Jazz fundraiser to address the blues

IN recognition of Mental Health Awareness Week 2022, Jane Bennett volunteered her time and talent to perform 90 minutes of jazz sets at Westbury’s Suave Wine Bar on Friday 6th May, and raised over £80 for a local counselling charity.  

The proceeds collected from passing the hat around the wine bar’s customers will go directly towards helping local people access services at Wessex Counselling and Psychotherapy in Frome where Jane works. 

The theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness week was loneliness, an issue that affects millions of people across the UK, and which is closely linked to problems such as depression and anxiety.  

Jane, who works as the co-ordinator for trainee counsellors at Wessex and regularly sings at local venues, acknowledged her own past experiences of loneliness, even when she had people around her, and recognises the need for communities and connection. 

Reflecting on the evening singing jazz for the wine bar’s customers, she said, “It was really nice to bring people together, to see people of all ages singing along with me to well-known songs like ‘Smile’. And it was thanks to the generosity of Suave and their customers that we raised these funds to help support people who may also be suffering from loneliness.” 

Mark Rowland, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, which hosts the annual awareness week now in its 22nd year, commented, “This year’s theme will strike a chord with many of us who felt lonely and struggled throughout the Covid pandemic. Millions of us experience loneliness from time to time. We know that some people are at higher risk of experiencing loneliness and the evidence shows the longer we feel lonely, the more we are at risk of mental health problems.” 

Wessex Counselling and Psychotherapy, based on King Street in the heart of Frome, offers affordable counselling, with fees based on people’s household income, and currently has a range of new courses for would-be counsellors starting in September. For more details, please visit the website: www.wessexcp.co.uk

Pictured: Jane Bennet performing.