More than 1,000 signatures in support of improvements to mental health services were collected in Deal on Saturday, just two days before a TV programme revealed how little help is available to people.

Tracy Carr, of Langton Close, Deal, has been running Talk It Out, a self-funded support group for people with mental health issues and depression, for five years.

After a rise in the number of people in crisis and a lack of support from those in authority, she has started a petition to review, change and improve mental health services in Deal and the surrounding areas.

With help from about 20 volunteers including MP Charlie Elphicke and the Deal Regatta Court, she has so far collected 1,300 signatures. She would like to obtain at least 10,000 so it can be taken to parliament.

Mrs Carr said: “We were in the High Street for four hours and not one person said no.

“We’ve known for five years that it’s bad but the situation in Deal has really become dire.

“I want to say thank you to everybody who signed the petition. It’s a step in the right direction.”

On Monday, Mrs Carr shared her plight on BBC One’s Inside Out.

The programme, filmed in Deal late last year, explored whether the NHS was ceasing to be a national service, and whether access can depend on where you live.

Mrs Carr said she feels her group is doing the job of the health services because of a lack of resources in the area, and that nearly all of her 100 members felt let down by the NHS.

Liz Masters, 58, has been attending the group since its inception. She suffers with depression after losing her mother, aunt and a grandchild.

She said: “When you don’t get any help out there, our group is there for you. You can’t put a price on that.”

Kelly Smith, who suffers with post-traumatic stress disorder after she was attacked by her partner and then witnessed him stab somebody, also relies on the weekly group meetings.

Mrs Carr said: “The biggest thing is that people now know we’re here.

“It would be nice if now the services would take their own initiative to start up a base where people can go, where there is human contact.”

She has already been contacted by others who would like more help.

Mr Elphicke is trying to help the group get a grant for a well-being cafe at the Landmark Centre in Deal.

He also organised round-table discussions between Talk It Out, Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust, and South Kent Coast Clinical Commissioning Group at Buckland Hospital at the end of last year.

Mr Elphicke said: “Tracy and Talk It Out work tirelessly to make a difference to local people suffering from mental health problems.

“But they can’t do it alone and I have real concerns about current provision, particularly from the Sussex Partnership, which is in charge of the main contract. They simply aren’t doing enough to help vulnerable people in a timely, meaningful way.

“I want to see better mental health care in Dover and Deal and the surrounding areas – because support saves lives.”

Mrs Carr is planning to take the petition to the streets of Ramsgate on Saturday, February 4, and later to Sandwich.

It is available to sign at the Mercury office in Queen Street. Alternatively, click here.