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Welcome to Solid Ground

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Solid Ground is a walk-in peer-support group for adults living with the effects of difficult or unstable childhoods, family problems, addiction, trauma and relationships that have left a lasting mark.

 

Some people come because they grew up around alcohol or drug misuse. Others lived with anger, neglect, conflict or adults whose behaviour changed from one day to the next. Many have spent years keeping the peace, looking after everyone else and carrying problems that were never really theirs to solve.

 

Those experiences do not always stay in the past. They can affect how we deal with conflict, trust people, set boundaries and respond when something feels wrong. We may find ourselves watching other people’s moods, saying yes when we want to say no or taking responsibility for keeping everybody happy. We can look perfectly capable to the people around us while privately feeling anxious, exhausted or alone.

 

Solid Ground is somewhere to talk about those experiences with people who understand them because they have lived through their own. There is no referral process and no diagnosis is required. You can come along to a meeting without booking or explaining your history beforehand.

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How our Meetings Work

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We meet on Monday evenings and alternate between Sharing Meetings and Programme Meetings.​

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Sharing Meetings

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Sharing Meetings give people time to talk about what is happening in their lives and how it is affecting them. Nobody interrupts, gives unwanted advice or tells another person what they should do.

 

You decide whether you want to speak. Coming in, taking a seat and listening is enough, particularly when you are new and still getting used to the group.

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Programme Meetings (coming 2027)

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Programme Meetings look at some of the ways difficult experiences can continue to affect us as adults. We talk about boundaries, emotional responses, confidence, relationships and the things we learned to do in order to survive.

 

Understanding where our behaviour came from does not mean blaming other people for everything or avoiding responsibility for what we do now. It helps us recognise why certain situations affect us so strongly and where we may need to do things differently.

 

Our meetings also include a short reading about an experience many members will recognise. These readings are published on the website afterwards.

 

​Who Comes to Solid Ground

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There is no single type of person who attends Solid Ground. People come because something in their life is becoming difficult to carry alone.

 

You may recognise some of the following:

 

• You grew up around alcohol, drugs, anger, neglect or family conflict.

• You are always watching for changes in other people’s moods.

• You find it difficult to say no, ask for help or admit when something has hurt you.

• You feel responsible for other people and what happens in their lives.

• You keep going until you are exhausted because stopping does not feel like an option.

• You struggle with trust, boundaries or relationships.

• You feel anxious, isolated or unable to switch off.

• You have spent years appearing fine while knowing that you are not.

 

You may relate to one of these experiences or several of them. What matters is that something is affecting your life and you would like somewhere to talk about it.

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Coming Along for the First Time

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Most people feel nervous before their first meeting. Walking into an unfamiliar room is difficult when you have spent years keeping personal matters private or dealing with everything on your own.

 

When you arrive, one of the volunteers will welcome you and explain how the meeting works. We use first names only. You will not be asked to stand up, tell your story or explain why you are there.

 

Some people speak during their first meeting. Others listen until they have attended a few times and know the room and the people better. The choice remains yours.

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How We Work

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Solid Ground is run by volunteers with their own lived experience. It is peer support rather than therapy or a clinical service.

 

We listen without interrupting and avoid giving advice unless someone has asked for it. Members are responsible for making their own decisions, and nobody in the group will tell another person how to live their life.

 

What is shared during a meeting is treated as confidential. This allows people to speak honestly without worrying that their personal experiences will be discussed elsewhere.

 

Our volunteers are:

• Kevin Drysdale, Interim Chair

• Colette McKinlay, Treasurer

• Rebecca Glen, Secretary

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Meeting Information

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Mondays, 7.30pm to 9.00pm
Hurlford Community Centre, Cessnock Road, KA1 5DD

Free to attend and no referral needed.

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Solid Ground is free to attend. There is no booking or referral process, so you can come along on the night.

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Start here

• Read the 

• If you’d like to ask anything, contact us