Discussing the findings of the Big Lottery Funded Together For You Project at their final conference were expert panel members Barry Turley, Iris Elliot, Mental Health Foundation, Minister of Health Michelle O’Neill MLA, Robbie Butler MLA, Health Committee; David Babington, Action Mental Health, Gerry Lynch; Royal College of Psychiatrists NI.
At a conference on Wednesday 22nd June, nine leading mental health charities celebrated the achievement of reaching over 52,000 beneficiaries with mental health services through the Together For You project, at the La Mon House Hotel. That’s over 15% of the population of Belfast (333,900) OR the entire population of Enniskillen, Antrim and Magherafelt combined! All at a cost of just £52 per head.
Together For You is a partnership project, funded by the Big Lottery Fund and led by Action Mental Health (AMH), working with Aware, CAUSE, CRUSE, MindWise, Nexus, PraxisCare, Relate NI and The Rainbow Project.
The conference was attended by over 170 stakeholders from the voluntary, private and public sector, and was officially opened by Minister of Health, Ms Michelle O’Neill;
“I am delighted to open the final conference of the Together For You Project. The figure of over 52,000 beneficiaries is a real achievement, and I congratulate all of the organisations and individuals involved.
Championing mental health is one of my main priorities. Anyone can be affected by mental illness, and I am determined that the Health and Social Care system provides top-class, recovery-focused care. The outcome of the Together For You Project demonstrates that the voluntary and community sector also has a crucial role in providing mental health and wellbeing services, and I look forward to working with you during my time in office.”
An independent evaluation of the Together For You project, conducted by PACEC revealed the improvement in people’s mental health (over 90%), with a further 90% of beneficiaries reporting that they are more able to seek help with mental health issues and a further 90% reporting they’re more able to direct others to sources of help and support. It is also hoped that the project has a long lasting effect on people’s lives, with over 94% of 294 past participants agreeing or strongly agreeing that the support they received had an ongoing / continued positive impact on their mental health and wellbeing.
Joanne McDowell, Big Lottery Fund NI Director, said:
“Before Big Lottery Fund invested in Together For You, we knew that we wanted to support an initiative that would improve people’s mental wellbeing across Northern Ireland. We are delighted that Together For You has brought groups working in this field together, increasing their impact and allowing them to learn from one another. We hope this partnership will leave a legacy of new collaborations that will work to support people who need help the most.”
David Babington, Chief Executive for Action Mental Health and spokesperson for the partnership said “The Together For You partnership has been extremely successful in reaching such a huge number of beneficiaries in a very short time, under budget. This can only be attributed to the excellent co-ordination of services across the partnership and the sharing of knowledge and practices between the nine leading mental health charities involved. Thanks must go to the Big Lottery Fund for investing in new and innovative ways of delivering mental health services in Northern Ireland, the legacy of which will hopefully live on through sharing of that knowledge today at the conference.”
Minister of Health, Michelle O’Neill MLA and David Babington, Chief Executive of Action Mental Health, Lead Partner for Together for You
Conference attendees also enjoyed hearing from leading teen author Juno Dawson who gave some excellent insights into how she has been raising awareness of mental health with young people following the release of her latest book ‘Mind Your Head’ and also guest speaker Dr Iris Elliott, Head of Research and Policy at the Mental Health Foundation. Thanks must also go to the beneficiaries on the day who bravely spoke about the help they received as a result of the Together For You Project.
Services under Together For You are now closed, however the nine organisations will continue to work hard together to share the learnings from this unique partnership. Read the full evaluation report here or contact the Together For You team on 028 9032 9150 or email [email protected].
Watch our final video summarising the achievements of the Together For You Project (9 mins):
Our New Horizons Service in Newry is hosting a sponsored walk on Saturday 2nd July from Omeath to Carlingford. For more info contact Brian Hughes: [email protected] or 028 3026 6117
I was an orphan at the age of 12, my sister and I then stayed with a neighbour. I always felt lonely and lost always looking for something but didn’t know what. I would see other children with their parents, they looked happy and loved, I never had that and always found it hard to show love.
As time went on, my sister was then at an age to get a house, we moved but I was still lost in myself, still looking for something and still couldn’t find it. After some time I got married, had 5 children and continued to work hard. I always did my best for them trying to get them what they needed but I still found it hard to show love. As time went on, I got divorced and ended up with custody of 4 of the children. It was during that time of bringing up my children I got depression and was in hospital for a while. It was during that time I spoke with the doctor about how I was feeling and how lost I felt. He told me about AMH New Horizons Foyle, he said it was a place where people go with much the same things as I had. I asked my doctor if he would help me to go there. It worked, I went to AMH New Horizons Foyle where I met great staff that listened to me, I was shown around and also met clients. It was then I finally found the part of myself that was missing, I know if it wasn’t for Foyle New Horizons, I don’t know where I would have been. I now have structure in my day and look forward to going there and helping out. I have more confidence now, I have also learned to love and have peace of mind.
Come along to a very special morning at AMH Promote, Bangor – this Saturday! we will be serving tea & coffee, or why not treat yourself to breakfast.
Also available to buy, will be lots of plants grown in our very own garden. Spread the word and bring all your friends – you will be made very welcome!
AMH Promote in Bangor is a training centre which delivers training to adults with learning disabilities, with a view to progression to employment options, social inclusive groups and/or further education.
Come along to AMH New Horizons in Newtownards on Friday 29th April @ 11am. This is your chance to quiz the candidates before we go to the polls in 2 weeks!
AMH Skills Coach Pauline Matthew and Award Winner Ken Stephens
Three clients from AMH New Horizons North Down & Ards were recognised at the annual CCEA Celebrating Achievement Awards at Titanic Belfast last week.
Ken Stevens, Heather Moore and Jacqueline Rutherford achieved success in their CCEA Creative Crafts qualification which was completed within AMH New Horizons.
They were nominated by AMH as an acknowledgement of the high quality of their work and progression after completing their qualification.
The award ceremony recognises the success of learners and the part played by teachers, lecturers, tutors, centres and family members. Each Learner was presented with a special certificate and award.
Ken Stephens – QCF Creative Crafts Level 2
Ken has overcome many difficult challenges, not lease his diagnoses of Fybromyalgia. He has discovered a real talent for Tiffany Glass and has now set up his own studio at home where de does commissions for friends and family.
Jacqueline has in the past found it difficult to leave the house and was socially isolated but has found coming to AMH NEw Horizons has given her a sense of purpose. She has discovered that she has a real talent for photography. Jacqueline is in the process of joining Newtownards Camera Club to pursue her interest in photography further.
Heather Moore – QCF Creative Crafts Level 2
Heather has obtained immense benefit from her attendance at AMH New Horizons. Heather has completed a Train the Trainer course at Seacourt Print Workshop to enable her to facilitate Community Art workshops. She has also taken up a placement at Seacourt to gain experience in a professional artist’s workshop.
Come along to a very special morning at AMH Promote, Bangor – this Saturday! we will be serving tea & coffee, or why not treat yourself to breakfast.
Come along to AMH New Horizons in Newtownards on Friday 29th April @ 11am. This is your chance to quiz the candidates before we go to the polls in 2 weeks!
