Car club helps people with mental health struggles

A woman who founded a car club to help people struggling with their mental health said the events had given people a reason to leave the house and make new friends.

Lani Tebbutt, 25, from Northamptonshire, set up Breaking Silence two years ago to help people find support by meeting others who share a love of cars.

The club holds car meets every month in collaboration with the charity Workbridge, which is part of the mental health charity St Andrew's, at its retail space in Bedford Road, Northampton.

Ms Tebbutt said: "At the start, a lot of people would only come for 10 or 15 minutes; they now come and stay the entire evening and [go] around talking to other people."

She said Breaking Silence was formed after she posted her car photography alongside inspirational quotes on Instagram.

"I had people contacting me saying they really needed to read that today, then they asked me if [my Instagram account] was a car group, which it wasn't until I got asked multiple times."

She added that you do not need to own a car to attend an event.

"What we care about is that you've made the effort to turn up... knowing the reason behind the group is mental health.

"Even if you don't express that you struggle [with mental health], you've still made the time and effort to turn up - which is a big thing."

Luke Drewry, from Northampton, turned to Breaking Silence after experiencing depression following the death of his father.

"I struggled to talk to therapists, I struggled to talk to everyone and then I came across Breaking Silence.

"It's using a passion that I enjoy myself, which is cars, and I just loved it.

"Everyone here, either they've had depression or experienced anxiety, so they know where you're coming from which is nice."

Ms Tebbutt added that the events raised money for the charities St Andrew's and The Lowdown.

Michelle Kite, Workbridge's retail manager, said the funds helped the people in the organisation's care.

"Everybody that attends these meets directly support the work that we do at St Andrew's, without them even knowing," she continued.

"This is a safe, inclusive environment and we even have people that are with us at St Andrew's actually come down, because it's an opportunity to see all these amazing cars and just bring something else to their day."

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