Over 250,000 people in Northern Ireland have a mental health problem – that amounts to one in every five people in our community. Half of these problems start before the age of 14.

Action Mental Health (AMH) was founded back in 1963 when the stigma of the day made it very difficult for people with mental ill-health to access the support they needed. Thankfully nowadays, with the increased awareness and reduction in stigma on mental health, AMH’s nine New Horizons services around Northern Ireland, are much-vaunted support networks to people experiencing periods of mental ill-health.

New Horizons operates recovery services that offer well-being, vocational and employability programmes. This complements AMH’s emotional well-being and resilience building programmes in schools, workplaces and indeed across the community which aim to build a more resilient and healthier population. Last year AMH services supported over 33,000 local people.

Through this year’s Christmas campaign, ‘Light Up Christmas’, you can help support Action Mental Health’s services for local people. By getting involved, and hosting your own fundraising event, you’ll help AMH’s recovery and resilience programmes which benefit the entire community.

The effects of loneliness

*Loneliness is a killer, in fact it can hasten your death by up to 30% among some risk groups.

*According to a study of 3.4million people, carried out by Brigham Young University, USA, people who are or feel socially isolated or live alone – whatever their age – are at increased risk of an earlier death. The study’s lead author, Professor Julianne Holt-Lunstad said the harmful effects of loneliness are similar to the harm caused by smoking, obesity or alcohol misuse.

* The study, Social Isolation, Loneliness and Health Among Older Adults by Caitlin Coyle and Elizabeth Dugan found that loneliness was associated with higher odds of having a mental health problem, while isolation was associated with higher odds of reporting one’s health as being fair or poor.

Raymond’s Story

Raymond Kerr was so lonely after his wife died he was ‘climbing the walls’.

The 74-year-old could barely face getting out of bed in the morning as everything he did at home only served to magnify the fact that he was alone.

Even going to get the groceries and buying food-for-one reinforced his feelings of utter isolation and desolation, and soon, depression.

Raymond lost his wife Lola three years ago, but unlike many in his situation, he didn’t have hordes of visiting mourners to keep him afloat before the loneliness set in – he was alone from day one.

The pensioner did find solace in his only child with whom he has forged a better relationship since his wife’s death. However, the demands of his son’s work and own family life meant their regular visits could take place just once a week.

Raymond was also loathe to burden his son with his growing feelings of depression when the younger man was grieving for a mother he had shared a very close bond with all his life.

Aside from that, and the occasional visit by social workers, Raymond lived a solitary life, day in, day out. He admits that this isolation was partly a symptom of his somewhat reserved nature, but also because he lives many miles from his surviving family connections and friends in his native Castlecaulfield, Co Tyrone.

“I was very lonely from day one after my wife died,” he explains. “My wife knew a lot of people but I was more of a loner so when she died I didn’t see many people.

“When I woke up in the morning I felt really bad. I felt very down and I didn’t want to trouble anyone with how I was feeling.

“It put me off my food and I was living on one meal a day. I didn’t feel like cooking just for myself and you can never really buy something in the grocery shop that’s just for one person. So I went with the bare minimum – just potatoes and butter and egg.

“I was feeling depressed, and even when you’re separated or divorced you can always still call the person and have a voice on the other end of the phone but when your wife has died there’s no one there.”

He did eventually begin to talk however, and told his doctor how he was feeling.

“The doctor was great actually because she knew me. She was very easy to talk to and I could tell her anything, so she really helped in that way.”

Raymond was ultimately saved from his depressing world of loneliness by the intervention of social services.

“My doctor sent social workers out to me and one of them told me about the Men’s Sheds,” he says.

The Men’s Sheds, his local one located at Action Mental Health’s New Horizons Antrim, has opened up a new life and one that is filled with company – the company of men who know exactly what life is like for an older widower.

Nowadays, he spends his time participating in arts and crafts, particularly enjoying fine art and painting. Cutting his teeth in the art of leather work he counts himself among ‘the three stooges’, along with two new friends who are in much the same domestic boat as Raymond.

“I’d never heard of the Men’s Shed before and though I was a bit apprehensive about going and wanted to leave a few times, I really enjoyed it and they made me feel very welcome.

 “I’d felt unwanted before but the men joked that if I didn’t show up they’d come to my house and get me,” he says. “So I’ve no option and I’ve never stopped going.”

“It’s very interesting and the girl in charge asks what you’d like to do and she’ll even bring in an expert to teach us all how to do new things so I’ve actually made a few belts now,” he adds.

“I’ve made new friendships and the banter and craic is great and makes the day go quickly.”

* The Men’s Sheds bring men aged 50+ together to share skills, socialise and connect with their wider community, while working on practical activities of their choice. The Men’s Sheds, in AMH New Horizons in Antrim, Fermanagh and Downpatrick, are places to have a laugh, make new friends with other men over 50. The Men’s Sheds are just one of the many AMH projects which could benefit if you sign up to the charity’s Light Up Christmas appeal 2019. To request a fundraising pack contact AMH’s Fundraising Team on [email protected], call 028 9182 8494 or register here.

Together, we can tackle loneliness.

If you’re feeling low, contact your GP, as Raymond did, or if you’re in crisis contact Lifeline on 0808 808 8000. Please always remember that help and support is available.

We would like to say a huge thank you to Marks and Spencer Bloomfield Shopping Centre & Retail Park who gave clients from AMH New Horizons North Down & Ards a tour of the store last week. Our clients are taking part in the ESF Working It Out project, some are currently completing OCN Customer Service Level 2 with us, while others have completed NVQ Retail Skills Level 2 and are actively looking for employment in retail.

It was a very informative visit, we had the opportunity of looking at different roles available in the store, each of departments, and also the logistics involved to keep the store running smoothly and the customers happy! Our lovely guide for the morning was Sandra and we thoroughly appreciate her taking the time to organise our tour and for looking after us so well.

Pictured with Sandra are Katrina McIlmail AMH Employment Officer, Aisling Deery AMH Retail Skills Coach and “Working it Out” retail clients Chris and Gary. 

The “Working it Out Project” is part-funded through the Northern Ireland European Social Fund Programme 2014-2020 and the Department for the Economy.

This festive season, Action Mental Health is ‘Lighting Up Christmas’ – shining a light on mental health in Northern Ireland, and on what YOU can do to help us raise money to support our invaluable recovery and resilience services.

Light Up Christmas Eventbrite Registration.

For Christmas 2019 you might be thinking of a Christmas gift or gesture that will really count, and to make a positive difference to people living with mental ill-health.

Action Mental Health champions moves towards a society that actively values and supports people on their journey to better mental health and with the famously generous people of Northern Ireland by our side, our mission can become a reality.

Christmas is not an easy time for everyone. So while you’re enjoying the festive frolics, a friend, family member or neighbour might not be looking forward to this time of year. So, to share a little light this Christmas time, offer a listening ear to someone who might be among those dreading the period. By being willing to actively listen, you can make a massive difference.

So if you would like to take part this year and help AMH ‘Light Up Christmas’ by fundraising, the only thing limiting you is your imagination.

You can get the ball rolling by hosting your very own fundraising event at home, with friends or work colleagues, in schools and colleges – it’s up to. We have fundraising packs to give the seasonal spirit of giving a green light, whatever you’re planning.

You could host a coffee and carols morning, a Christmas games day, or a seasonal sponsored walk or even a festive fancy dress event – whatever you wish, just get creative and get in touch to tell us what you’re planning. AMH’s fundraising kits are jammed full of lots of hints, tips and materials – everything you need to get the fundraising effort of your choice underway.

To request a fundraising pack contact AMH’s Fundraising Team on [email protected] or call 028 9182 8494 or register on our Eventbrite Page.

Whatever you raise, you’ll be helping AMH change the lives of people across Northern Ireland living with mental ill-health.

Every donation makes a difference.

Thank you.

As the scourge of bullying comes into sharp focus this week, Action Mental Health has a number of resources to help children, young people and their parents negotiate the distressing issue.

This year’s theme is ‘Change Starts With Us’, highlighting the need to break the cycle of bullying. The week-long campaign tells us that by making small, simple changes, we can break the cycle and create a safe environment for everyone, and that by working together we can start the conversation to challenge bullying in all its forms.

The material was compiled as part of the AMH-supported Northern Area Mental Health Initiative, a two-year innovative project designed to equip children as young as eight, with the skills to maintain positive well-being.

The innovative two-year project delivered mental and emotional well-being and resilience building programmes to almost 20k people, including 16,000 children and young people, and was led by Cookstown and Western Shores Area Network.

Known as ‘The Initiative’, it received funding from the Social Investment Fund under the NI Executive’s Delivering Social Change framework and was delivered in partnership with NexusNI. It was launched in 2017 and culminated earlier this year. The resources featured were drawn from a variety of useful sources.

You can also follow these useful links: http://epicfriends.co.uk/bullying

https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/feelings-and-symptoms/

https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/bullying-abuse-safety/types-bullying/

A man whose mental health plummeted following a traumatic time in his life is facing a brighter future by starting a law degree at university after receiving the support of Action Mental Health.

The new student is just one of many dozens of clients to have discovered a new lease of life after engaging in the variety of courses available at the charity’s nine New Horizons services dotted around Northern Ireland.

New Horizons offers clients a comprehensive programme of specialist training, personal development, vocational skills and employability, tailoring programmes to suit individuals’ personal needs. These are offered 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.

The new law student is one such client who personifies the aims of the Working It Out project. And though the man, in his 40s, left school with just one A level, his subsequent studies and vast life experience including as an entrepreneur have secured him a coveted place on a law degree.

The Co Armagh man left school to train as a technician before taking those technical skills to his post as electrician. Years later he achieved a qualification that was the equivalent of a Higher National Diploma, before joining the police, serving a 20 year stint there while the Troubles were still grabbing news headlines. When he departed, the entrepreneurial spirit grabbed him and he established a number of businesses – all at the same time.

But it was too much, and his mental health suffered.

Experiencing what he described as a breakdown, he said he ‘did nothing for a while’ for the first time since he was a teenager. He barely knew where to turn, but then his community psychiatric nurse referred him to New Horizons.

“I was a bit apprehensive at the start and I didn’t quite know what to expect. Initially I went twice a week but that progressed to three days and did the IT and ECDL course as well as photography.

“I felt the benefit straight away and it was very interesting what I was doing and it’s been very, very useful. When I started passing all the exams I thought to myself, ‘I could make a change in my life’,” he said.

He has has come a long way.  He received an unconditional offer for the Ulster University law degree, and commencing in September, he now spends ten hours a week at university, between seminars and lectures, and spends the rest of his week studying at home.

With a new future ahead of him, his negative thoughts are in his past. “Now, they’re positive thoughts – and legal ones too!”

“New Horizons certainly gave me the confidence to go and meet people again, and to do things that I hadn’t considered were possible for me.”

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.

With the festive season knocking on autumn’s door, people are being invited to learn the skills of traditional Christmas wreath-making, in an evening workshop in aid of Action Mental Health. 

The event, hosted by Petals and Prayers Florist Studio of Magherafelt, takes place at the town’s Terrace Hotel, on Friday, November 29, from 7pm to 9.30pm and is being supported AMH corporate partner, SDC Trailers Limited of Toomebridge.

Participants will be provided with all the materials required to craft their wreath, from the base materials to a wide array of decorations to suit all styles and tastes. Crafters can select from greenery and natural items, plus an array of luxury festive additions – even festive lights to illuminate wreaths as the Yuletide nights draw in.

The size of the wreath-making workshop class size will be limited, to allow participants to enjoy the hands-on support and assistance of the instructors who will provide step-by-step demonstrations and an abundance of artistic inspiration.

Whether a novice or a seasoned expert, participants will leave with a wreath to be proud of, and some useful skills to help create the Christmas favourite year after year.

Crafters will be treated to festive refreshments while they work and will also receive an exciting goodie bag to take home along with their handicrafts.

The workshop places are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so book early to avoid disappointment, and come along for a fun and festive evening of creativity. You’ll be helping Action Mental Health support people experiencing periods of mental ill-health and build resilience among future generations.

To book your ticket, priced £30, visit Eventbrite

Halloween celebrations at New Horizons Antrim had clients guessing the weight of a mighty pumpkin for a chance to win a boo-tifully haunted hamper, in day of ghoulish fun and games. Clients got into the spirit of the day, squelching pumpkin through their fingers as they crafted Jack-o-lanterns. A big thank-you to Employment Officer Victoria Henry for organising the spooktacular event!

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.

A project administrator who has spent 15 years contributing to the success of Action Mental Health has been rewarded for her loyalty to the charity. Liz Wright, who works at New Horizons Antrim, received her long service award from AMH chief executive David Babington.

“As an organisation we are very fortunate to have a talented and highly committed team and this commitment is clearly demonstrated by long-serving employees like Liz,” he said.

“This dedication and loyalty is seen across the organisation and it is vital to providing services to our clients and the wider community in Northern Ireland.”