It isn’t every day that you are invited to have a cuppa with a rugby legend, but people in Carmarthen who are experiencing feelings of loneliness can meet up with Dafydd James at a friendly coffee morning, to help them tackle isolation.
A free coffee morning has been organised by Carmarthen based law firm JCP Solicitors, in partnership with mental health charity Hafal, going ahead at Bro Myrddin Bowls Club, Carmarthen, on Friday March 6, from 10am to 12 noon. All are invited to go along to enjoy a chat over coffee and cake, joined by the Welsh International and British Lions star, who has spoken movingly about his own issues with anxiety.
Richard Howells, Director and Head of Lifetime Planning Disputes, based in JCP’s Carmarthen office, said: “We are very pleased to host these friendly and informal events, in partnership with Hafal, and we’re grateful to Dafydd for giving his time to support our coffee morning in Carmarthen. Loneliness and isolation can affect anyone at any time in their lives and it can be a hidden problem. It is important that we all do we can to reach out to those around us who might be suffering, and that we speak up if we are struggling with isolation ourselves.
“This can be a particular problem for older people in our communities. As head of Lifetime Planning Disputes, my team meets regularly with elderly clients to discuss Wills, and often we are the only person they have spoken to in days. So we hope this get-together helps to start a wider conversation and helps attendees reach out to others within their neighbourhoods and start some new friendships.”
Dafydd James said: “I am happy to be involved in this series of events with JCP Solicitors and Hafal. Feelings of loneliness, isolation and anxiety can affect anyone, at any age or at any stage in their life, as I know from personal experience. It can be debilitating and can have a devastating effect on a person’s life, health, career and relationships. But too often it is a hidden problem because we still, as a society, have not been able to remove the stigma around mental health issues. This will only change when we start to speak up and really talk to each other – so let’s do this with our friends, neighbours, colleagues and families, and at community events such as this one. I am looking forward to meeting some new faces there.”
In October 2019 JCP Solicitors signed up to Time to Change Wales, the first national campaign in Wales designed to end the stigma around mental health issues.
The campaign is being delivered by Hafal in partnership with Mind Cymru, aimed at improving people’s understanding of mental illness and diminishing the discrimination and stigma that surrounds it.
For full details go to:
https://www.jcpsolicitors.co.uk/site/news-and-events/jcp-events/
For more information about Hafal go to: http://www.hafal.org/
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