In 2003 our founder Steve Forge put all his expertise into creating a new way of delivering support services for people with mental health support needs. He chose to put Third Sector Solutions at the border between several existing official services in order to be more flexible and innovative than any single one of them. We are responsive to individual needs and changing circumstances.
Our Mission is to create learning environments and a support framework which allows the individuals we serve to take their own steps towards self-awareness and to fulfil their innate potential.
We like to:
- Create new combinations of services
- Do things that don’t fit neatly into organisations’ usual assumptions
- Use our business experience, not just conventional social care approaches
We provide employment and training support for unemployed people, and people with support needs. We do this through advice and placement work, training delivery, counselling services and work projects.
We help:
- Individuals who are struggling
- Carers with worries or frustrations who need support
- Agencies looking to refer individuals in need
- Local community organisations
- Local Authorities
Third Sector Solutions is run by a team of staff, with around twelve regular volunteers. We have about a hundred users currently, including twelve on our farm at Stowey Bottom. We are also in contact with a wide and diverse network of people who receive helpful information and resources from us. We are a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee.
We offer our users:
- Satisfying activities
- Daily structure
- Mental health support
- Life objectives reflection
- Planning-out of activities
- Group work for carers
Here’s a typical experience of us, from JW:
“Having been with this project for some years, when I first came here I was extremely apprehensive as just going out of my flat was quite an ordeal.
Suffering with severe depression both kept me socially isolated and very anxious around others as I was very worried and confused about the stigma attached to mental health issues. I find that this project has made me interact much better with other service users who attend and it has made me realise that I’m not on my own with mental health issues.
This project has created new friends who can really sympathise when times are bad for me as they have a better understanding of the illness where others may just brush things under the carpet. I find that the unique location helps tremendously as it’s lovely and quiet at SBF with lovely places you can sit and enjoy the wildlife if you feel the need.
I’ve discovered new talents and interests that I never thought or realised I had and I now can pass on what I’ve learnt which is quite an achievement for me. Nature has helped me a lot over the years and I would like to give it a helping hand with this idea of the tree nursery project and the fact that I and others can regenerate trees with new knowledge that I can share with others both inside and outside this wonderful project. I’m now still wary of telling others of my condition as there are still people who just don’t understand but I’m working on that.
May I take the opportunity to say that the staff who attend this project offer great support and help out as much as they can above and beyond my expectations.”