Above is a photo of Geoff with his Charity Champion and Mayoral correspondent #teddygeorge who was given to him by the Burtonwood Sewing Group.

ARC NWC Public Adviser and former Mayor of Warrington Borough Council, Geoff Settle, set up the Warrington BipolarUK support group, with co-facilitator Mark Moran, in 2016. It was the first ever in the town and the fundraising to establish the group was spearheaded by Geoff.

Born in Wavertree, Liverpool but now retired and working in the 3rd sector, Geoff is an IT professional with over 35 years’ practical experience in all aspects of computing.

He said “When I found that there was little or no support for Bipolar people in my town and how effective the groups elsewhere were, I asked BipolarUK if I could set one up.

“Nearly six years later and a membership of 60 people I feel that we have been successful and helped changed people’s lives for the better. The meetings are stigma-free, and nobody ever says pull yourself together. They know that they can talk openly and honestly about their experiences with likeminded people who will not judge or criticize them. What is said in the room stays in the room.”

Geoff has recently given a lecture to clinicians at Manchester University in association with ARC NWC that has made him reflect on the experience and he would like to see if the benefits and lessons learnt from establishing the group can be verified.

His lecture focused on his own lived experiences with Bipolar and he would like to share his experiences more widely, with further lectures and presentations.

Geoff said: “There is still so much to understand and discover about the debilitating illness and the bipolar web site is a brilliant place to start looking https://www.bipolaruk.org/

“Like so many other mental illnesses it will never go away but you can use the site to get information & tools to help you manage and mitigate the illness.

“Mark and I have reached out to local Universities particularly Chester and Lancaster and we have been involved in their PhD research studies. This has been a fascinating experience and given us a great deal to bring back to the group.

“Whether you are a sufferer, carer, or family member of someone living with bipolar, please contact BipolarUK if you want to attend our monthly sessions via info@bipolaruk.org or call 0333 323 3880.

“The hardest part is stepping into the room for the first time. You can be assured of a warm welcome but when people tell their story then often shed one or two tears.

It will probably be the first time they have talked to anyone who is living with the bipolar illness. Their mood often rises when they hear about other people’s experiences and their coping mechanisms. Ideally they are able to laugh about some things that they have done even the darkest moments that they have experienced and realise that it’s nothing to be ashamed about.”

Selina Wallis, Public Involvement Manager at ARC NWC said: “Geoff is one example of our eighty registered advisers who bring real life experiences in their contribution towards our studies, studentships and internships from our member organisations. Geoff’s group has helped so many in Warrington and we are grateful for his time and contribution to ARC NWC.”

Additional initiative Geoff has been involved with include:

• Older Bipolar research study
• Lived library of Experiences
• Lecture to University of Chester ‘On being the first digital Mayor of Warrington
• A participant in a study into using recovery CBT techniques at Lancaster University.