The Western Health and Social Care Trust (Western Trust) through its on-going Community Engagement activities in partnership with NIHG welcomed back gardening enthusiasts from Omagh and Fermanagh for the installation of ‘Bogwood’ sculptures from 3000 year old forests sourced in An Creagán Omagh, Co Tyrone.

The ‘Bogwood’ sculptures have recently been installed to add interest along the pathway at the back of the South West Acute Hospital where edible fruit trees have also been planted by as part of this community project.

Clients from New Horizons in Fermanagh took part in the work.

Explaining how the ‘Bogwood’ Sculptures came into fruition Peter Brown, Environmental Artist at An Creagán who facilitated the workshops said: “Bogwood has an inexplicable appeal – knowing that it has been lying deep in the peat for over 3000 years, preserved by the acidic moss as a relic of our once forested landscape makes the process of cleaning, cutting and polishing very special indeed. Participants came from across Omagh and Fermanagh to engage in this process over a period of four weeks and the striking results reflect the personal devotion that each person gave to their work.”

John Donaghy, An Creagán Centre Manager concluded: “We are delighted to be involved in such an important community engagement project which has contributed to the development of the Art Trail at the South West Acute Hospital. We hope patients, staff and visitors will enjoy the bogwood sculptures and the variety of trees and shrubs which have already been planted at the hospital.”

Ballyclare schoolteacher, Hazel Wynn, celebrates with “squirrels” of 7th Larne Scouts and Callum Clark of AMH, on behalf of whom she completed the recent Larne Half Marathon, raising £100.

Mrs Hazel Wynn, a Home Economics teacher at Ballyclare High School, ran the 13-mile race and explained why she took on the challenge;

“I decided to run for Action Mental Health as it is a charity which I believe to be at the forefront of promoting mental health awareness, and providing services to help effectively deal with the challenges that poor mental health can bring. In my role as Health Education Coordinator at the school, and as Squirrel Leader in the 7th Larne Scouts, I am aware of the increasing pressures that are affecting children from a young age.”

Ballyclare High School has implemented a number of strategies focussing on mental health issues among pipils and staff. Recently, the school welcomed Gary Kane of AMH Works, who taught students about the importance of looking after their metnal health.

Mrs Wynn explained why such work is important in schools;

“We have been very fortunate to have been able to incorporate the excellent training sessions provided by AMH Works for both pupils and staff, where the message of taking care of our mental health, personal resilience and ability to cope with stress has been highlighted. The fact that 1 in 5 of us will be affected by mental health issues at some point in our lives has encouraged me to do my little bit. Resources that AMH provides will always be needed to help promote recovery and encourage the ability to lead a healthy and fulfilling life.”

Hazel’s “little bit” is HUGELY appreciated by everyone at AMH. If you would like to add your little bit, and fundraise for us, contact Callum Clark at [email protected] and check out our fundraising events page on Facebook!

Friday 11th April, family friends and supporters of Action Mental Health gathered at AMH New Horizons in Belfast City Centre to celebrate the many achievements of clients in the last year.  Health Committee member Fearghal McKinney MLA presented certificates to clients for a range of OCNs in personal wellbeing, employment and computer skills, and NVQs in catering, retail and customer service.

Fearghal McKinney congratulated staff and clients on their success.

Together For You is an innovative project aimed at delivering mental health and wellbeing services to a range of people across Northern Ireland. The £3 million Big Lottery Fund project is led by Action Mental Health (AMH) in association with Aware Defeat Depression, CAUSE, CRUSE, MindWise, Nexus, Praxis Care, Relate NI and The Rainbow Project.

This is the first time nine leading mental health charities have come together for you to help young and old, men and women, minority groups (BME and LGB&T) and marginalised groups (Prisoners, Young people and NEETS). All the services under Together For You are free, and can be accessed in one place through the new Together For You website (www.togetherforyou.org.uk) which launched today.

Services under Together For You include befriending; bereavement support; counselling services including relationship counselling, CBT and specialist trauma counselling; support for carers, mental health education programmes, LGB&T support and volunteering opportunities.

For further information on the full range of services on offer, visit www.togetherforyou.org.uk or call 028 9032 9150.

AMH New Horizons Fermanagh are Taking Action on Stigma with the launch of their “Basket Case” exhibition in Fermanagh County Museum on Wednesday 26^th March.

An inspirational and thought provoking exhibition influenced by Drumclay Crannog, it hopes to challenge the stigma associated with mental illness and showcase the creative talents of clients at AMH’s New Horizons in Drumcoo.

Supported by the National Lottery through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the exhibition showcases basket weaving skills, art, poetry and creative writing, created by clients with the help of local artists and based on the findings from the ancient historical site where archaeologists excavated a wealth of weaving artefacts among others.

Experts hailed the finds as internationally significant, shedding new light on life in medieval Ireland. One of the most interesting aspects for the charity was the revelation of the Brehon Laws, the statutes which governed everyday medieval Irish life, and how progressive they were in their treatment of people with disabilities.

This led the group to think about the stigma that exists in modern society around mental illness, as a barrier to seeking help, and among the many derogatory terms they compiled, “basket case” seemed the most relevant to their project.

As Caroline Ferguson, AMH Service Manager, explained;

“There are so many derogatory and insulting terms which are commonly used to describe someone with mental health issues – looper, psycho, head case, not the full shilling etc. When someone’s mental health deteriorates ,knowing that society will ridicule them like this actually prevents them from reaching out to get help. We have taken the term “basket case” and working with local artists, clients have explored the importance of basket weaving in a Crannog community and they have produced stunning basket work, breath taking artwork in pastels and beautiful poetry. Our exhibition is now open to the public in Enniskillen Museum and I would challenge everyone to come along, enjoy the exhibits and reflect on the language which we use and the impact which it can have on the most vulnerable people in our society.”

Since September 2013, Antrim New Horizons have successfully reached out to clients in the Mid-Ulster area in order to deliver both accredited and non-accredited training and personal development programmes. The outreach programme in Magherafelt commenced with the introduction of an OCN award in Assertiveness and Motivation which ran for a 12 week period.

In December 2013 and January 2014 Antrim New Horizons carried out a successful recruitment drive promoting the outreach programme to referral agents within the local area.

The current programmes delivered in Magherafelt are 12 week OCN Stress Awareness programme and a 12 week ‘healthy cooking’ programme, Culinary Delights.

The Culinary Delights cookery programme is designed to enhance and develop social skills as well the concept of teamwork and communication within our client group.  In addition to this the clients learn about various different countries throughout the world, including the main languages spoken, main historical facts and dishes of that particular country.

In addition to this, a health activity is delivered in Meadowbank Sports Arena, Magherafelt.  It will be delivered by an Active Communities Coach supported by an AMH staff member and will include a range of sport activities. It is envisaged that these sessions will improve client’s physical health and general wellbeing and provide them with an understanding of the importance exercise. Clients will be encouraged to continue to participate in a healthy activity after completing the programme.

Other personal development programmes planned for the Magherafelt outreach programme include First Aid and arts and craft (basket weaving) providing clients with an opportunity to learn new skills and knowledge to build confidence and self-esteem.

 

New Horizons Antrim are hosting a range of events during their Healthy Activity Week, beginning 27th March 2014 with a full day of activities at the Antrim Forum and free coaching being provided by the Active Communities Team from Antrim Borough Council.

To get involved contact the office on 028 9442 8081

Monday

10:30 – 12:30 Introduction to New Age Curling and Boccia, followed by Target Games.

1:30 – 3:00 Skills coaching in Uni-hoc, Badminton and Rounders followed by matches.

These sports are readily available at the Forum and could be used as part of the weekly Healthy Activity sessions, widening the exercise experience.

For those who do not wish to take part in the programme, a guided walk around the Castle Grounds will be taking place following the outdoor Trim Trail

 

Tuesday

Away Day at Sentry Hill, Newtownabbey

• Initial tour on arrival.  Following tea and scones (healthy options of course); we will be shown the historical artefacts on display within the building, being introduced to this lesser known National Trust building.
• Activity Challenge, list of tasks to carry out or objects to find and photograph.  This will involve covering a wide area of the grounds to complete the tasks, making the walking activity fun.  We can tie this activity into the Digital Photography class for those who attend this.
• Old time play activities – many of the service users are parents and grandparents, this is an opportunity to remind them of how children used to play and they can share these activities with their children/grandchildren and help to reduce obesity levels in the next generation.

 

Wednesday

Antrim New Horizons

10:30 – 12:00 Tai Chi – Beat those ‘Wednesday Woes’ with the calming effects of this ancient Chinese discipline, improving balance, general psychological health, the associated general health benefits.

1:00 – 3:00

• Treasure Hunt – a combination of orienteering and clue solving to explore the ground of Antrim New Horizons.  A safe and fun exercise experience burning off calories without actually realising it.
• Deal or No Deal
• Quizzes and games

 

Thursday

Antrim New Horizons

Coaches provided free of charge by Active Communities, Antrim Borough Council

10:00 – 11:00 New Horizons Hip Hop – gentle introduction to Street Dance, lots of busting moves, popping, windmills and head spins

11:15 – 12:00 Pilates – to ease the muscles that were woken up by the Street Dancing, we wind down with Pilates for beginners.

12:30 – 3:00 Healthy BBQ demonstration followed by a healthy feast – our Catering Skills Coach, Linda, ably assisted by her OCN candidates will show how BBQs do not have consist of fatty burgers and hotdogs.