MENTAL health groups set up stalls inside the town centre library on Saturday to mark World Mental Health Day.

For a number of years Swindon Central Library has gone to great lengths to ensure the day is marked in its calendar and outreach officer Sara Rigby continued that trend this weekend.

The day is set aside by organisations around the globe for mental education, awareness and advocacy. Groups across Swindon use it as an opportunity to inform people help is available.

“It helps people who don’t have any awareness of what is out there for themselves or somebody that they know,” said Sara.

As someone who works in the library, Sara said she is regularly exposed to a variety of users who will have a wide spectrum of problems which need tackling. The library can be one of their first ports of call when it comes to care, so Sara uses that base as a place to then redirect people.

The Harbour Project, Swindon & District Samaritans, Swindon Mind, Lift Psychology in Swindon and Citizens Advice Bureau were all on hand to offer information.

“It used to be the case this was very taboo, but that’s not the case these days,” said Sara.

“There’s more of an awareness and money being put into mental health services.

“More organisations are being created to be able to support people.

“We had an organisation talk about what they did and who they are.

“If somebody doesn’t feel like talking face to face, they have more of an understanding about it.

“Should they feel like they don’t want to have that interaction, they can pick up a leaflet.”