A former soldier and his fiancé have unveiled a bench in a beauty spot to both provide a quiet space for people who need an escape after the year of Covid-19 in which many people have been locked into stressful situations.
The pair will also add a plaque to the bench at Errington Woods, near Marske, to celebrate key workers who have stepped up during the pandemic
Levi Crombie, 33, and Danielle Frankland, 31, of New Marske, explained they run a Facebook support group for people who want a private space to talk about mental health issues. It is largely made up of military and ex-military but anyone who needs to talk is welcome.
However, when the pandemic took hold, they decided they also wanted to do something for both key workers and people who needed an escape to a quiet place to reflect.
They raised funds and won the backing of the council and Community Development Officer, Tracee Hall-Young, who supported them through the process and put them in touch with companies in the borough who have made the bench and will also install the plaque.
Mr Crombie, a father-of-three, originally from Fife, Scotland, who works in the security industry, served 10 years with the Army Air Corps - the combat aviation arm of the Army. His service included eight months in Afghanistan in 2012-13. After leaving the Army due to breaking his leg in three places in 2018, he struggled with mental health problems.
He and Danielle went on to set up a Facebook group, 24se7en, for others who needed a place to talk about their problems which has 2,500 members worldwide.
Mr Crombie, a former Lance Corporal who is in remission from cancer, said: “Three lads in the New Marske and Redcar area committed suicide within a short time of each other and, although I didn't know them, I wanted to do something. Sometimes people need to talk with others who have gone through it, not necessarily family or doctors or anything, and that's the safe place we have tried to set up on Facebook. On the other hand, sometimes they just need to get away for some peace and quiet on their own, and that's what the bench and plaque is about.
“We kept reading about people in the front line fighting the pandemic and keeping all our services going who were getting terribly stressed. I wanted it to be for them too and that's the idea of the plaque. We're also going to plant a tree there which will hopefully grow and add to the beauty of the area."
Danielle added: “We know of people who haven't seen their loved ones for over a year because of Covid. It's hard and can affect mental health, which is a subject very close to our hearts. We just wanted to do a little bit to help and remember all those in our community who did their bit for us all in the pandemic."
Councillor Steve Kay, Cabinet Member for Health, Housing and Welfare, said: “This is a lovely idea and I'd like to congratulate Levi and Danielle for committing so much time and effort to making this happen and also our officers for their support. The pandemic has caused a lot of stress and it's important we pay attention to our mental wellbeing. There's lots we can all do, and I would recommend taking a look at our Facebook 'Feelgood' pages to find out more."
Find out more Levi and Danielle's Facebook site at https://www.facebook.com/groups/352920858936736
There's lots of information about taking care about your mental wellbeing at www.facebook.com/FeelGoodEastCleveland, www.facebook.com/FeelGoodGreaterEston and www.facebook.com/FeelGoodRedcarArea