Giant spiders that have descended upon a wall in Tenby are trying to help people face up to their fears.

The spiders, situated on the side of The Wood Shop on Upper Frog Street, appeared recently causing quite a stir in the town, but as shop owner Dave Roberts explains, he is not trying to drive people up the wall or make anyone’s skin crawl, it is simply his unique way of raising awareness of mental health issues.

“Firstly, I would like to say that it was never my intention to upset anyone and I’m sorry if I have, but the idea was to raise awareness of mental health issues which are a lot more common than people think,” he said.

“Fears of open spaces, enclosed spaces, snakes, water, flying and yes spiders as well.

“My own personal fear is of crowded or unfamiliar places and I have been suffering anxiety and panic attacks due to this for the last five years, but after attending sessions with NHS Wales, I have learnt that by facing my fears it has been possible to rationalise my thoughts and deal with my phobia,” explained Dave who along with his partner Bex said that CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) is a worthwhile form of therapy in which the client and therapist form a trusted relationship in order to address and dissect issues causing distress.

“We even had a customer come in to the shop this week and struggle to stay in the premises once she saw one of the wooden spiders for sale on display, but she came back in later after admitting that simply talking about it helped her face up to her fear,” said Bex.

“Although not cured, I’m loads better than I was and if by facing my fears has helped me, then it can help others,” added Dave.