Yahoo News How ‘Scunthorpe Lovely Ladies’ is helping to combat loneliness and boost women’s mental health
A Scunthorpe woman has been overwhelmed by the reaction to a new support group she decided to set up only a couple of weeks ago.
Laura Cooper said she had been inundated with messages from women of all ages eager to sample what “Scunthorpe Lovely Ladies” offers. The informal group is all about fun and friendship, a listening ear and like-minded people coming together.
Laura said: “I had been poorly – I have FND [Functional Neurological Disorder, a problem with the nervous system that affects how the brain and body send and receive signals] and it had put me in hospital – and I was lonely. I have a lovely partner, who is amazing, but I don’t have a lot of friends.
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“I just thought to myself, if I can be lonely, there must be a lot of women out there who are finding it hard, struggling to find friends and also feeling lonely.” Laura set about creating the social group, Scunthorpe Lovely Ladies, as a way of helping fellow females’ wellbeing.
“I had 145 members in just over a week and the numbers are growing all the time. A number of us had our first meeting at the Priory pub in Scunthorpe.”
Originally from Waltham, near Grimsby – “I’m in Scunthorpe now, I moved for love” – Laura, 42, is a care assistant for the NHS. She said: “I’m really very emotional about the response I’ve had, it has been overwhelming.
“Some have lost husbands and are grieving; some don’t have much confidence. My mum, Jennifer, is one of the Lovely Ladies; she hasn’t got a lot of friends and gets bored and lonely.
“Everything Scunthorpe Lovely Ladies is about is positive. There is nothing negative about the group. We are all there to support one another.”
Laura said group members were of all ages and come from all walks of life. Regular meetings are set to be held at the Priory, with the potential for other events depending on what ideas people have about what they would like to see happen.
Currently in the planning is a Christmas party and disco, on Saturday, December 7, with a Christmas jumper party to follow on December 14. For more information, Laura said people should contact her on Facebook – Laura Cooper from Grimsby lives near Bottesford – or they can get in touch via the Priory pub in Ashby Road.
