A centre for people experiencing mental health issues is one of the first community services to benefit from an infrastructure fund, which will eventually see more than £800,000 pumped into Hertsmere.

A commemorative plaque was unveiled at Borehamwood Wellbeing Centre today by Hertsmere Borough Councillor Dr Harvey Cohen.

It marks the completion of a £7,500 project to refurbish the centre and create a separate room for one-to-one sessions and small group work.

As a result of the refurbishment, charity Herts Mind Network, which is responsible for delivering services from the Leeming Road site, says that they will be able to offer an extra 120 hours of one-to-one support per month.

Cllr Cohen said: "Since the Wellbeing Centre opened seven years ago, it has been an invaluable resource for the community, and we wanted to help ensure that it continues to be so.

"One in four people experience mental ill health at some stage in their lives, and as awareness and recognition of such conditions grows, we can expect demands on services like those available at the centre to increase.

Julie Nicholson, chief executive of Herts Mind Network, said: "We were delighted to receive this funding in order to broaden the offer we can make for the people of Hertsmere.

"Managing our mental health can be a challenge and having more private rooms to offer increased one-to-one support will be a huge benefit to our clients."

The project received a financial boost from the council’s community infrastructure fund.