A league of gamers is joining forces with a community group to help support mental health services in their town.
Station gamers – which operates from platform one at Kilmarnock railway station – is a small board game and model shop that donates all its profits to helping to fund mental health facilities within the Kilmarnock Station Community Village (KSCV).
The store, which opened in the summer, sells unique products such as; Airfix, Games Workshop, Ammo by Mig paints, board games, Dungeons and Dragons starter kits and player manuals.
The KSCV has refurbished 14 rooms throughout the train station for their mental health practitioners and trainees to see clients.
KSCV trustee Alan Brown said: "The new shop is a much-needed aspect for the community and generates funds for us.
"We offer Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and person-centered therapy from qualified therapists or from Strathclyde University psychology students who are using the service to help those while on work experience.
"Those seeking mental health help can visit their GP to speak with their mental health practitioner to be referred or visit the website and fill out a triage form. The service is available to those aged 16+."
The KSCV also offers projects to help young people learn new skills.
"We also have a breaking bread project which is a free service to help 18 to 24 year-olds socialise and learn new skills," continued Alan.
"Overall, we provide a social prescribing service. Through the scale modeling shop, bakery and gaming weekends, we give people an opportunity to take part in therapeutic activities in safe surroundings.
"If someone is feeling a bit down, this helps bring people together and get involved in these interesting projects. We also offer acupuncture and meditation.
"For those looking to come along to the model painting at the weekends, we ask for a small donation of whatever people can afford.
"All profits go back into the community village and proceeds from the modeling shop help provide those mental health sessions."
During the pandemic, the community village remodeled itself to deliver counselling via Zoom. The service, consisting of 19 counsellors at the time, expanded its clientele from Ayrshire to Dubai.
Trustee Alan added: "We want to help increase people's self-esteem, confidence, and resilience and help build up the community.
"The good thing is we are taking on more students. A long waiting time for us is two weeks and usual wait time is one week."
The KSCV, which began in 2014, offers a recovery service for those with drug and alcohol issues and will be hosting a craft fair every Saturday throughout December.
Visit https://ksrht.org/ for more information on the community village or check out Station Gamers social media at https://www.facebook.com/stationgamers
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