Wonderful staff from our corporate partner Danske Bank came out to AMH New Horizons Downpatrick’s garden centre to give it a summer spruce. Our potting shed was beautifully re-stained, the grass bank cut back and our polytunnel was given the weeding of its’ life. The gang from Killeaton House were fantastic -racing to see who could weed and strim the fastest. They were so competitive that they barely stopped to have a proper tea break!

Thank you again for coming folks!

Danske Bank has been our Corporate Partner since 2016. Their fundraising supports our Healthy Me programme in schools across Northern Ireland.

A 23-year old man who travelled the length of Ireland to raise money for charity has donated a portion of the spoils of his mammoth effort to Action Mental Health.

Tiernan McGowan went on a 355-miles cycle ride and run between Ireland’s most southerly and northerly points – Mizen in County Cork to Malin, Donegal, raising well over £5000 according to the last count. Newry’s Southern Area Hospice will also benefit from Tiernan’s amazing feat of fundraising.

The Queen’s University Belfast graduate revealed his expedition was inspired by the hospice’s  tender care of his granny and an uncle.

Tiernan, who studied Spanish and Portuguese, got a great chance to see the country en route, while also experiencing legendary homespun generosity.

“There was one point where I was coming up this big hill outside Dromore in Tyrone, this woman just stopped at the side of the road, thinking I had a flat tyre, and offered to help me out. But she got chatting to me and ended up giving money to the fundraiser. She didn’t have a clue who I was but she was kind enough to give me money for this,” he said.

It wasn’t an easy ride though and he admitted to a number of physical and mental barriers during his arduous journey.

“On the fourth day I had 125km to do that day and about an hour in my knee kind of went, but I kept going, got over the border to Fermanagh and it started getting really bad but I just pushed through and went over the border.

“A lot of it was about the mental aspect, just knowing you have to keep going and keep planning it thinking at each stage it’s just another little bit to the next one. If I’m doing it again I’ll give myself about three weeks through!’”

Action Mental Health’s Fundraising and Communications Manager Jonathan Smyth was delighted to hear the charity is set to benefit from the proceeds.

“We’d like to thank Tiernan for his epic efforts and for donating funds to AMH. It’s people like him who help us continue in our mission to make a positive difference to people’s mental health and well-being.”

The generosity of the people of Northern Ireland has tipped the funds raised for Action Mental Health through the 2019 Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon to over £60,000.

Participants’ sponsorship money has brought the total raised to support Action Mental Health’s services to £60,652.20 – but money continues to trickle in so we’re still counting – and we’re ever so grateful!

The generosity of the people of Northern Ireland has tipped the funds raised for Action Mental Health through the 2019 Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon to over £60,000.

Participants’ sponsorship money has brought the total raised to support Action Mental Health’s services to £60,652.20 – but money continues to trickle in so we’re still counting.

Around 18,000 people took part in the five different events of the 38^th annual event on Sunday, May 5th, including the full marathon, the wheelchair race, team relay, walk and fun run. Some 5,000 took part in the full marathon, marking record numbers for the event which began in Belfast in 1982.

Around 500 people donned AMH colours for the event, raising funds for Action Mental Health which was one of five designated charity partners – and the amount raised so far has the charity glowing with appreciation, knowing the impact that these vital funds will have.

Action Mental Health Chief Executive David Babington has been overjoyed by the support shown in its first marathon charity designation.

“Action Mental Health was lucky enough to clinch one of the five designated charity spots of the Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon 2019 and because of that opportunity, a staggering amount has been raised to help fund vital mental health services provided by Action Mental Health.

“Over £60,000 has been raised so far by the generous people of Northern Ireland who have once again dug deep to support us – be they individuals, community groups, our faithful corporate partners and other businesses who selected Action Mental Health as the recipient of their marathon efforts in both physical and fundraising terms.

“We are indebted to each and every one of them, and we also want to place on record our deep appreciation to Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon which opened the door to such a great opportunity, not only to raise funds, but also to raise awareness of mental health in Northern Ireland.”

Around 18,000 people took part in the five different events of the 38^th annual event on Sunday, May 5th, including the full marathon, the wheelchair race, team relay, walk and fun run. Some 5,000 took part in the full marathon, marking record numbers for the event which began in Belfast in 1982.

Around 500 people donned AMH colours for the event, raising funds for Action Mental Health which was one of five designated charity partners – and the amount raised so far has the charity glowing with appreciation, knowing the impact that these vital funds will have.

Action Mental Health Chief Executive David Babington has been overjoyed by the support shown in its first marathon charity designation.

“Action Mental Health was lucky enough to clinch one of the five designated charity spots of the Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon 2019 and because of that opportunity, a staggering amount has been raised to help fund vital mental health services provided by Action Mental Health.

“Over £60,000 has been raised so far by the generous people of Northern Ireland who have once again dug deep to support us – be they individuals, community groups, our faithful corporate partners and other businesses who selected Action Mental Health as the recipient of their marathon efforts in both physical and fundraising terms.

“We are indebted to each and every one of them, and we also want to place on record our deep appreciation to Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon which opened the door to such a great opportunity, not only to raise funds, but also to raise awareness of mental health in Northern Ireland.”

 

One of Action Mental Health’s fundraising team is joining Belfast City Marathon’s latest band of novice marathon runners to run and raise money at the same time through the Deep RiverRock ‘Challenge 13.1’.

Fundraising and Engagement Co-ordinator Alex Murdock is taking part in the challenge which follows the Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon ‘Experiment 26.2’ programme when 17 people ran their first full marathon, on May 5.

The Experiment 26.2 programme supported and mentored runners throughout the whole of their training and it was such a success the organisers decided to mount a similar effort for the 7^th Deep RiverRock Belfast City Half-Marathon which takes place on Sunday, September 22.

Each of the five participants in the Challenge 13.1 team represents one of the five Official Charity Partners for the 2019 Deep RiverRock Belfast City Half Marathon and had completed a leg of the team relay marathon in May.

During her training, Alex, like the other ambassadors of Belfast Arthroplasty Research Trust BART, Cancer Focus NI, Stroke Association and Air Ambulance NI, will also be focused on fundraising for their respective charities.

Alex will be joined by Eilish Simpson from Glenavy, running for BART; Karen McMinnis from Belfast, of Cancer Focus NI; Robert Biggerstaff from Belfast, representing Stroke Association and Caroline Smyth from Kilrea who will run for Air Ambulance NI.

Currently fundraising totals for the Five Official Charity Partners (all local charities) stands at a massive £220,000 and it’s growing, with monies going to vital research and services across Northern Ireland.

With the help of Challenge 13.1 and this year’s Half Marathon entrants, the organisers hope to see the total soar before the year is out.

With just over 12 weeks to go, Challenge 13.1 participants can expect a comprehensive half marathon training package from the event’s Official Partners including a 12 week training plan and one to one coaching from Stuart Kennedy (official coach); a tailored nutritional plan and consultation with Sarah Trimble Nutrition and complimentary services / training products from Framar Health (official nutrition partner); Better (official gym partner) will provide bespoke core classes to help support the team as they train.

You can follow and support the Challenge 13.1 ambassadors’ progress and fundraising online in the coming weeks at www.belfastcitymarathon.com/training-blogs.  A series of training, nutritional and motivational tips will also be shared on the event’s social media sites Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to help all entrants prepare for the September race.

Perhaps YOU completed a leg of the Team Relay in May or have completed a series of 10K races and are ready to take on a Half Marathon challenge?

The Deep RiverRock Belfast City Half Marathon is renowned for its popular, mainly flat and fast course, which is perfect for a first time Half Marathon or personal best! The event is expected to sell out for the third year in a row with a record number of participants anticipated – around 5000.

SIGN UP for the 7^th Deep RiverRock Belfast City Half Marathon NOW at https://register.primoevents.com/ps/event/DeepRiverRockBelfastCityHalfMarathon2019 and choose to #TakeActionOnMentalHealth by running for Action Mental Health.

More details can be found at www.belfastcitymarathon.com.  #ChooseBelfast

The Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon is sponsored by Athletics Northern Ireland, Daily Mirror, Belfast City Council, Better, Translink, Daily Mirror, Spar, Belfast Live and Framar Health. Sampling partners are Deep RiverRock, Tayto, White’s Oats and Linwoods.  This year’s official charities are Belfast Arthroplasty Research Trust (BART); Cancer Focus NI; Stroke Association; Air Ambulance NI and Action Mental Health.

 

 

A Dublin man who turned to an Action Mental Health service dedicated to supporting individuals in their place of work has paid tribute to the ‘life saving’ care he received.

Mick Finnegan was taken under the wing of staff from Action Mental Health, which delivers the Workable NI programme, when he began to struggle with his mental health at his job.

With the help of the Workable Employment Support Officer (ESO), Stephanie Prince, Mick was able to express to management how the workplace was impacting upon his mental health. Workable thrives on the creation of a three-way partnership between the ESO, the client and the employer. Together, they created a personalised action plan which implemented measures to promote well-being in the workplace. Through one-to-one meetings, along with advice and guidance from the ESO, Mick’s employer began to show him more support and understanding towards his mental health issues.

Now, 36-year-old Mick, who lives outside Belfast, is an advocate for people with mental health issues, working with those affected by mental ill-health, locally, and also represents their interests nationally, across the UK.

Action Mental Health is one of seven partners within the SES – Supported Employment Solutions consortium – which is contracted to deliver the Department for Communities Workable (NI) Programme across Northern Ireland. SES supports people with disabilities and health conditions and helps them get back into employment and includes joint lead partners Cedar & AMH, as well as Mencap, Orchardville, NOW, RNIB and Action on Hearing Loss.

Mick is bi-polar and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, after spending some of his youth homeless and hopeless on the streets of Dublin.

In recent years, Mick has spent time in London working with the homeless, before later coming to Belfast, where again he worked with local people who found themselves sleeping rough on the streets. Working here in Northern Ireland however, he found himself victim of the stigma which remains to this day on the issue of mental health.

At the time, management had a limited understanding of mental health in the workplace which made it difficult for Mick to speak openly about his condition. His GP encouraged him to seek help and he eventually discovered Workable NI as a means of in-work support.

Enlisting their help about two and a half years ago, AMH staff, who deliver the Workable NI programme, helped Mick regain his confidence while also managing to smash the stigmas surrounding mental health.

“My keyworker Stephanie started by putting policies in place and it really did improve things. “Sometimes employers view people with mental health issues as a burden and sometimes employers think people with mental health issues are using that as an excuse for absences from work.

‘Getting Workable involved gave me breathing space and gave me the flexibility to take time off to deal with things and I went from feeling isolated and marginalised to feeling much better. It saved my life when I was going through a rough spot and I managed to keep my job,” he said.

“I wouldn’t have got through a lot of the things I did if it wasn’t for Stephanie’s support and the Workable programme.”

Though conditions did improve, Mick soon found new employment – allowing him the freedom to discuss his mental health issues with total impunity, as a mental health peer support worker with the Southern Health and Social Care Trust. He also works as a national advisor for the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health at the Royal College of Psychiatrists in London.

Patricia Kelly AMH Workable Project Co-ordinator commented: “I am delighted that with Stephanie’s help Mick was able to avail of the specialist in-work support that Workable (NI) offers and that his employer was able to glean a better understanding of how best to deal with employee mental health issues within the workplace as well.

“Our team of ESOs work tirelessly to deliver the Workable programme across the province, supporting a range of employees and employers to come to manageable solutions within the workplace.”

 

A project worker with AMH everyBODY has clinched this year’s coveted ICE Award for the unstinting enthusiasm and sheer hard work she brings to her role every single day.

Deborah McCready only took up her role within Action Mental Health in 2018 but since her arrival she has been vital in helping to raise the profile of the specialist eating disorder service among the general public.

Receiving her award during a recent ceremony from Robert Mowbray, vice chair of the board of Action Mental Health, Deborah expressed shock and delight after being informed of her win by her manager, Colin Loughran.

Deborah, who is based in Portadown, had been nominated by AMH’s Communications team which had called upon Deborah on numerous occasions within the past year to help drive and steer communications campaigns on eating disorders and related issues.

AMH everyBODY, which operates within the Southern Health and Social Care Trust (SHSCT) area, introduced a vital and effective new model of support for people experiencing eating disorders and their families and carers in partnership with the trust.

The Chairman’s ICE award recognises individuals’ contribution to Innovation, Creativity and Excellence within the organisation and are presented twice a year to celebrate individual achievement. Recipients are presented with an ICE award and also win an extra day’s leave.

The awards were conceived in recognition that AMH’s people are “the organisation’s most important resource in achieving its mission and advancing its vision”, according to chairman Peter Fitzsimmons.

Reacting to the news, Deborah said: “Oh my goodness, I was like a deer in headlights shocked. I thought I was meeting Colin for a catch-up but little did I know! I can think of so many people deserving of it though, especially the Comms team. So much of the work I’ve gotten to do has been a team effort with yourselves, so thank you all too!”

Her manager Colin Loughran, Service Manager for AMH Craigavon and Banbridge, paid tribute to Deborah’s zeal for her job.

“Since taking up her post with AMH everyBODY Deborah has really owned and advanced all her duties, bringing vital support to greater and increasing numbers of individuals and families. Deborah has played a central role in elevating AMH everyBODY as the preferred provider status in the Southern Health and Social Care Trust area, being pivotal to the comprehensive rebranding process which led to its relaunch last September. That rebrand was critical in re-establishling AMH’s eating disorder service as a competent option, nurturing confidence from AMH funders and the general public.”

In the nomination, Deborah was highlighted for her expertise, warm and giving personal manner, and the empathy with which she deals with vulnerable clients and their loved ones.

In delivering the remit of her post, she was also noted for her skill in equipping people with better self-support skills, while informing and reinforcing healthy lifestyle behaviours to keep people safe and to allay their fears during times of distress.

In assisting the Communications team, Deborah has routinely gone well beyond the expectation of her job description on many occasions to ensure that the service provided is comprehensive and complete.

Key to her nomination was also Deborah’s development of a monthly carers’ support group which has been pivotal to clients and their families, and also, her key role in AMH’s collaboration with Queen’s University’s Mental Health Week campaign. As a speaker in the high profile event, she shared her insight and expertise on her specialist subject before a host of academic panelists.

“In short, Deborah was singled out for the honour of the ICE award for consistently going above and beyond for her clients and for Action Mental Health,” added Communications Manager, Tricia Browne.