The Frome demonstration against the planned closure of the last dedicated mental health ward in Mendip was described by organisers as very successful.

Campaigners brought the protest to Boyles Cross on September 11, with those stopping to listening to group speakers including: John Dunn who spoke passionately about the impact of the ward closure on other NHS services and Dave Chapple of Mendip TUC.

The protest, organised by Billiy Almond and Emma King as part of the Save Somerset's Community Services action group was the eighth in a series of protests for all the areas the ward serves including Glastonbury, Shepton Mallet and Wells.

Emma said: " After we finished the speeches, we held a piece of street drama "Catch me when I fall" to demonstrate the complexity of the navigation of the mental health system by someone in crisis and how the removal of services, such as St Andrew's Ward, can result in a vulnerable person "falling" as there is no one there to "catch" them when they are most in need.

"A shortage of mental health beds, which is likely if we only maintain the current number, could result in people being left without the care they need. We know that, even though the CCG claim they are "moving away from bed-based interventions", these are obviously vital for people who need them and there is a growing population in Mendip as well as the aftermath of the pandemic increasing mental health need."

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