Denise Welch helps PANDAS mark their third birthday
Shropshire’s skies turned a shade of purple on Monday as hundreds of balloons rose into the air - with a helping hand from Loose Women star Denise Welch!
Denise Welch, also well known as Coronation Street’s Natalie Barnes, is a patron of PANDAS (Pre and Postnatal Depression Advice and Support) and was in the county to mark the charity’s third birthday.
The charity was founded by Stuart and Rachael Dobson in August 2011 after Rachael suffered with post-natal depression following the birth of her son Andreas.
Denise also suffered with the illness after the birth of her son - but there was no support available.
She said: “When I went to visit my doctor she told me she had five children and didn’t have time to get depressed. I felt desperate to speak to other people who were going through what I was going through.
“I can honestly say that if I didn’t have the family I had, the husband I had and the friends I had I wouldn’t be here today.
“Some of the comments made in the wake of the death of Robin Williams has shown that we still have a long way to go in understanding depression.”
PANDAS founder Rachael Dobson, of Shrewsbury, also announced a national merger which will pave the way to ensure the needs of fathers suffering depression after the birth of their children are met.
Guests heard PANDAS would be taking over responsibility and ownership of Father’s Reaching Out, a support network for men whose wives or partners are suffering from post-natal depression.
Founder Mark Williams said: “After speaking to a gentleman in my gym and finding out he felt ill himself I set up a support group. I soon realised there was no organisation making awareness for fathers and decided to self-fund fathers reaching out and make sure the partner’s voice was heard.
“The reason I wanted to merge with PANDAS was that I felt it would get the help quicker for the fathers and families and have the support from a fantastic organisation who feel the same about this illness.
“I've watched PANDAS grow since 2011 and knew this was the way forward.
But Rachael did warn that without funding PANDAS would not reach its fourth birthday and called for people to spread the word about the support they provide.
“I originally wanted to offer a support group from my living room which offered a natter and a cup of tea,” added Rachael.
“If I had known that three years on we would have helped more than 8,500 families nationwide I would never have believed you.”
And Shrewsbury Mayor, Councillor Beverley Baker, said she feels strongly that this sort of support needs to continue.
She said: “I get a lot of invites to events and when I received the invite to today’s birthday party it included the charity website address. As soon as I read it I knew it was something we needed to talk about.
“I have gone through it, not myself, but with relations and I have seen how it affects them and know it has torn families apart.
“Something like this would have made such a huge difference.”
PANDAS supports individuals, their families and carers across the UK suffering pre and post-natal illnesses. It is run by Rachael, her husband Stuart, and dozens of dedicated volunteers.
For more information or to donate to PANDAS visit http://www.pandasfoundation.org.uk.
Post by shropshirelive.com.
