Two mental health groups move into Linton Lane as SAMH heads to town centre

Pete’s Man Chat Movement, a mental health group for men, and A Veterans Best Friend, a charity that pairs veterans with mental health issues with rescue dogs, are set to provide support at the centre from April 28.

Mental health charity, SAMH, is moving from the centre to Greener Kirkcaldy giving it a new base in the heart of the town.

Mandy Henderson, centre manager, said: “We are delighted to be able to welcome Pete’s Man Chat Movement, and A Veterans Best Friend.”

She added: “We are also looking at various forms of support groups along with a morning cafe, new family groups alongside our regular activities which are slowly returning.

"One year on and we have made it through and are ready to support the needs of our surrounding community.”

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Pete Melville, founder of Pete’s Man Chat, said: “We’re really excited to be starting up at Linton Lane Centre – it’s the perfect fit for what I'm looking to achieve.

“The move makes sense considering all the other resources that are already available at the centre, and we can all work together to help as many people as possible.”

Mick Cairns, founder of A Veterans Best Friend, said: “We at A Veteran's Best Friend are very happy that we will get to use Linton Lane as a physical hub.

“We want to thank those who run the centre for allowing us to move in, this act of kindness will make such a difference to our charity, we will be there for all to see in the local community and I’m sure it will encourage veterans to seek help – this is a massive step for our charity!”

Outlining the background to the move to Greener Kirkcaldy, Alex Cumming, assistant director of delivery and development at SAMH said: "SAMH continues to deliver mental health support in the heart of Kirkcaldy.

"Throughout the pandemic, we have continued to provide virtual and remote support to locals.

"As we look towards returning our face to face support when it’s safe to do so, we have taken this as an opportunity to move our existing Sam's Cafe service to a new premises at Greener Kirkcaldy.

"We hope our new location in the centre of town, which is only a few minutes from the bus station, will ensure we're able to help even more people in the future.”SAMH also thanked Linton Lane for its support.Alex added: “Thank you to all at the Linton Lane Centre, who provided a positive start for Sam's Cafe which will never be forgotten. We will continue to work closely with our local partners in the wider Fife area, to ensure people experiencing mental health problems continue to receive help."

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