A woman from Carlisle has launched a new business venture which will provide mental coaching to the people of Cumbria. 

Jemma Groves has soft launched 'Let's Have a Brew' as a new small, not-for-profit business with the aim of offering mental health support through mental coaching. 

She has partnered with LG Wellbeing in Carlisle to host her first session on June 8, with a focus on managing anxiety, stress and more.

Jemma said: "Let’s have a brew is going to be a place where you can invest in yourself, like having a personal trainer for the mind. I’m aiming to close that gap between a long NHS wait time to see a therapist, and private therapy.

"My circumstances allow me to pay for therapy, but I know that is really difficult for a lot of people in the community at the moment with the cost of living crisis. My goal is to provide mental coaching and support for people that don’t have access to services and give people a chance to develop. I know through connecting with people that there is a big gap of support in Cumbria. Everybody can benefit from spending some time on themselves."

Anyone interested would enter into a six-week block of talking sessions, exploring things such as coping mechanisms, and implementing tools such as interactive activities to improve or change those mechanisms.

Jemma added: "It's not just about sitting in a room and listening to me facilitate a session. It's all about you getting involved. You shape the session."

The 31-year-old hopes to reduce the stigma around mental health therapy and reassure people that you don't need to reach crisis point before you seek help. 

She concluded: "I want to recreate that stigma and make it positive. You don't need to be on the verge of something sinister to access mental health support. I want it to be for everybody. There are a lot of really good charities in Carlisle and every one of those is doing a great service. I just think that we could do more."

Anyone interested can message Let's Have a Brew on social media.