A flourishing social group that swelled from 18 to 350 members in just three years has expanded to provide a new service for carers.

The Meet and Mingle social group launched its new service at the Resource Centre in Church Street, Slough.

Meet and Mingle’s founder Aksa Marshal explained why she had decided to expand it to include monthly get togethers for carers.

She said: “I’m a carer myself looking after my daughter who had cerebral palsy. So I go through all the challenges myself – it is demanding but rewarding.”

The new group will meet on the first Friday of every month from 12.30pm to 2.30pm. Mrs Marshal said: “I want people who come to have a life of their own and to forget their problems for a while.”

Guests at the launch included the Mayor of Slough Cllr Arvind Dhaliwal, locally based GPs Lalitha Iyer and Anant Sachdev and representatives from CVS (Slough Council of Voluntary Services) and the counselling service SPACE.

The BBC were there too, filming for a programme in which Mrs Marshal’s group will figure.

Meet and Mingle has been a big success for Mrs Marshal, expanding from a small social group for Asian ladies three years ago to one open to all ladies regardless of nationalities.

Mrs Marshal’s success has been mirrored by her daughter Asa, 27, who has not let her disability as a cerebral palsy sufferer stop her setting up her own charity aimed at disabled people and performing at the Olympics opening ceremony in 2012.