A women's peer support group set up in the North East is expanding to help more women who are struggling with their mental health or who 'just need a cuppa and a chat'. Laura's Ladies Club, founded in autumn 2025, provides a safe space for women to talk, share, and listen — a service members say was severely lacking in the Sunderland area.
The club meets every Wednesday between 5.30 and 7.30pm, running several sessions across the area. These include a Sunderland group based inside the Fans Museum at Monkwearmouth, a group at Seaham Parkside Community Centre, one at Murton Heart on the Terrace, and a new group that started last month at Peterlee Memorial Methodist Church.
A response to long NHS waiting lists
Group founder Laura Allen-Carr set up the club after realising there were very few suitable and available mental health services in the area. Members attending the sessions range from 18 to 70 years old, with anyone over 18 welcome to join.
"It started because Laura couldn't find any help anywhere. There were long waiting lists on the NHS and she just needed a group or somebody to talk to," said one of the group facilitators, Kay Gibb. "She originally started in Seaham as her first group and then she opened the Sunderland. There's a few peer-peer groups going now."
Kay, 55, from Sunderland, told ChronicleLive: "Every member has their own time to talk and say, if they want to, why they're there. We offer help, advice or just a shoulder to cry on. It is just a support group for women and it's been absolutely brilliant. It helps to talk about your problems rather than bottling it all up."
Members find comfort and connection
Kay started attending the group in March this year after spotting a post on social media. Opening up, she said: "March is a very difficult month for me because my granddaughter died and her anniversary is in March. My dad's anniversary is March too so there is a few things going on that was bad for me."
"I thought you know what, that sounds like something that I could do. You don't need an appointment to go, you just turn up and it's very informal and everybody's just so welcoming. They're all just nice little groups, usually about 15 to 20 women in each and that's what we do every week."
"You do feel lighter when you come out because you might not have spoken about some things for years or if ever and it's easier to talk to strangers than it is to talk to your own family sometimes."
Becoming a registered charity
Kay had never been part of a similar group before joining. She continued: "The only thing that I've had is some counselling through the NHS but for that you only get like six or seven sessions and then that's it, you’re left to your own devices and there's just nothing after that."
"If you get in touch with your doctor they'll give you medication which I've been on for years but there's nothing much that they can offer you other than waiting lists for various things and they are a long, long list. Sometimes it's too long for people."
Over the last few months, Kay became one of several facilitators of the club. She said: "I don't necessarily need the group to go and talk every week so I'll go to help out now." In her role, Kay helps steer the group conversations, adding "even just being there to hand tissues out or biscuits and cups of tea. To support people, that’s what I'm going to do."
The group is also in the process of becoming a registered charity. Currently funding is raised mainly through donations whenever possible.
Women report feeling lighter after sessions
The response from women attending the groups is unanimous. "Everybody that I've spoken to seems on the same page," continued Kay, "there’s not enough of this around. We need more help for women's mental health. There's Andy's man's Club for men that is nationwide, but for women, there's very little."
"Because it's so informal we're more like a big group of friends than doctors or nurses so I do think people feel more comfortable coming in and talking. And not everybody talks every week, you build your confidence up to talk to some people and that's fine, you can just sit and listen or help and give advice to other people."
"One woman said she hadn’t slept properly for months and the first night that she'd been to our group she said she slept a full six hours and that had never been known. It is just a weight lifted off you when you leave the group."
For more information, contact Laurasladiesclub@gmail.com or visit the Facebook page.
