A group of young people mourning the loss of friends who have died by suicide are staging a gala ball in their memory and to help raise awareness of its rising incidence in Northern Ireland.

Six young people, from the Dundonald and Belfast areas, are also using the event to help raise funds for two leading charities, Action Mental Health and Pips, the suicide and self-harm prevention organisation.

The Suicide Awareness Gala Ball will be held at the Stormont Hotel, Belfast on Saturday, September 29. The group is appealing for local businesses to offer prizes for raffles to help raise more money on the night.

Sisters Jodie and Robyn Gouin, from Dundonald, have lost two friends in the past six years and together with four other friends – Phil and Gareth McGimpsey, Ryan Harris and Lauren Brown – they have decided to host the ball together.

They felt compelled to act following their friends’ untimely deaths, and by staging the gala, they hope to raise money for both Action Mental Health and for Pips, to shine a light on the rising problem of suicide, especially in young men.

Jodie, 26 explained: “We want to raise awareness and to try to break down the stigmas that prevent males, especially, from talking about their problems and whatever drives them to such drastic – and final – steps, as suicide.

Her younger sister Robyn, who is 22 agreed: “One of our friends was there for me and very supportive when our grandad died. He was the first one to come to me and tell me to keep going on, but then it wasn’t so long after that that he took his own life.

“Suicide is on the increase and there are still people, especially young men, who suffer anxiety or other issues who are afraid to talk about it, and we have to do something about that,” she added.

“We have to raise awareness that there are people and organisations, like Action Mental Health and Pips, which can help. People who are suffering need to know they are not alone.”

AMH Fundraising Officer Callum Clark said: “We are delighted to have been chosen as one of the benefactors of the Suicide Awareness Gala Ball.

“It is great to see this group of young people, who sadly have been bereaved of friends by suicide, making such an effort to help break down the stigma still attached to mental health.”

For further details and information on purchasing tickets for the black tie charity event, which cost £35 each and include a three-course meal, please visit the group’s Facebook page –

https://www.facebook.com/events/317489478987674/

The Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, Julie Flaherty, has been getting an insight into the wide-reaching work of Action Mental Health in the local community.

Councillor Flaherty recently visited with Action Mental Health personnel and clients during a special tour of Tannaghmore Gardens near Lurgan, in a bid to learn about the link between the picturesque venue and the charity. The gardens provide training and employment opportunities for people who attend the nearby AMH New Horizons which serves the Council Borough.

Mrs Flaherty paid the visit as part of her commitment to support the charity ahead of the Council’s support for World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10 and World Mental Health Day, which takes place on October 10. It is on the latter date when civic buildings throughout the borough are expected to ‘Go Purple’ and be illuminated in purple light in support of AMH’s many events to mark the global spotlight on mental health issues.

The Working it Out project delivered by AMH New Horizons is part-funded through the Northern Ireland European Social Fund Programme 2014-2020 and the Department for the Economy

Action Mental Health Chief Executive David Babington was there to greet the mayor and explained how the gardens aid people’s recovery from periods of mental ill-health.

“We have been working within the gardens since the mid-1990s and here, we help create vocational, employment and life skills opportunities for people during their recovery journey through individually tailored and progressive support plans.  Our partnership with ABC here at Tannaghmore Gardens also enables clients to make a significant contribution to their community in maintaining the beautiful Walled Garden.”

AMH have enjoyed a positive working relationship with the ABC Council and look forward to future collaborations that will collectively help in countering the stigma that still exits, limiting the potential for people who experience mental ill health and their quality of life.

The silverware is being polished as Action Mental Health’s Foyle New Horizons service prepares to mark 25 years of providing a lifeline for people experiencing mental ill-health.

Clients, past and present, will converge on AMH in Derry/Londonderry on August 29 for a celebration marking many milestones from a quarter century of providing support, camaraderie and practical help for local people.

The day’s festivities will feature a BBQ and an array of events staged to cast an eye down memory lane. New Horizons clients will then join staff and local supporters, including councillors and Assembly members to brace themselves for firewalking and glasswalking!

The event will also showcase arts and crafts created at New Horizons Foyle, including a feature flower meadow, finely crafted from fused glass and ceramics with a centrepiece being a glass sword set in a glass cage – depicting AMH’s overarching theme of cutting out the stigma surrounding mental ill-health.

New Horizons first opened up in the north western city in June 1993. Foyle Service Manager Mickie Harkin was one of those around as the charity started welcoming in people from the city and surrounding areas who commenced their journey to recovery and hope .

The past 25 years have witnessed numerous highlights, from anti-stigma campaigns, including the challenging ‘Don’t Lose Your Marbles’ events, to the one-of-a-kind sofa made from books, to mark the ‘What’s Your Story?’ initiative during the City of Culture.

The quarter century of activities also included the collaboration between AMH and artist Pat Ross, who brought his stunning ‘Read Between the Lines’ art, depicting his struggles with schizophrenia to New Horizons Foyle, as well as the creation of a fine, glass fiddle, by AMH client Billy Henderson, which had the honour of being displayed at Stormont.

Local dignitaries from district and borough councils, the Northern Ireland Assembly – even the Deputy First Minister, the late Martin McGuinness, visited in 2011.

The yearly World Mental Health Day celebrations, held every autumn, annually presented clients and staff with opportunities to mark the topic of recovery from mental ill-health, through informational and artistic outlets, while the QUEST programme – Foyle’s specialist Alcohol Outreach Project, has been a pivotal stepping stone for people suffering from addiction.

Fundraisers have come forth in many guises, from the individuals who have walked, run or abseiled their way for sponsorship for AMH Foyle, similar efforts include the generous local companies and statutory bodies – all helping to sustain the future of the regional service.

AMH New Horizons Working it Out Project is part-funded through the Northern Ireland European Social Fund Programme 2014-2020 and the Department for the Economy.

Mickie Harkin stated: “This anniversary event is all about the countless clients we have helped, from their first tentative and nervous steps into New Horizons, until they moved on to the next phase of their lives, more positive and usually clutching certificates of achievement in various vocational courses.

“But it’s also about the many individuals, organisations, employers, funders, partners, staff and our clients’ families who have all contributed to help us build the service, and who continue, to this day, 25 years later, to make it what it is, and will continue to be in the future.”

The annual display of back-to-school photos have begun to appear on social media already. Our children, young and older alike, are posing in shiny new uniforms – usually at the front door – and are heading off on either the first rung of their school ladder, or the next.

Our kids are leaving behind the carefree days of summer to return to the  routine of the classroom, which for some, may be at a very significant period in their school career. Many are transitioning to ‘big school’ for the first time, are entering milestone years of GCSE or A-levels, or are heading off to university. For our P6s around the country, many are about to face the pivotal and unquestionably daunting prospect of AQE and GL exams.

There are many online resources to turn to offering advice on a gamut of issues surrounding the resumption of school, including:

• Childline https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/school-college-and-work/school-college/school/
• The BBC’s CBBC site https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/findoutmore/going-back-to-school-tips;
• Mumsnet https://www.mumsnet.com/education/back-to-school

Here at AMH, we are also lucky to be a partner of the Northern Area Mental Health Initiative. It is a portal packed with information and advice on dealing with a wide variety of issues related to childhood, from as young as eight years old.

As well as promoting the Five Ways to Well-Being, it offers a raft of resources on issues from exam pressures and bullying to coping skills and resilience, as well as fun and informative content. Visit the link below for more…

• https://northernareamhi.org.uk/
• https://northernareamhi.org.uk/2018/08/22/schools-and-colleges-urged-to-make-mental-health-top-of-the-class-this-term/

#FundraisingFriday this week is testament to another amazing show of courage and generosity from supporters of Action Mental Health.

Mother and daughter team, Ann and Joanne Galway, literally threw themselves into fundraising – by throwing themselves out of a plane to raise a whopping £1682 through a sponsored skydive.

The hair-raising effort had poignant significance for the pair, as they took part in the 10,000 feet tandem skydive in memory of Joanne’s father who died in 2013.

Meanwhile, a Northern Ireland man living in Scotland has been back home to run the Antrim Coast Marathon in aid of Action Mental Health. Aidan Mitchell raised £482.50 in a bid to help charities like AMH help raise awareness on men’s mental health issues.

Aidan explained: “I work in healthcare in Scotland but I am from N.I. I have raised money before for men’s mental health charities and it is still something I feel strongly about, especially in today’s world of ‘machoism’, men still struggle to speak out about their issues, plus the high number of young male suicides.

“I am aware it is has been said to be a larger issue at home so that is why I choose AMH. I like how you work with other charities, raising awareness of mental health.”

Aiden finished the race, which snaked its way through the beautiful coastline from Cushendall to Larne, in 4hrs 30 minutes.

Well done to you all for such amazing feats of endurance and bravado and thanks very much for choosing Action Mental Health as the beneficiary.

A YOUNG Newtownards woman has completed a 297 mile sponsored walk, in memory of the same number of people who took their own lives in Northern Ireland in 2017.

Katie Graden, a sixth form student at Glenlola Collegiate devoted two months to complete the milestone effort and yesterday (Tuesday, August 21) handed over a cheque for the £1051 raised by the feat of endurance to Action Mental Health Chief Executive David Babington.

The cheque was presented during a ceremony at Stormont’s Parliament Buildings, supported by MLAs from across the political divide.

Katie explained her motivation for the mammoth achievement under her belt at just 17 years of age.

“I cherish my community and want to do everything I can to help anyone who is suffering an episode of poor mental health. Anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicidal thoughts are far too common these days and I wanted to play my part in supporting the fantastic work of Action Mental Health.”

The fundraising initiative is an extension of Katie’s proposal for a mental health pupil leadership team for every school in Northern Ireland.

Katie said: “My proposal is for a student mental health and well-being council in every school, where pupils are elected through an application and interview process. This team would hold regular meetings with the teacher-led pastoral care team to discuss recent issues, review processes and identify more effective solutions from a student perspective.

“The team should be trained in confidentiality to allow students to speak freely and any issues would only be passed on if necessary. Students should be shown how to deal with panic attacks, self-harm and students experiencing suicidal thoughts in particular, just like students are trained in first aid.

“I have delivered my proposal to the Department of Education and the All Party Group on Mental Health. We are currently waiting for the results from an international research report carried out by Stormont’s research team and today, I am pleased so many politicians from so many parties were here to support me.

“I am hopeful of securing a one year pilot scheme and I have already had interest from Glenlola Collegiate, Lagan College and The School of Engineering at Queens University. If any other schools are interested, please contact me via email, [email protected].uk.”
Action Mental Health’s David Babington expressed his admiration for Katie’s determination and endurance.

“Katie is a very determined young woman, with an incredible passion and commitment for her local community. We are delighted, here at Action Mental Health, to support a future leader and wish Katie every success in her bid to secure a student mental health and well-being council in schools in Northern Ireland.

“Her efforts compliment Action Mental Health’s programmes in schools designed to support positive mental health and well-being and promote resilience among school children, including our Healthy Me and Provoking Thought, among others.”