Elfie, AMH’s resident Elf, is calling on friends old and new to get involved this Christmas and help us build a mentally ‘Elfie’ society for all!
Sign up below for some of Elfie’s Festive Fundraising events!
Taking place on the 5th December 2021 at Ormeau Park is Elfie’s Festive 5k. Open to all, this event is suitable for runner, walkers, little ones in prams and even the family dog.
Join us by clicking the link below and enjoy some seasonal sparkle with us!
Members of Action Mental Health’s Men’s Sheds get crafty as they Connect after Covid
Action Mental Health’s three Men’s Sheds are to benefit from a significant grant, supported by The National Lottery through Arts Council of Northern Ireland, to help the men of the charity in ‘Connecting After Covid’.
Thirty men from the Action Mental Health’s Men’s Sheds – based at AMH New Horizons Antrim, Downpatrick and Fermanagh – will come together to engage in arts programmes, supported by the Arts Council’s Arts and Older People Programme.
The three AMH Men’s Sheds will share £7,737 from the programme which aims to tackle loneliness as well as promoting positive mental health and well-being.
Lorraine Calderwood, Community Arts Development Officer at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, explained how the Arts and Older People’s Programme is making a difference to the lives of older people across the region:
“The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is delighted to support Action Mental Health’s Men’s Shed project. Research has proven that taking part in arts activities can raise self-esteem, confidence and motivation, as well assist in relieving stress. The Arts and Older People Programme is committed to providing meaningful opportunities for our older people to take part in arts activities, enriching their lives for the better. As we emerge from the additional challenges faced by older people as a result of the pandemic, participating in the arts is now more important than ever.
The arts have a vital role to play in helping older people find their voice thus promoting positive physical and mental health. Thanks to The National Lottery, Public Health Agency and Baring Foundation, the Arts Council is hugely proud to have supported 200 plus projects benefitting older people since the programme began.”
David Babington, Chief Executive of Action Mental Health, was delighted to receive the grant.
“AMH Men’s Sheds are popular venues for support, socialising, learning and leisure. The Sheds provide a space for men to come together, learn new skills and share old skills working together shoulder to shoulder on various projects helping them engage in their community.
“During the pandemic, members from AMH’s three Men’s Sheds around Northern Ireland have had to adjust. This funding gives the shedders the opportunity to come together, learn new skills and build up friendships in Antrim, Downpatrick and Enniskillen sheds. “
Harry Glass, of AMH Men’s Shed, Downpatrick, added: “As lockdown restrictions eased I was nervous about coming back to the shed. This project will give me something to look forward to, learning new skills and re-engaging with all the members again.”
Action Mental Health and its loyal supporters old and new have had a busy week marking World Mental Health Day. Schools, businesses, community groups, individuals and clients who attend AMH services have been Going Purple for Parity. That means they’ve been walking purple miles, holding purple-themed coffee mornings, quizzes, parties and a whole host of activities besides – all to help the charity hammer home its call to Go Purple for Parity.
That campaign call echoes this year’s global theme of WMHD – mental health in an unequal world – with Action Mental Health calling for equality of investment in mental health services in line with that channelled into physical health. That is because for too long, the mental health of Northern Ireland has been underfunded and undervalued. As a neglected ‘Cinderella service’, it has been in the shadows and overlooked.
The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated a situation in which more people in Northern Ireland already experience 25% greater mental health issues than anywhere else in the United Kingdom and it needs to be urgently addressed.
The support for the Go Purple for Parity campaign not only helps Action Mental Health champion the wider campaign, it also helps the charity raise vital funds to support our own mental health services for local people.
The recently announced Ten-Year Mental Health Strategy, announced by Health Minister Robin Swann, and the appointment of Mental Health Champion are steps in the right direction. However, these initiatives ring hollow if they are not matched by the investment required to bring Northern Ireland’s mental health service up to scratch.
To illustrate the level of mental health issues in Northern Ireland, evidence shows that one in five people will experience a mental health problem at some point in their lives, and half of all these problems start before the age of 14.
Last year our services supported over 30,000 local people through a range of recovery programmes, resilience-building and counselling services, in schools, in businesses and on a one-to-one basis.
As we once again celebrate World Mental Health Day, please join with us in calling for parity for mental health services, so that they are properly funded and resourced in line with physical health and so that the Mental Health Strategy can deliver the positive change we need and that we all want to see.
There’s lots of ways to get involved to celebrate World Mental Health Day on 10 October 2021.
Fundraise for Action Mental Health
Join AMH’s Mission for Mental Health and Go Purple for Parity.
As Action Mental Health celebrates World Mental Health Day on October 10th, 2021, we are asking schools, businesses, community groups, individual and families to help us Go Purple for Parity – and help Action Mental Health secure parity for mental health in Northern Ireland, in line with physical health.
Your support will also help raise vital funds to support our mental health services for local people.
You can Go Purple lots of ways!
Wear something Purple – or go all out and have a purple themed day, and ask guests to donate to take part.
Walk a purple mile – take the opportunity to walk a mile a day for a week, wearing something purple and ask friends, family or colleagues to sponsor you. Walking and exercise has been proven to greatly reduce feelings of anxiety and stress.
Have a purple tea break – instead of your regular teabreak, why not have a purple themed break, and ask participants for a donation.
Doing your own thing – of course you can choose to do whatever suits you or your group.
Thank you to everyone who have already been hard at work fundraising!
AMH Virtual Granite Challenge 1-31 October
Help us celebrate World Mental Health Day (10 October 2021) by clocking up as many miles as you can during the month of October and putting your ‘pedal to the metal‘ in aid of Action Mental Health’s vital mental health services.
Everyone who registers will receive one of our unique AMH Cycling Snoods!
This year we are extremely grateful to our friends and long time event supporter, McConvey Cycles, who have sponsored prizes for our participants.
Prizes will be awarded to:
1. Top Male Cyclist (most miles cycled in October 2021) 2. Top Female Cyclist (most miles cycled in October 2021) 3. Top Team (team of 5) – (most accumulated miles cycled in October 2021 by a team of 5) 4. Top Fundraiser in the AMH Virtual Granite Challenge 2021
Join with us in calling for mental health to be funded in line with physical health and for a guarantee that the Mental Health Strategy will be fully funded and implemented.
For too long, the mental health of Northern Ireland has been underfunded and undervalued. As a neglected ‘Cinderella service’, it has been in the shadows and overlooked for too long.
Action Mental Health has long campaigned for a mental health strategy for Northern Ireland and warmly welcomed Minister Swann’s announcement of its launch earlier this year and the appointment of a Mental Health Champion. It is imperative that we now see urgent work across Government to secure the significant investment required to deliver the actions outlined in the strategy. We urgently need to see parity for mental health. Be part of our Go Purple for Parity campaign this year.
Join us by using our Social Media Calendar and Graphics Pack to share the campaign messages or by creating your own content using the hashtags #ParityForMentalHealth #WorldMentalHealthDay #GoPurpleForParity
Click here to find out more and to download our packs.
Action Mental Health Services & Projects’ Calendar of Events
Monday 4 October
AMH New Horizons Newry Canal Clean
AMH Workable team are going on a Big Purple Walk throughout the week
AMH MensSana Regional team are delivering a number of Healthy Me, Little Healthy Me, Provoking Thought and Mindset sessions.
Tuesday 5 October
AMH New Horizons Newry have organised 2 bike rides and a bowls and taster session
AMH New Horizons Newtownards will be celebrating by distributing to their clients a ‘Care & Share’ gift kindly provided by Lidl.
Wednesday 6 October
AMH New Horizons Fermanagh is celebrating its 30 year anniversary and World Mental Health Day with a BBQ – we hope the weather stays fine for them!
Rosie is representing AMH and the Our Generation Project at the opening of a Wellbeing Centre in Lisnaskea where the Children’s Commissioner for Nothern Ireland will be in attendance.
AMH New Horizons Newry are having a Makaton session, model plane making and a session on how to host your own Zoom meetings.
Our Chief Executive, David Babington will be a panel guest at NICON 2021 Parallel Session : Mental Health – New Strategy, New Approaches? 11.20-12.20.
Thursday 7 October
At AMH New Horizons Antrim there will be a Big Purple Quiz and Big Purple Rock and Strollathon as well as some mindfulness
AMH New Horizons Newry have organised Meditation with Maria and Chi Me with Marc on Zoom
Friday 8 October
AMH New Horizons Belfast is holding an online quiz for staff and clients at 10.30am.
AMH New Horizons Downpatrick are holding a quiz and mindfulness session.
AMH New Horizons Antrim are re-launching their client art exhibition with the Mayor in attendance.
AMH New Horizons Newry are having tea, cakes and music.
Sunday 10 October – World Mental Health Day
AMH New Horizons Antrim have arranged for three Civic Buildings to be illuminated in purple.
AMH New Horizons Newry have arranged for Newry Town Hall, Newry Leisure Centre and Downpatrick Leisure Centre to be illuminated in purple.
AMH New Horizons Lisburn have arranged for Lisburn Civic Centre to be illuminated in purple.
AMH New Horizons Newtownards have arranged for the McKee Clock and Newtownards Townhall to be illuminated purple.
AMH New Horizons Foyle have arranged for Derry Playhouse, Derry City Airport, Magee Campus, Council Offices and Ebrington Buildings to be illuminated in purple.
Monday 11 October
AMH New Horizons Craigavon and Banbridge are partners in Southern Area’s Suicide Care Pathway which is launching today
AMH New Horizons Newtownards will be celebrating with ‘Take it easy on yourself: take a seat’. Clients will be provided with a chair to decorate as they see fit and be displayed throughout the week of World Mental Health Day.
Tuesday 12 October
AMH New Horizons Newtownards are going on a fishing trip to celebrate World Mental Health Day
AMH New Horizons Antrim and Men’s Shed Steeple Antrim are hosting a Volunteering Day
Wednesday 13 October
AMH New Horizons Newtownards are going on a fishing trip to celebrate World Mental Health Day
Join with us in calling for mental health to be funded in line with physical health and for a guarantee that the Mental Health Strategy will be fully funded and implemented.
For too long, the mental health of Northern Ireland has been underfunded and undervalued. As a neglected ‘Cinderella service’, it has been in the shadows and overlooked for too long.
Action Mental Health has long campaigned for a mental health strategy for Northern Ireland and warmly welcomed Minister Swann’s announcement of its launch earlier this year and the appointment of a Mental Health Champion. It is imperative that we now see urgent work across Government to secure the significant investment required to deliver the actions outlined in the strategy. We urgently need to see parity for mental health. Be part of our Go Purple for Parity campaign this year.
Join us by using our Social Media Calendar and Graphics Pack (available to download below) to share the campaign messages or by creating your own content using the hashtags #ParityForMentalHealth #WorldMentalHealthDay #GoPurpleForParity
All the instructions are in the pack – we have made taking part as easy as we can! On the run up to #WorldMentalHealthDay (10 October) we’ve prepared 1 tweet/post per day. Use the “Click here to Tweet” links provided and then add our graphic.
Many thanks to our clients – Geraldine, Mandy, Ben & Sandra who shared their views on why it’s so important to go purple for parity.
To join in with our Go Purple for Parity FundraisingCampaign, email: [email protected] for more information.
AMH New Horizons Foyle Key Worker Tony Hunter, Driver & Grounds Maintenance, receives the 2021 ICE award
A valued member of staff at Action Mental Health’s New Horizons Foyle service who has helped clients rally the tough times of the pandemic and beyond has been rewarded for his efforts.
Tony Hunter, driver and grounds maintenance worker at the service has won the AMH Chairman’s ICE Award – an annual accolade awarded by chairman Peter Fitzsimmons, for demonstrating ‘innovation, creativity and excellence’.
Action Mental Health’s Chief Executive, David Babington offered hearty congratulations to Tony when he handed over the coveted award recently.
“On behalf of our Chairman, I’m delighted to announce that Tony Hunter from our Foyle service has been award the ICE Award,” he said.
“For those who don’t know him, Tony is the driver and he has clearly been doing an ordinary job in an extraordinary way as a very valued member of the Foyle team, particularly during Covid. Tony has demonstrated Innovation, Creativity and Excellence whilst ensuring clients’ needs are being met and is really deserving of the Chairman’s ICE Award,” he added.
Mr Hunter won his award over a clutch of other accomplished nominees, as Mr Babington explained: “There were seven other nominees and I want to thank all those who nominated these individuals. The Chairman had a really difficult task in assessing and scoring each application and the professionalism, passion and commitment of all staff was evident and it made the selection so hard.”
It’s Northern Ireland Savings Week (20th – 24th September 2021). Now in its 4th year, Savings Week is an opportunity to help raise awareness of the benefits and importance of saving on a regular basis, encouraging people to not only think about saving, but prioritise it, and begin to consider the positive change it can have on their lives.
Action Mental Health is delighted to be supporting Progressive’s Savings Week again this year and we have shared some tips in our guest blog post Money and Mind on their website.
Scott Kennerley, Director of Financial Services, The Consumer Council NI; Jane Millar, Head of Lending & Savings, Progressive Building Society; Jonathan Smyth, Head of Fundraising & Communications, Action Mental Health at last year’s launch
Jonathan Smyth, Head of Communications & Fundraising at Action Mental Health, said of the partnership,
“We are delighted to be working alongside Progressive and The Consumer Council for Northern Ireland Savings Week as we know that financial anxiety and money worries can have serious impacts on people’s mental well-being. Teaching people about savings and budgeting, as well as taking steps to look after their mental health, is a simple way to prevent these issues getting out of control.”
A County Tyrone primary school has taken proactive steps to safeguard its Primary 7 pupils’ mental health and well-being as they prepare for the transition to ‘big school’ next year.
Cooley Primary School in Sixmilecross has enlisted the help of Action Mental Health’s Healthy Heroes programme which has been specially designed to explore key themes that impact on young people in the pivotal move from primary school to secondary level education.
Action Mental Health’s MensSana Project Worker Michael McClean displays the Healthy Heroes shield.
Healthy Heroes is a new, informative, year-long programme which builds on Action Mental Health’s highly successful and widely subscribed Healthy Me programme, which was developed in partnership with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and the Royal College of Psychiatry. Healthy Me has been promoting positive mental health in Northern Ireland’s primary schools since its launch in 2017.
Healthy Heroes aims to deal with issues of anxiety, stress and managing changes, as well as self-esteem, courage, confidence, learning differences and friendship. Crucially, it offers an evidence-based and trauma-informed approach to building life-long skills for coping with change and transitions. It is also all about celebrating individual children’s uniqueness and achievement as they move towards the first year of the next phase of their education.
Karen Atchison, Principal of Cooley Primary School commented: “Action Mental Health has supported our school over the past number of years and pupils and staff alike have found it to be very beneficial with practical advice and activities.
“The workshops themselves have appealed to our pupils and have given them self-help skills to deal with issues they may encounter. We are excited that our Year 7 class is going to be able to avail of the ‘Healthy Heroes’ programme,” she said.
“Children have had many different experiences in their lives over the past 18 months and we are delighted that this programme will support them as they transition towards post primary education, covering many key topics such as courage, anxiety and self-esteem. Having the support of an experienced project worker is just great,” she added.
AMH MensSana’s Michael McClean, who is among the charity’s team of specialist project workers who will deliver the Healthy Heroes programmes to Cooley Primary School, praised the school’s uptake of AMH’s mental health and well-being programmes in the past.
“The school has undertaken other programmes, like Healthy Me, in the past and it is so good to see this rural school placing such an emphasis on their pupils’ well-being and bring it to the fore.”
Children of Cooley Primary School learning how to prepare themselves for the transition to ‘big school’ with the help of Action Mental Health’s MensSana Project Worker Michael McClean.
For pricing and more information, contact our AMH MensSana team at:
