Are you able to help make a difference in our local community? Mel has set up a Just Giving page in the hopes of raising £1,560 to provide free and accessible group sessions to support the mental health and wellbeing of residents in the Somer Valley.

Taking to the crowdfunder page, Mel wrote: “Weʼre raising £1,560 to help make a positive impact in and around the communities of Midsomer Norton, providing free and accessible group sessions to support wellbeing.

“I am passionate about making a difference within my local community and want to provide extremely valuable and fun group activity sessions to a much-needed population that will help with tackling social isolation, improve well-being, tackle inactivity and exclusion.”

Explaining why she decided to start the fundraiser, Mel said: “I have just walked away from experiencing the most uplifting and enjoyable couple of hours within a sheltered housing complex, bringing people together to enjoy each other’s company, engaging and interacting, singing songs from their past, moving and dancing to the music in their chairs, and reminiscing over their earlier days and nothing would give me greater pleasure in life than to bottle the atmosphere and send it around the world.

“I feel very privileged to do what I do, and I love it. Knowing how much of a difference these sessions make to everyone’s day and possibly their whole week.

“Their smiles and laughter are always priceless. However, walking away fills me with great sadness as I know this will be the only session I can run, and it is down to the one small thing that has a huge impact on everything we do in life and that’s money.

Keen to raise the money to keep the much-needed groups going, Mel said: “I am a keen volunteer in providing these sessions but to keep them consistently running, which is what makes a huge difference, requires the need to cover basic costs.

“Sessions cannot always be funded by the individuals in the group or the organiser as they also struggle with raising funds and I know that they work tirelessly to raise even the smallest amounts of funds just to pay one service provider to come in and deliver much-needed activities.

“This is why I feel I need to come forward and try and help make a positive impact within my local community by raising funds for situations like this so that free sessions can be delivered, and basic not-for-profit costs are covered.

“If you can help in any way or offer any advice, please kindly drop me a message.

“Come along and watch a session in progress... it’s truly an amazing and uplifting experience and I hope someone cares enough about me to do this when I am much older.”

If you can help Mel reach her goal, or want to find out more, visit here.