SOUTH Dorset MP Richard Drax spent time with people recovering from mental illness in Weymouth.

He has praised the work of the group members, staff and volunteers of Rethink Mental Illness and the Weymouth Community Mental Health Community Resource Team.

Mr Drax listened to the personal experiences of people recovering from mental illness and the difficulties they face returning to work.

He said: “Mental illness is a problem in regard to getting employers to look past it and instead concentrate on the potential. Of course, this is much easier said than done, and I would be being disingenuous if I didn’t recognise that.”

Mr Drax is the patron of a mental health charity in Bournemouth and says the progress clients make there is ‘quite remarkable’.

Members of the group make up the Confident for Work course run by Rethink Mental Illness in Weymouth.

It is for people suffering from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and other illnesses.

Karen Giles, one of the organisers of the Confident for Work course, said: “Richard Drax listened to everyone and the difficulties they have had returning to work.

“He was impressed with their determination to go back to work in spite of the difficulties they have faced.

“The members are determined to return to work but need more confidence and up-to-date skills.”

Rethink Mental Illness is a national charity which aims to offer a better life for millions of people affected by mental illness.