Surrey's female-only mental health group hits one-year milestone

A female-only mental health support group in Surrey is celebrating one year of helping people in the county.

Charley Moore started Grow and Glow in Epsom in 2024 after she could not find a local peer support space for women struggling with their mental health.

The Surrey Fire and Rescue Service firefighter said: "After experiencing my own challenges and receiving a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, I took time off work to focus on my recovery.

"During that period, I searched for a local women's peer support group but found nothing available and I knew something had to change."

At the weekly meetings people sit in a circle and are asked how their week is going and if they have anything they want to get off their chest.

The group, which has expanded to Guildford and Reigate, is still fully funded by Ms Moore.

"I didn't want to wait for funding, I didn't want to wait for red tape [and] all [those] kind of hoops you've got to jump through," she told BBC Radio Surrey.

"I knew that I wanted to start something, I knew that I needed it and I wanted to provide it for other women."

The group has expanded to Guildford and Reigate with weekly sessions offering a safe, welcoming space for women to share their struggles and victories.

Ms Moore said: "We're not therapists, we're not counsellors, it's about lived experiences and people who have been through it and are going through it.

"And I think there's a beauty in people that understand and just get it and say 'I'm really sorry you're going through that, that's rubbish, but we're here for you'."

Ms Moore is looking for people to facilitate more groups in the county.

"Our mission from the beginning has been to create an accessible space for every woman in Surrey, and that remains our mission today," she said.

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