A PR and marketing agency has pledged its support to a Gainsborough mental health charity

The Bearded Fishermen Mick Leyland (left) and Rick Roberts (right)

Rick Roberts and Mick Leyland started The Bearded Fishermen charity after the two keen anglers realised there was a lack of support available during their own struggles.

The charity runs a weekly ‘befriending’ support group at Connexions Community Hub in Gainsborough on a Tuesday evening.

Visitors are free to drop in, speak in confidence and get help and advice on a range of issues ranging from depression to financial hardship.

Rick said: “Our dream is to own our own support hub, manned by a number of volunteers, that allows us to offer a safe space for people to visit, talk about their problems and receive the assistance they need.

“It takes a lot of courage for someone to ask for help, so we want to make ourselves as approachable as possible. Having a space of our own that allows us to offer this is our end goal.”

The new charity is off to a flying start after they were selected from 33 entries to become the charity of the year for the award-winning PR and marketing agency Shooting Star.

The pair hope that working with Shooting Star over the next 12 months will enable them to raise the charity’s profile and reach more people as a result.

The agency will work for the charity on a pro-bono basis throughout 2020 providing them with PR, marketing, online and event support.

Rick said: “We’ve got lots planned for the Bearded Fishermen this year.

“We’re hoping to organise more events, broaden our reach and further expand the services we currently offer.

“We are thrilled that the team at Shooting Star will be supporting us with future events, our first being a black-tie fundraiser we’re in the early stages of organising.”

Jez Ashberry, Shooting Star director, said: “We had 33 compelling entries this year, the highest number of applications we’ve received to date.

“We’re delighted to be able to offer the Bearded Fishermen the support needed to help them grow, and mostimportantly, make a difference.

“The charity has lots planned for this year.”