As the dust settles on another successful World Mental Health Day 2019 , New Horizons Downpatrick would like to say a public thank you to all those who took part in a variety of events hosted to shine a light on mental health.

The annual event – which takes place each year on October 10 – focused on suicide prevention for 2019 and to mark the day, the Downpatrick service took the opportunity to host a health promotion fair.

Against the backdrop of a purple-lit leisure centre, many other local groups and individuals took great lengths to help make the fair a success, according to New Horizons Downpatrick Service Manager Joanne Stroud.

“I have so many people to thank,” she said, paying tribute to all those assisted to create a memorable day.

Joanne singled out a number of people, including Linda Owens, from Asda community, for supplying healthy snacks and allowing AMH the space to host its information stand in the Downpatrick branch of the store during the afternoon of WMHD 2019.

Joanne also named others who volunteered to make it a day to be proud of.

“We had a number of people who gave up their free time.  Catherine, Sport Therapist from Peak condition, who gave advice on injuries, aches and pains; Steve for sharing with us his amazing performance skills; Tropic consultant, Mary Jane for giving complimentary hand massages using gorgeous greener and healthier products; and Aisling for providing Indian head massage tasters.

Joanne further expressed gratitude to Julie and Susan from NISSA, who joined New Horizons Downpatrick with a pop-up stand, outlining some of the services provided by the local Jobs and Benefits office.

 “We had a gratitude tree for everyone to list what they are grateful for and positivity pouches to hand out on the day. Finally, a big thanks to Newry Mourne and Down council member, Deputy Chair Terry Andrews who called to show his support and to the council for lighting the local Leisure centre purple to mark WMHD.”

Staff and clients from Downpatrick all helped with preparation, provided music and activities on the day, making it a resounding success and one not to be forgotten.

The AMH New Horizons activities the client participates in are operated through 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.

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The global spotlight shone on mental health this week as a diverse series of events all over the world culminated on World Mental Health Day, on Thursday, October 10.

Close to home, Action Mental Health was delighted to see so many supporters #GoPurple to help fundraise for the charity to help secure the future of AMH’s recovery and resilience services for people of all ages across Northern Ireland.

Companies, community groups and a diverse array of individuals held events and went on social media to share the #GoPurple message championed by AMH.

The night sky on WMHD was imbued with purple light illuminating some of Northern Ireland’s iconic buildings and local monuments. From Derry and Strabane Council Buildings and the city’s Playhouse, to Ards and Fermanagh Town Halls, Enniskillen Castle, Bangor’s McKee Clock, the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh and Downpatrick Leisure Centre. Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council, at Lagan Valley Island in Lisburn also went purple, as did the Titanic Hotel Belfast and Newry Town Hall.

AMH corporate partner, Danske Bank, which has raised many thousands of pounds for the charity over the past two years, illuminated its head office at Donegall Square West and its branches at University Road, Belfast, as well as in Shipquay Street, Derry-Londonderry and in Newry. Employees also spent the day fundraising for AMH at its various offices and staff rooms.

Corporate partner MKB Law turned varying shades of purple for the day, while Grant Thornton legal firm, which shares Danske’s Donegall Square West building, also tweeted its support of the #GoPurple message.

Other bodies which got behind the spirit of WMHD included the Mental Health Congress PPR, and The Consumer Council which hosted a ‘Make It Fake It Bake It’ sale for WMHD, raising funds for AMH.

In Newry, the annual WMHD Big Breakfast was joined by a number of local authority members and business interests, from Danske Bank, Murdock Group and PKF FPM business advisors, to Autoline, Haldane Fisher, and Saica Pack.

Patrons at Belfast’s historic Sunflower Pub took a lighter view of WMHD with an hilarious comedy night in aid of AMH, while at the same time in south Belfast, members of the construction industry also went purple in the Construction Excellence Awards at Belfast’s Crowne Plaza Ramada Hotel.

A variety of events were also hosted at numerous schools around Northern Ireland to mark WMHD. At Ballymacash Primary School in Lisburn, each class participated in an activity which highlighted the importance of mental health, while at Knockevin Special School, Downpatrick they were practicing the FiveWays to Well-being.

Events were also staged at St. Colum’s Primary, Portstewart, Royal School, Dungannon, New Row Primary School in Castledawson, and Phoenix Integrated Primary and Nursery School in Cookstown

AMH Works took the message of WMHD to Kainos’ Birmingham while closer to home Allstate also got its staff in on the WMHD act.

Edge Innovate in Tyrone and Harbinson Mulholland embraced the #GoPurple day with  cake sales and similar events.

JP Corry in Enniskillen and Newry had in-store information stands for their customers (primarily men working in the construction industry), a really important initiative – knocking down barriers and enabling a meaningful conversation about mental health!

Warrenpoint FC showed its support WMHD in aid of AMH, reminding fans on its Twitter feed that #ItsOkNotToBeOk, while Girlguiding Ulster marked the day by signing up to AMH mental health awareness training.

Supported Employment Solutions used the platform of WMHD to launch a new well-being room, The Tranquility Room in Belfast’s Lanyon Place.

AMH would like to say a great big thank you to everyone single one of you who took the #GoPurple message to heart, fundraising and embracing the true spirit of WMHD! 

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Art is one of the many activities enjoyed at Action Mental Health’s New Horizons services dotted around Northern Ireland. So, to help mark World Mental Health Day today, the diverse work of artists both amateur and professional, takes centre stage.

Clients at Antrim New Horizons are presenting their ‘Art of Recovery’ exhibition at Clotworthy House, Antrim until October 27.

Meanwhile, in Newtownards, artist Brian Kielt presents his one man show ‘Bardo: An Unknown Country’ at the Georgian Gallery, Ards Art Centre until October 26. His exhibition is being staged in aid of Action Mental Health.

Cyclists in Fermanagh have been using pedal power to raise money for AMH New Horizons Fermanagh.

Cyclists took part in the Tour of Fermanagh Sportive in August, raising a whopping £1700 for the service which helps people in recovery from periods of mental ill-health. Staff from the Fermanagh service helped out on the day, marshalling and providing an information stand on AMH services.

Action Mental Health New Horizons Downpatrick is currently benefitting from the Asda Foundation’s Green Token Giving scheme.  The service was nominated by a grateful client and it is now reaping the rewards of the community-based scheme which annually invests £1.4m in over 4000 good causes throughout the UK.

The Downpatrick service will receive donations from Asda Downpatrick shoppers all this month, right through to December 31. The scheme operates via a token system, and when Asda shoppers are at the till paying for items all they have to do is ask for a token and choose one of three causes to benefit.  From the start of this month Action Mental Health Downpatrick has been one of those lucky three causes.  The Men’s Shed, Downpatrick (part of the AMH family) and Knockevin Special School, Downpatrick, are the other benefactors.

Service Manager at New Horizons Downpatrick, Joanne Stroud, commented: “We are very grateful to have been selected to receive a donation from Asda’s Green Token Giving Scheme. Every pound raised will help to ensure the vital training programmes and activities provided at New Horizons Downpatrick which greatly benefit clients like the one who nominated us to receive the great fundraising opportunity.

“They are just one of the many hundreds who participate in the service’s programmes which exist to help people recovering from periods of mental ill-health, who are interested in progressing towards further education, training or employment.”

“We’d like to say a great big thank you to Asda from everyone here at AMH!”

The “Working it Out” project clients participate in 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.

AMH New Horizons Derriaghy showcases its talent for global focus on mental health

A showcase of talent came under the spotlight at Action Mental Health as the rest of the globe marks World Mental Health Day this week.

Clients at AMH New Horizons Derriaghy used the worldwide focus on mental health on October 10 to unveil two animations depicting their own journeys from mental ill-health to recovery.

The event took place during the weeklong celebrations of mental health, on Monday, October 7 at Bridge Community Centre, Railway Street Lisburn, with the mayor of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, councillor Alan Given in attendance.

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The men and women who attend the Derriaghy Service also committed their personal stories to prose following a series of creative writing classes. Their chronicles translate the impact of their illnesses on their lives, their families and work, and bring to life the positive impact of Action Mental Health.

Action Mental Health
By Susanne

 
Action Mental Health is just a charity to some but to you and me, it is a sanctuary.
It gives us hope when we see nothing ahead.
It makes friends of us even when we are the loneliest souls.
It brightens our lives by encouraging kindness.
Lifts our spirits and makes us smile.
Encourages our long lost talents to come out to the foreground.
And helps us to discover new ones which without them would never be found.
Our confidence grows and our problems disperse.
All without pressure we can now see our worth.
With gentle nudging, entertaining classes, we see the world in a different light.
We can now face the future and heal from our pasts.
We still have compassion but strengths now galore,
Supporting us daily and we know when we fall,
They will pick us up until we are ready to journey on.
Through dark times and good, they never falter, always there to do what they do best.
They restore faith – faith in human nature.

Thank-you AMH.

The two arts combined with a third, music, and treated the audience to the talents of the Service’s ukulele group.

Clients taking part in the day’s events participate in AMH New Horizons’ ‘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.

As Northern Ireland marks World Mental Health Day it’s fitting that the rising incidence of mental ill-health here is remembered. One in five adults in Northern Ireland will show signs of a mental illness, while the prevalence of mental illness in Northern Ireland is 25% higher than in England. Northern Ireland also has the highest rates of incidences and annual presentation for self-harm in the UK and the highest suicide rate – 16.4 per 100,000 population compared to 10.3 in England, 9.2 in Wales and 14.5 in Scotland in 2014.

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Action Mental Health’s annual kickstarter to World Mental Health Day – the Granite Challenge – got the charity’s packed week of events off to a resounding success on Sunday.

The sun shone for around 360 participants who tackled the sportive through the picturesque Mourne Mountains, tackling some challenging headwinds but raising much-needed funds for the charity’s Men’s Shed based at New Horizons Downpatrick.

All the money raised through the cycling event will be used to support the Men’s Shed which provides a relaxed and friendly environment where men over 50 form new friendships, share skills and learn new ones, while encouraging them to look after their mental health. Shedders, as they’re known, come together to work on practical activities of their choice, including horticulture, joinery, photography, arts and crafts, IT and cooking – every Men’s Shed is led by the needs and skills of its ‘shedders’ and AMH also offers one in Antrim and in Fermanagh.

The funds raised will be used to help pay for the men to attend as well as for equipment used in the workshops and other activities.

As a local charity, Action Mental Health relies on the support of the local community to help provide its vital services. The Downpatrick Shed is annually supported by the Granite Challenge which this weekend took cyclists along a scenic route through Tyrella and Dundrum, along coastal roads through Newcastle, and on towards Annalong at the foot of the Mournes. Riders then commenced their ascent through the Mournes past Silent Valley, climbing to Spelga Dam, before going downhill toward home, through the pretty village of Bryansford. Traversing Maghera and Clough they finally headed back to the finish in Downpatrick.

The challenging event was supported by McConvey Cycles and first aiders from St. John’s Ambulance, and as always, AMH is gratefully indebted to both for their great efforts on the day.

One member of the Men’s Shed in Downpatrick, Terry Murphy, reveals why the annual event is so important to him and his fellow Shedders. “I would encourage anyone our age to join the Men’s Shed; it’s very, very beneficial. You learn different skills and different crafts,  from wood-carving, and stained glass, to mosaic work.

“I enjoy my fellow shedders because without them there’s no shed. We all benefit from each other and as a group, together we all benefit from the support of the Granite Challenge. It’s an amazing community fundraising effort and we all really appreciate the people who come out to participate.”

AMH Chief Executive David Babington – who annually is among the hundreds of participating cyclists – reminds us that like any exercise, cycle promotes mental well-being.

“Physical activity plays a huge role in keeping our minds healthy as well as our bodies. With as many as one in five people in Northern Ireland experiencing mental ill-health at some stage of their life, it’s important to remember that simple things such as cycling to work or walking the dog can really help to reduce stress and clear the mind.

“As World Mental Health Day approaches on Thursday we couldn’t think of a more fitting tribute than hosting a large scale sporting event that unites the community in a show of support for those impacted by mental illness whilst also offering participants the chance to raise vital funds to support our work.

“We’re always really excited to host our annual Granite Challenge, which over the years has proved hugely popular with local cycling clubs and individuals alike. Each year the number of cyclists continues to grow, and this year the turnout was very gratifying so we want to thank everyone who took part.”

For further photographs, see our Facebook page https://bit.ly/2MqAmT8 or follow this link https://www.poharaphoto.com/amhgc3962

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The Department for Communities (DfC) Disability Stakeholder Forum met on Wednesday 2^nd October at AMH New Horizons Antrim. This meeting was preceded by a meeting between the Co-Chairs of the Forum, Deirdre Ward (DfC) & Tony Reilly (Northern Ireland Union of Supported Employment) and service users from a number of disability organisations, including Mencap, Triangle Housing and AMH New Horizons.

The role of the Department for Communities Disability Stakeholder Forum is to act as a cohesive and collaborative group that will support and influence the full implementation of the ‘Supporting Equality through Inclusive Employment – An Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities’.

In doing so, the Forum :

Contributes to the success of the strategy;

Reviews the Annual Action Plan at each of the Stakeholder Forum meetings;

Provides direct input into the future Action Plans within the lifetime of the strategy;

Champions the aims and objectives of the strategy within their own field and with other relevant stakeholders, such as people with disabilities, employers, local representatives etc;

Recommends the best methods to engage and communicate with the wider disability sector/community, particularly people with disabilities and those who represent their employment and employability needs.