A MENTAL health cafe has started the year in fine fashion with a near-£13,000 cash boost.

Keep The Heid Mental Health Cafes offer people across the county a safe space to share their worries and feelings at what can be a challenging time of year.

The group, which meets in Haddington, North Berwick and Tranent, received £9,400 from the North Berwick Trust and £3,518 from Haddington and Lammermuir Area Partnership (HALAP).

Iain Gray, former MSP for East Lothian, is chair of the management committee and welcomed the funding boost.

He said: “We are extremely grateful to the trustees of North Berwick Trust and members of the Haddington and Lammermuir Area Partnership for supporting Keep The Heid in an extremely competitive funding climate.”

The group is also looking to raise money in a bid to keep the sessions running in three locations 46 weeks of the year.

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Cafe founder Emma Jackson is running a JustGiving campaign to raise funds for Keep The Heid and highlight issues around suicide.

In honour of friends she has lost, Emma is encouraging people to share their memories of friends and family and donate to Keep The Heid.

She said: “The support we offer is described as a ‘lifeline’ by many attendees and we are committed to supporting people to feel less isolated.

“We have had attendees reporting that they have less thoughts of suicide after attending our sessions.”

Keep The Heid sessions take place in Tranent’s The Fraser Centre on Tuesdays, The Hope Rooms in North Berwick on Thursdays, and at the Trinity Centre, Haddington, on Fridays.

Sessions start with tea, coffee and cake from 7pm before the main session runs from 7.30pm until 9pm.

To donate to Keep The Heid, see its Facebook page or send an email to keeptheheidcafe@gmail.com