardian showing that in England more than 500 children a day are being referred to NHS mental health services for anxiety.

Amy Wood, the Branch Alliance Manager, said: "We're expecting thousands of people to be using Branch and for those that are 14 and over and are struggling with anxiety or low mood, a large proportion will be recommended the Bazaar programme at Open Door.”

The programme is free, has no waiting lists, and is open to anyone between the ages of 14-35.

Luci Diggory, wellbeing programmes lead at Open Door, said: "It's a great opportunity for children and young people in Wirral, as it will be quicker than ever for them to find the appropriate support.

"The only potential issue that could occur when demand increases is that we can’t match new referrals with mentors due to a lack of available volunteers.

"That’s why we’re anticipating this, launching this campaign, and making sure that Open Door is always waiting list-free".

Mentoring requires no previous experience and is open to all above the age of 18. Training sessions take place monthly at the Bloom Building in Birkenhead.

To volunteer for the hub, sign up here: https://opendoorcharity.com/become-a-mentor/