A SHIPLEY based mental health charity is celebrating 30 years of helping the district's most vulnerable rebuild their lives after crisis.

The Cellar Trust, which provides its services across Bradford, Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven, was set up in the mid 1980s by some social workers in the cellar of an old Victorian house.

The charity began offering workshop activities for people in the community following the closure of the old mental health hospitals.

And now, fast forward to the present, it boasts a 56-strong team of staff and volunteers which offers a crisis service, employment support, vocational recovery, and therapeutic support to those in need.

Kim Shutler, CEO at The Cellar Trust, said: "There are many people in our District struggling with their mental health, and in the face of a challenging financial climate and significant cuts to public funds, this is getting worse.

"We want to make sure that we work together to do everything we can to support people in our communities.

"A lot has changed in 30 years but one thing hasn’t, and that’s our goal of helping those we support to build a brighter future, which we wouldn’t be able to continue doing without the support of our local community. Our birthday isn’t just about our achievements, it is also the perfect time to thank every individual, organisation, partner, and member of staff that we’ve been lucky enough to work with over the years and going forward.

"The majority of our team is made up of our fantastic peer support workers, all with lived experience of mental health, and we’re so proud of the exceptional service they provide."

A key part of The Cellar Trust's work is to partner with NHS and local authority services including Bradford District Foundation Care Trust, local hospitals and Clinical Commissioning Group, as well as other VCS organisations, to deliver and influence joined-up services.

Hannah Nutting, a former teacher, is just one of its clients who has lived through experience of mental health crisis thanks to the trust.

The 29-year-old recalls waking up one morning a year ago and finding herself unable to get out of bed.

Speaking about her mental health journey, Hannah said: "I always thought that my mental health problems had come from teaching.

"I was backwards and forwards to my doctor for a number of years and was on various medications.

"My anxiety was really getting the better of me and that’s when the depression really started to hit as well. I left teaching in the end because of it.

"At the same time as that I went through a divorce. So, I left a job, left a marriage, left a whole life. Everything seemed to fall apart really quickly, and I didn’t have the mental reserves to be able to cope with it.

"I didn’t want to be here; I wanted it all to end. I really didn’t know what to do or where to turn."

The doctors referred Hannah to the Care Trust’s First Response service and now, one year on, Hannah is in the process of completing her master’s degree in psychology - having been inspired to help others through her own experience of mental health.

To celebrate the charity is inviting the district its cafe throughout September with all the money raised going back into supporting clients.