A west Dorset-based mental health and wellbeing charity has completed a major move to a new office, which coincides with its tenth anniversary.

Harmony has completed its move from Gundry Lane to the newly renovated Tower Building on St Michael’s Estate in Bridport.

From small beginnings, the charity now provides support to hundreds of people from across West Dorset each year, offering friendly advice, help, free weekly activities, and crisis mental health support via the Community Front Room service, all based at The Harmony Centre.

(Image: Harmony Bridport) Last year the charity received a grant from the National Lottery Community Fund to support it over the next five years.

Along with contributions from trusts and foundations, as well as fundraising and donations from the public, this will allow it to offer help to a greater number of people and enabled the move to larger and more accessible premises.

All its services are open to anyone 18 and over on a drop-in basis with no referral needed.  

Chair of Trustees, Rachel Coney, said: “We have now reached the end of the first year of our Reaching Communities Lottery funding which has given us the opportunity to develop the charity and expand into new premises.

“Everyone at Harmony is really excited about the move. This will provide us with a mental health and wellbeing hub able to provide activities and support open to any adults in West Dorset.”

(Image: Harmony Bridport) In November 2023, Harmony was awarded The King’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK, equivalent to an individual receiving an MBE.

The award was officially presented to co-founder Roz Copson and long-standing Harmony volunteer Rob Johnson at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in May.

The first Harmony centre, which was originally called Crisis and Care, was officially opened at No. 5 Downes Street in Bridport on September 25, 2014. It was co-founded by residents Ros Kayes, Lesley Archibald and Roz Copson who identified a clear need in response to cuts in local services.

Roz Copson, who remains a trustee and volunteer, explains: “Since the beginning, Harmony has grown through the hands-on hard work of its very active trustees, its dedicated volunteers and its first services manager.  Currently they are backed up by an amazing team of staff and administrators and we are now operating on a scale we could not have dreamt of ten years ago. Harmony is a product of our Bridport community and will continue to serve its people and the wider West Dorset community.” 

Today, visitors to the Harmony Centre can try arts and crafts, Pilates and wellbeing activities or join an allotment group or men’s walking group. People can also come along for a chat and a coffee; to find out information about mental health and wellbeing services available locally or to talk with one of our peer support workers.

The Community Front Room service is accessible between Thursday and Sunday from 2.15pm to 9.45pm for anyone needing immediate one-to-one support from qualified, non-judgmental staff in a safe space.

For more information about Harmony services contact info@theharmonycentre.org.uk or visit www.theharmonycentre.org.uk.