Ladies of Ballyclare Golf Club teed up an impressive £2,205.06 for AMH to help educate school children about the importance of positive wellbeing and looking after their mental health.

Commenting on the year-long fundraising effort, Lady’s Captain of Ballyclare Golf Club, Christine Bartley said:

“I am delighted and humbled by the huge amount of generosity, support and effort our members have put into raising awareness of mental health here in Northern Ireland and reducing the stigma surrounding it. We selected AMH as our charity of the year as they campaign on behalf of those people affected by mental ill health and are leading the way in regards to educating the general public and local politicians about it. People who are affected by mental ill health should never feel alone, ashamed or abandoned as a result of their condition. That’s why it is so important that we work together as a community to support those going through it by listening to their needs and sympathising with them – just as we would for anyone with a physical condition.”

Research has shown that one in four adults in Northern Ireland will show signs of mental ill health, with the prevalence of it here being 25% higher than in England.

Christine Bartley continued:

 “I would like to extend a huge thank you all of our members for helping us achieve such a fantastic fundraising total and showing their avid support every step of the way.”

 The funds raised by Ballyclare Golf Club, including an individual donation of £1,000 from Christine’s work; Emerald Music, will go towards Action Mental Health’s Healthy Me project which promotes social and emotional wellbeing in children through prevention and self-help.

Events and Fundraising Officer of AMH, Callum Clark said:

 “Now more than ever young people are increasingly susceptible to mental ill health as a result of mounting societal pressures. We are therefore hugely grateful to Ballyclare Golf Club for helping us to equip the youngest members of our society with the knowledge needed to nurture their mental and emotional wellbeing that our Healthy Me programme provides.  We cannot thank the members of Ballyclare Golf Club enough for donating their time and money to Action Mental Health over the course of the last year and to Christine for choosing us as their charity.”

“On the Rip” is a unique art project funded by PHA through the Clear project, it uses a car art medium to tackle the local lad/ ladette culture of young people going out at weekends “on the rip” The project challenges attitudes to drug and alcohol use, drink driving and road safety.

St Patrick who will sail up the Erne in a currach, arriving at Enniskillens St Patricks day parade on Thursday was one of the first to visit Fermanagh New Horizons “On the Rip” art exhibition this morning.

“Don’t Look Back “ is a mixed media art installation created by the young people on our BOOST programme.

Using a car art medium, the art piece captures the fun and happiness of positive emotional well- being, with the front of the car emblazoned with positive imagery, from which a lifesize sculpture of a dancing young man and woman emerge. In stark contrast , the back of the car conveys all the negativity of poor metal health  and captures the haunted, tormented experience associated with it. A 3d art piece behind the car, with snakes and demons and tormentors completes the art installation, and aptly illustrating why our young people are advising that you  “ Don’t Look Back”

Nearly 200,000 people across Northern Ireland have been reached with positive mental health and wellbeing information through the Health in Mind project.

This statistic was one of the positive messages arising from the Celebration of Health in Mind event, held recently at Ormeau Road Library.

Libraries NI, working along with Action Mental Health, Aware, CAUSE and MindWise, was able to deliver a wide range of events and workshops in public libraries over a six year period. The celebration event marked the end of the project, with partners, key stakeholders and participants coming together to reflect on the achievements.

During the project, many people received valuable knowledge, advice and information, by attending events in libraries and in other community venues.

The Health in Mind Partnership was funded under the Big Lottery Fund’s Live and Learn programme, working together to improve the understanding of mental health in the wider community and to provide opportunities to join in wellbeing activities and events.

Commenting on Health in Mind, Libraries NI Chief Executive Irene Knox said:

“The Health in Mind project has positively impacted and changed the lives of almost 200,000 people across Northern Ireland and was a leading example of effective, collaborative working with the four partner organisations involved.

 “Evidence from those who took part showed clearly that people valued the opportunity to avail of Health in Mind services and resources in their own local community, with like-minded people and in the safe and neutral environment of a library. The partner organisations’ expertise and knowledge was supported by Libraries NI’s increased investment in resources, including books, and information relevant to subject matters such as anxiety, wellbeing and depression.”  

 Siobhan Doherty, Chief Executive of Aware said:

“Aware have been really overwhelmed by the success of this project.  Working in partnership with Libraries NI and the other mental health charities has been such a positive experience for us in delivering services in a non-stigmatised way to people in their own communities.  People felt empowered to access support through this project and it opened up a whole new way of working for us.  Those we supported through this project have been delighted to have programmes delivered to them this way and it has been of such huge benefit to their mental wellbeing.”

Commenting on Health in Mind, Marie Grattan, Chief Executive of CAUSE added:

“Health in Mind has succeeded in raising awareness of mental health, caring for mental health and reducing stigma by offering a vibrant programme through local libraries at the heart of communities.  From accessing information on mental wellbeing in dedicated reading collections through to fun social activities, Libraries NI and the partnership of mental health charities has brought a real focus on mental health to a wider audience across all parts of Northern Ireland.”

Gavin McConvey from Action Mental Health said:

 “Health in Mind unlocked the potential for libraries in Northern Ireland to be central to local communities not only for learning but for life. Health in Mind paved the way and demonstrated that healthy resilient communities are a result of challenging the barriers to participation and reducing the stigma of mental ill health. 

Edward Gorringe, Chief Executive of MindWise added:

“The Health in Mind project was a great opportunity to put mental health right in the centre of local communities across Northern Ireland via local libraries. Working in partnership we have raised awareness and promoted our message of mental health recovery. The project has encouraged people to take care of their mental health and wellbeing and build resilience. The benefits of the Health in Mind project will continue to be felt through the ongoing community involvement of participants.”

As well as helping almost 200,000 people, strong working relationships have developed between the partners over the six years of the Health in Mind project and many other more local partnerships have also been developed which has proved to be successful in improving lives. This provides a sound foundation for any future initiatives in this area.

The appealing and user-friendly Health in Mind website www.yourhealthinmind.org will continue to provide an invaluable, freely available resource for members of the public and anyone interested in positive mental health and wellbeing information. Find out more about the project by having a look at these short films :-

Craig Connor completed his mini triathlon event; ‘EDYTATHLON’ honoring his late wife, Edyta, raising a staggering £352.42. The mini triathlon which consisted of a 5K treadmill, 5K bike and 5K on the rower, took place in the Manor House Hotel and Killyhevlin Hotel, Fermanagh. Craig also ran a raffle, well done to the winners: 1st Sally Rees & 2nd Nigel Glover. Craig would like to thank everyone who took part & helped him to raise awareness of mental health!!!

Thank you very much Craig!!! We deeply appreciate your donation & support! #TakingActionOnMentalHealth

Read Craig’s story below:

“In memory of my beautiful wife Edyta, I have organised a fundraising event to raise awareness of Mental Health Illness and hopefully reduce the stigma associated with it.
With physical activity being one of the best ways to combat the symptoms of many mental health illnesses, I wanted to arrange an event that would encourage this. The EDYTATHLON consists of three CV exercises (Treadmill, Bike & Rower), with each participant trying to complete a total of 15k (Ideally 5k on each). However, as the primary goal of the EDYTATHLON is to increase physical activity and improve the self-esteem / motivation levels of people who don’t get regular exercise, I want to include as many people as possible. Therefore, this 15k can be completed in a single day or accumulated throughout the week, and may also be completed on one, two or three CV exercises”

AMH’s Boost Programme in Fermanagh launches “On the Rip”, a unique community arts project aimed at young people.

By exploring the medium of art, a group of young people will transform a scrap car by ripping it apart and creating a dramatic, show stopping art installation.

Caroline Ferguson, AMH Service Manager explained:

 “Over the next few months this programme, funded by the Public Health Agency, will take a creative approach to tackling the local lad and ladette culture of going “on the rip” which is a growing concern amongst locals in the Fermanagh area.

“On the Rip will address alcohol and recreational drug use, physical fitness, road safety and drink driving, and the resultant legacy of lives being ripped apart.

“Although we are going to be tackling some very serious subjects, we fully intend to have a lot of fun with this programme and I can’t wait to see the final art piece.”

On the Rip will also incorporate the “5 ways to wellbeing model” which encourages young people to stay connected, be active, continue learning, be kind and stop and take notice.

If you would like to be involved in the programme, and are aged 18 – 30, or of you have a car which you would like to donate to the charity  give Rosemary Cupples,  AMH skills coach,  a call on T028 6632 3630, or email [email protected].