One of Action Mental Health’s senior managers has offered insight into the experiences of those living with schizophrenia, following BBC soap EastEnders’ storyline on a character living with the mental illness.

Colin Loughran, Service Manager with AMH New Horizons Craigavon & Banbridge, AMH everyBODY, and AMH MensSana, previously worked for 12 years as a service manager for the National Schizophrenia Fellowship, now Rethink.

During an interview on the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster programme, when a local woman living with the condition offered her experiences, Mr Loughran also spoke of the ‘sensitive’ way in which the television show had treated the sensitive issue.

He said popular shows like Eastenders helped to “create better awareness” and helped to “give opportunities to organisations like Action Mental Health to create better education among individuals and society”.

Mr Loughran said shows like this work well to address stigma. “And the stigma is one of the biggest reasons why people who experience issues do not seek the support that they need, so it encourages people who experience severe and enduring mental illness to talk about their experiences and then get the subsequent support that they can get from statutory services or from organisations like Action Mental Health.”

To hear the full interview, listen from around 55:30 minutes: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000yc81

Staff from the physiotherapy department at the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust (BHSCT) have been inspired by the summer Olympics in Tokyo to get fit and active this August, in aid of Action Mental Health.

This Thankful Thursday, Action Mental Health applauds the generosity of staff who have challenged themselves to increase their activity levels, whether by walking, running, swimming, cycling, gardening – or by any preferred physical pastime. 

During the 31 days of August, staff aim to collectively complete a total of 5,869 miles – the distance between Belfast and Tokyo. 

A whopping 450 physiotherapists are taking part in the fundraiser for Action Mental Health, as part of a wider physical activity challenge during August championed by ‘WeAhps’ – a Twitter community of health professionals – where the group will also be posting about their progress.

One of the group commented: “As physiotherapists we are acutely aware of the problems associated with increasing levels of sedentary behaviour and the benefits we can get from increasing our physical activity levels – including benefits to our mental health. To this end we thought that your charity was a really suitable and worthy cause to champion and we decided to select Action Mental Health as one of the charities we wanted to support.”

The other organisation benefiting from the mammoth effort is The Mary Peters Trust. 

“Our aim is to increase our own physical activity levels throughout August any way we can – increasing awareness of the importance of physical activity among staff, patients and the general public. This may be through daily walks, every day activities like gardening, Park Runs or other formal exercise opportunities,” the spokesperson added.

Head of Communications & Fundraising at Action Mental Health, Jonathan Smyth commented: “Being active is a great way to improve our mental health and we are really pleased to see the team from the physiotherapy department at BHSCT taking on this challenge. We are delighted that they have chosen Action Mental Health to receive the funds they raise through their active endeavour. We wish them well as they prepare to raise their game next month.’

Action Mental Health is so proud of its favourite ambassador, Olympic finalist, Rhys McClenaghan, who has offered words of support to a fellow gymnast who withdrew from the USA Olympic team events in Tokyo this week.

Rhys, who became an ambassador for the charity in 2018, commented on the end of much of the Olympic dream for four-time gold medallist Simone Biles, and urged people to be mindful of the great stress athletes find themselves under.

Rhys has been lending his support to Action Mental Health since 2018 when he became the charity’s ambassador as part of its position as a designated charity for the 2019 Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon. He has continued his support of AMH ever since, supporting our 2020 campaign to mark Children’s Mental Health Week and other similar events.

From the Olympic village in Tokyo, Newtownards man, Rhys, said in a Tweet: “Mental blocks ain’t no joke. I’ve experienced this first hand throughout my career and they are still the most challenging times I’ve faced. Only people who have experienced this can fully understand the stress that comes with it.”

The pommel horse Olympian comments come after Biles withdrew from the team events and from defending her all-round individual title on Tuesday, citing mental health issues. She has yet to announce whether she will compete in the individual finals due to take place next week. When she pulled out she admitted she and fellow athletes were “just a little bit too stressed out” following a long year of lockdown.

Rhys, a Commonwealth gold medallist and European champion, goes in to the pommel horse final in Tokyo on Sunday as a medal hopeful and will be on our screens from approximately 10.45am. All the very beset of luck!

Rhys made this video for our Children’s Mental Health Week campaign last year when he took the year’s theme ‘Find Your Brave’ and revealed how he strives to find his own, in his career and personal life.

Wooden pallets have been transformed into beautiful window and bird boxes by the skilled hands of the members of the Men’s Shed based at AMH New Horizons Fermanagh.

The simple wooden pallets, provided by Balcas sawmill in Enniskillen, fired the imaginations of the ‘shedders’ who turned their bandsaws, planes and lathes to the wood to create window boxes, bird boxes and a whole host of other products.

The attractive pieces are now on sale from the Men’s Shed at AMH New Horizons, Drumcoo in Enniskillen with all proceeds raised going to Action Mental Health to help support its Men’s Shed and its myriad other services which cater for all ages of society across Northern Ireland.

The donation of pallets marks the third year that Balcas have made the contribution of material which enable the men to craft their products. As a token of their appreciation, the Men’s Shed will gift Balcas with a few large planters to adorn their office front at Killadeas Road, Enniskillen.

The Men’s Shed is a project for men aged 50 plus, where they share skills, socialise and connect with their wider community. Members work on a variety of practical activities, learn new skills, exchange ideas, make friendships and support each other. The Men’s Shed is open to men aged 50 years. The Shed survives through donations, sales and a voluntary contribution of £10 a month from the members.

A milestone birthday has prompted a County Down man to use the occasion to test his mettle while raising money for Action Mental Health.

Gareth O’Brien, from Kilcoo, who works as shop manager at Haldane Fisher, turned 50 this year and decided to use the big Five-O as an opportunity to help Action Mental Health support its wide-ranging services for clients at AMH New Horizons Newry and Mourne.

Gareth, who lives in Kilcoo with his partner Elaine, has been running as a hobby for the past 15 years, and has been steadily building up the distance in that time, choosing Action Mental Health to benefit from his marathon efforts because mental health issues are so prevalent in the community.

Gareth ran his marathon – from Armagh to Restrevor ­– on Saturday, July 17, and was welcomed to the finish line by bagpipers, some of whom Gareth has played with, in local bands in previous years, and other well-wishers, including work colleagues.

“A few people I know have been affected by mental health issues, and I think a lot of families have too, so as I turn 50 this year I decided to run a marathon from Armagh to Rostrevor, to raise funds for Action Mental Health New Horizons Newry and Mourne, based in Ballybot House. With these changing and challenging times that Covid has brought I am hoping the funds raised will be of great use and help those who need it,” he said.

 “I have worked in Haldane Fisher now for 32 years and the support I get there from work colleagues and customers is incredible,” he added.

So far, Gareth’s fundraising efforts have shored up almost £3000. Anyone interested in donated can do so online at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/gareth-o-brien1. You can also donate at shop counter in Haldane Fisher. Alternatively, donations can be made at AMH New Horizons Newry at An Storas, 28 Cornmarket Newry BT35 8GB

AMH New Horizons supports the recovery of adults experiencing mental ill-health who are interested in progressing towards further education/training or employment. Clients who attend New Horizons participate in the “Working it Out” project, which is part-funded through the Northern Ireland European Social Fund Programme 2014-2020, the Department for the Economy and the five NI Health & Social Care Trusts. The project provides specialist training in personal development, vocational skills and employability.

The owner of a small alpaca herd is adorning her land with one of nature’s brightest flora to help raise money for Action Mental Health.

Carole Gribben and her mother, Margaret Huddleson, have sprinkled thousands of sunflower seeds across two acres of fields at their Dromore farm ahead of a planned unveiling later this summer.

If the weather is kind and the land produces the field of gold the mother and daughter team is aiming to welcome members of the public to marvel at the floral bursts of sunshine, for a small entry free in aid of Action Mental Health. Another local mental health charity, Emerge Counselling Service, will also benefit from the fundraising initiative.

Carole and Margaret have already raised funds for Action Mental Health by sharing their efforts to brighten the County Down countryside with the involvement of local schools. A number of nurseries and primary schools have enthusiastically taken up the gauntlet by purchasing the seeds – with the proceeds going to Action Mental Health – and sowing them, to enjoy in the classroom and at home.

The desire to raise funds for a mental health charity like Action Mental Health stems from similar inspiration that prompted Carole’s purchase of the alpacas.

“I lived for many years in Great Britain, where they are more common – numbering up to approximately 25,000 and I always wanted to have alpacas. When I moved back to Northern Ireland I really started to think seriously about it, talking it over with family members, and researching these fantastic, gentle and curious animals and the positive benefits they bring to one’s mental health and well-being. The decision was made and two pregnant females arrived to start our herd in October 2019, with two female cria (baby alpaca) born in April and June 2020.

“Owning alpacas is addictive so we hope to grow our herd. The long term goal is to use these exotic animals in animal assisted interventions alongside counsellor practitioners and complementary therapies.”

Carole cited studies and evidence into the benefits of the camelid creatures to people’s mental well-being. According to a former paramedic and qualified counsellor, Victoria Barrett of Simply Alpaca in Worcestershire, alpacas are great candidates for Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) and can help in the treatment of patients with depression and anxiety, as well as victims of abuse and trauma.

Carole added: “As a family, like many across Northern Ireland, we have all taken a hit with our mental health. We have been inspired by so many who have fundraised during 2020, so feel it is our turn to support a charity such as AMH and give a little back in 2021.”

Rowan Hill Alpacas is looking forward to seeing online images of the sunflowers grown by the participating schools and is asking parents of the children involved to share pictures of the growing sunflowers.

Carole is cautiously optimistic that her field will bear fruit – or flowers!

“The field of gold is currently a waist high field of green and not having grown sunflowers before it is hard to tell what we have!” she quipped.

“Will this be fields of gold or “flowers” in the wrong places (weeds)? The aim is to open the  land to visitors in August. Watch this space for updates!”

A young Belfast woman is running her first ever Belfast City Marathon this year to help raise money for Action Mental Health while ticking off a bucket list goal.

Annie McKirgan, a medical student, who is currently studying in Liverpool, is limbering up for her challenge which this year has moved from its traditional May time slot to October 3 due to the continuing restrictions of the pandemic.

The 22-year-old said she had chosen Action Mental Health to benefit from her fundraising efforts since everyone knows someone who has experienced mental health issues.

Annie took up running in October of 2019 after entering a half marathon with her mother – the London Landmark Half Marathon. Always an active sports fan, she had never run prior to that, but once she enlisted for her inaugural 13-mile challenge, she quickly got the bug for it.

Like many events which fell victim to the pandemic, the London run was cancelled, however, Annie kept running and managed to run a number of other half marathon-length runs in Belfast with her mum, and in solo runs in Liverpool.

“Running has definitely become an outlet for me, and such an amazing way to clear my head – I’m so glad I have found a love for it,” she said.

She continued: “No matter who you, where you’re from, or how good your life may be perceived, we all know someone who’s struggled with their mental health. That may be you. It may be a friend or family member. It may be someone you’ve lost contact with, but have heard they’re struggling. We all know someone. We are all affected.

“All too often, we forget that we need to nurture our mental health; that we should just put on our ‘big girl’ pants and get on with in. But if it were that easy, we wouldn’t be in the midst of a mental health crisis,” she added.

Annie said the work of charities like Action Mental Health, which provides myriad services to help bolster the mental health landscape of Northern Ireland, was essential.

“We need charities like this,” she said. “It is working to mend the mental health crisis at present, and yet, is actively working to instil resilience in our population so that our future society will be well-equipped to foster happy and healthy minds.

“Mental health is a spectrum, upon which we all exist. Some people have more days at the bottom of the spectrum, while others are lucky to spend more time at the top. But it’s a spectrum that incorporates the whole of society. So it’s about time we help charities such as Action Mental Health, to get more people towards the happier end of the spectrum.”

Sign up today at www.belfastcitymarathon.com and then register with Action Mental Health at https://bcm2021.eventbrite.co.uk to receive your free fundraising pack and running vest/T shirt. The date of final entry is August 27, 2021