A mental health and wellbeing website created by a team from a local health board has supported more than 100,000 users since it launched three years ago.
Since its launch in January 2021, Melo Cymru, an information, advice and self-help website focused on mental health and wellbeing, has supported over 105,000 people to access resources and materials.
Jackie Williams, programme lead for the Mello website and part of the public health team at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, said: “As a public health team, we knew there were everyday actions that were proven to help improve mental health.”
Melo Cymru Home Page (Image: Melo Cymru)
“But we realized that this information wasn’t all in one place, nor was it easy to find.
“We wanted to make it easy for people to find this information and ensure the content was written in a way that was relatable.
“We have launched the Melo website with information, advice, free resources and courses to help local communities maintain their mental health.”
Anxiety is the most frequently searched topic, along with ADHD. (Image: Canva)
On the Melo Cymru website:
The health board raises awareness about common mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, healthy eating, sleep, gambling and fertility, and also provides information for unpaid carers, people with ADHD and autism, veterans and students.
Explaining why such a website is needed, Mr Williams said: “We looked at the evidence and although there is a lot of evidence we found that the information and guidance is scattered across a variety of different websites.
“There was a need for a centralized digital website and platform that would provide reliable, approved information on topics such as anxiety, long COVID-19, housing assistance and homelessness, and fertility.”
Some of the 34 topics available on Melo (Image: Melo Cymru)
“The website also provides advice, free resources, free courses and directs people to local and national mental health support services.”
So far, 34 topics have been published on the website, which Williams said were “created in collaboration with people who have direct experience of the topic and experts from local service providers.”
Stephen Ash, 32, is one of the people involved in the project who has first-hand experience of certain topics.
“I’m autistic and I find that autistic people can easily be forgotten or unable to access the information they need because of medical terminology,” Ash said.
Sleep is one of the topics on the Melo site, which offers self-help advice to improve your sleep, courses to help improve your sleep habits and when to contact your GP. (Image: Melo Cymru)
“For example, sometimes you can’t think of a word, so it’s helpful to have a list of topics to help you navigate the site while keeping the vocabulary clear and concise.
“From a carer’s perspective, the website allows them to gain a greater understanding and insight into the issues facing people with autism.”
Ash stressed that the site will be “super easy” to navigate, with a manual-like design, featuring shortcuts and guides to aid navigation.
The website offers several accessibility features, including the Reachdeck system, which can translate pages into over 100 languages, read the text on a page aloud, and simplify and organize pages.
It provides self-help resources on a range of topics and directs users to local libraries, health services and council services available across Gwent. (Image: Melo Cymru)
Jackie Williams said: “The website encourages feedback through its easy to use ‘like’ and ‘hate’ functionality.”
“This is a site for the people of Gwent and has been built with the people of Gwent.”
Think of this website as a toolkit for looking after your mental health – if after visiting the site you still feel you need more support, there is a section on the site with details of over 70 helpline/support services.
You will be directed to services such as 111 Option 2 for immediate assistance.
The Melo website is funded by the Welsh Government as part of the Regional Integration Fund.
