A Bromsgrove man has urged people to speak up about their mental health ahead of the ‘most depressing day of the year.’

Dan Pendry-Moore is supporting the county’s Now We’re Talking campaign which is raising awareness of Worcestershire Healthy Minds - a free, NHS-run service supporting people with more common issues such as stress and anxiety.

The Healthy Mind service offers group therapy, online support or if required 1:1 counselling. You can self-refer to the service without seeing a health professional first.

Dan, who accessed Healthy Minds a couple of years ago, has shared his experiences to help encourage others in the same position to get the help they need. At the age of 27 Dan Pendry-Moore was diagnosed with depression following a break-down at work. He was referred to the Healthy Minds service which gave him the chance to open up and talk to people about how he felt.

“Looking back now I am certain I was battling it for a while” he said. “But being a typical bloke I had bottled everything up and at that time I thought getting help was a sign of weakness.

"I had a new born son to support and a job to do. I needed to be strong and thought I should be able to take everything in my stride. I couldn’t and this was the point when I knew I had to acknowledge what was happening. I needed help.”

“I accessed therapy through the Healthy Minds service with an amazing specialist called Andrew who I really admired. He took a friendly approach with me, allowed me to talk to him, genuinely listened to me and gave me tips to help me with my depression. It was great because these were practical tips which really suited my lifestyle.”

“I of course have bad days, but they are a lot less frequent now. It is crucial to speak up and allow others to help you, it is important to remember it is not a weakness.”

Now at the age of 30 Dan now owns a club/brand in the modified car industry called SadBoiRaceClub, where he is actively raising awareness of mental health in the local community and helps others with their own mental health struggles.

Tomorrow (Monday, January 21) is commonly referred to as the most depressing day of the year. It’s a culmination of the long dark nights and the post-Christmas blues.

For more information about the Healthy Minds service call 01905 766124 or visit www.nowweretalking.nhs.uk

You can follow the campaign on Twitter @NowWereTalking and on Facebook @NowWereTalkingWorcs