Mental health charity Ed Space wins £50,000 to hire two full-time staff

The mental health charity Ed Space is to recruit two full-time staff after Manx Lottery Trust awarded it £50,000 from the Dormant Assets Fund, Manx Radio reported.

The roles are an operations and support officer and a head coordinator. The BBC said the money would expand the charity’s peer-support services by funding the posts for a year.

The charity has 70 volunteers, and the new staff will work alongside them. They will also assist with administration and compliance and help put fundraising on a firmer long-term footing.

Ed Space runs eight peer-support groups each week in Douglas, Ramsey, Castletown and Peel. It also works with GPs and health professionals and makes outreach visits to Manannan Court. According to Manx Radio, its weekly sessions record 150 attendances a month.

Shirley Cain, who co-founded Ed Space after the death of her brother, Eddie Joyce, said: “Ed Space has grown considerably, and our volunteers have been central to everything we have achieved.”

According to the BBC, she said the grant would help the group meet demand. “Most importantly, they will help us continue providing welcoming spaces where people can talk openly and know they are not alone,” she said.

David Christian, chairman of Manx Lottery Trust, said the project would give Ed Space “the dedicated capacity it needs to support its volunteers”.