RESIDENTS in Hyndburn will soon be able to offer support to friends suffering from mental health issues.

Health bosses are set to run a series of classes with Lauren’s Place, the charity set up by friends and family of tragic teen Lauren Johnson, who fell to her death at 17 after a battling mental health issues.

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The Oswaldtwistle youngster’s mum, Dawn, herself a mental health worker, said: “We are working with he NHS East Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

“They approached us and said they wanted to help out, which is amazing. We were really blown away by that.

“They are going to put on training courses, which will be open to the general public so they can learn a bit about mental health and support people with issues.

“We need the youths to learn these things so they can help support their friends.

“The CCG will fund the courses. They have told me to let them know what we need.”

Times, dates, and locations of the sessions have yet to be decided, although they are expected to be held within the borough.

Dawn said the first course will be held during the February half-term so youngsters can attend.

Lauren’s Place was set up with the aim of providing help for teenagers with mental health problems, including as they make the move into adult care, an area Dawn said was lacking.

The charity, which will register with the Charities Commission when it has raised the £6,000 it needs to do so, wants to open a cafe in Accrington, where youngsters can attend to share their experiences with others.

Dawn said: “It will be a place where people can go in that does not shout ‘mental health,’ and is just normal but it’s a front for mental health promotion and information, and access to counselling wellbeing services.

“As much as friends and family can be supportive, they are not going through it with you.

“Meeting other people going through the same issues is useful for some people to know they are not on their own.”

She said: “Lauren really needed therapy and did not get it. It would have made a massive difference.

“I do believe that if she had therapy, she might have looked at things differently.”

A spokesman for NHS East Lancashire CCG said: “We are particularly committed to supporting and promoting the mental health and emotional wellbeing of our children and young people.

“Working in partnership with the county council and local charities, a number of Youth Mental Health First Aid courses, specifically targeted at young people, have been commissioned.

“There are a number of benefits to these courses including helping to spot the early signs of a mental health problem, providing the confidence to help someone experiencing a problem and help prevent the mental illness from getting worse, helping guide a young person towards the right support, and reducing the stigma of mental health problems.

“Besides the first aid courses, we are also funding courses for young people in SafeTalk.

“This is a suicide awareness programme that identifies people with suicidal thoughts, connecting them to suicide aid resources.”

“Currently, these courses are being provided on a limited basis, however, we hope, if successful, they are something we can fund on a more long-term basis.”