I had brain surgery for epilepsy when I was 29. I’ve had mental health problems for a long time. I used to work but I had to take early retirement. The first group I came to at Keighley Healthy Living (KHL) was hearing voices, a healthcare group for positive mental health. I also joined the weight loss programme. I take a lot of medication so the theory was that it would help me reduce my dose. The weight loss programme was really interesting and I really enjoyed it.

But it’s the conversation café which I enjoy the most. I get to interact and meet people – having contact with people outside my family. My parents and my sister are great but it’s good to have friends, that’s really important for me. It does me a lot of good and my GP recommends it.

During lockdown, he always said it was the social interaction I was missing. Sometimes it’s hard to find the motivation to come here. It’s one of them things where if you don’t feel like going, you’ll feel better once you’ve been, it really is worth getting out of bed for!

The staff at KHL are a friendly bunch. They always make you feel welcome and they’re there if you need help. They know our backgrounds and they’re in touch with our doctors, there’s always someone that you can turn to, and that’s not something you get everywhere.