The specialist, Asif Naliya and Zahir Teemil run the Halliwell Road based Your Care Our Support together, providing mental health services to the people of Bolton.
They have now joined forces with Chorley businessman Shaz Malik, a well-known figure in the town thanks to his entrepreneurial and charity works, to launch a new mental wellbeing hub.
Mr Malik said he was driven not just by professional motives, but by personal ones as well.
He said: “I’ve battled with my mental health at several points in my life on which sometimes I’ve not even known or choice to ignore it and to be honest, I’ve faced just about every challenge there is if not I’ve seen it helping others.
“Personally thought I was coping. I kept pushing through, telling myself I was fine. That’s what many of us do, especially as men.
The partners hope to help support people’s mental health (Image: Public) “We wear this armour of strength, thinking asking for help is a weakness.
“But the truth is, I wasn’t fine. I didn’t realise how much I was struggling until it nearly became too much. I wish I’d spoken up earlier. I wish I’d known it was okay not to be okay.
“Eventually, I hit a moment of clarity. I admitted to myself that I wasn’t well and that was the turning point. I sought out treatment, I caught it in the early stages, recovery came quicker than I expected.
“That experience made me realise something else, how can I truly support the people if I’m not well myself?
“We often try to hold everyone else up while quietly falling apart. But you can’t pour from an empty cup. Taking care of your own mental health isn’t selfish, it’s necessary.”
Mr Malik has since established a strong reputation as founder of Helping Hands Chorley CIC and chairman of the Chorley Taxi Association.
The new hub will be based at the Millfields Day Care Centre (Image: Public) He says he now uses his platform to raise awareness about mental health and hopes the new hub help to create a stronger network for people facing similar challenges.
Mr Malik said: “Looking back, the hardest part wasn’t the healing, it was the silence before it.
“That feeling of suffering in the dark, convincing yourself everything’s under control when it’s not.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that reaching out isn’t weakness, it’s the bravest step you can take.”
He will now be working with Mr Naliya, who has more than 20 years of experience in the health and care sector and Mr Teemil, with more than 25 years’ experience as a mental health nurse.
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The pair say that their Bolton based agency aims to help people live independently and continue living in their own homes.
They have recently taken over the former former Millfields Day Care Centre at School Lane, Brinscall, Chorley which they aim to transform into their new hub.
The hub will aim to offer day services, outreach programs as part of a partnership between Your Care Our Support and Helping Hands Chorley.
Mr Naliya said: “This is about creating lasting change.
“By combining professional care with entrepreneurial drive and real-world experience, we’re building something truly meaningful a place where people feel safe, supported, and never alone.”