A man who turned to a Huddersfield mental health charity for help after the death of his mother had a surprise for the charity’s founder.
Shane was so grateful for the support from Platform 1, based at Huddersfield Railway Station, that he nominated founder Bob Morse as a local hero deserving of recognition on national TV.
In the BBC2 show Jay’s Yorkshire Workshop, presenter Jay Blades asks members of the public to nominate local heroes to receive a bespoke, handmade piece of wooden furniture to recognise the work they do for the local community.
In the show, due to go out on BBC2 at 9pm tonight (Wednesday), Bradford-based Jay hears from Shane and Gez who nominate ‘Mr Bob’ for his work in helping hundreds of men in crisis.
In the programme Gez said: “We have 700 guys coming on a regular basis that need a bit of support and Bob is a beacon of light and it’s safe to say he’s saved quite a lot of lives.”
READ MORE: Platform 1 wants to help more people who ‘fall through the cracks’
Jay asked what Bob was like and Gez replied: “He’s such a gentle soul. This is no secret but Bob doesn’t mind people talking.
“Bob has had his own demons in the past and his own struggle. Bob suffers with depression but he still comes into work and has a big smile on his face, tells a lot of really rubbish jokes and takes it on from there.”
Jay admits: “I know. I’ve been through those dark times and I know I needed support then.”
Shane, who got in contact with the charity after losing his mother, said: “When you’ve given up all hope and you’re going to throw the towel in, you open this door and there’s Mr Bob!”
In tonight’s episode, expert woodworker Ciaran and his team of makers handcraft a contemporary wingback chair set on a pedestal as a special thank you for Bob.
Ciaran tells Bob: “I wanted to design something which essentially had a pedestal on because you’re worthy of it and the fact that the balloon back chair had this kind of comfort that you spread to the community and I wanted to incorporate all of that into the design.”
Ciaran added: “It’s like a throne, fit for a king.”
Maker Les finds working on the chair extremely personal and admits to having his own struggles with mental health tells Mr Bob: “There is a lot of love that’s gone into that chair.” Bob replied: “I can tell.”
Les said: “For men of our age it’s difficult to open up and if you don’t, people think there’s nothing wrong.”
READ MORE: Here’s what help Platform 1 provides and how to get in touch