Hummingbird Causeway - a new north coast mental health charity with unique service offer launches
A new north coast mental health charity launched this week with details of its first campaign.
Hummingbird Causeway, the charitable arm of the Portstewart-based Hummingbird Project will be led by a team of mental health experts all of whom have lived experience of mental ill health and will use their experience to help others.
With the support of The R&A, Hummingbird Causeway’s inaugural outing will be at July’s 153rd Open being staged at Royal Portrush where its services will be available to some 280,000 golf fans who will attend during the week of the Championship.
The run up to the prestigious event also provides the charity with a platform to launch #OpenYourMind, its first major community fund and awareness raising campaign, which will include a ‘mental fitness through sport’ art and multi-media project involving primary and special schools in the Causeway Coast and Glens area.
Hummingbird Causeway was launched at Stormont to coincide with the start of Mental Health Awareness Week (May 12-18), and political representatives including, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt.
Its work will extend the reach, value and impact of what has been successfully achieved by The Hummingbird Project over the last 10 years. Through new community-based fund and awareness raising opportunities, it will provide even more vital mental health support to individuals and communities in the Causeway Coast and Glens area.
Hummingbird Causeway chair, Dr Jimmy McAleese said: “Mental ill-health costs the economy in the Causeway Coast and Glens Council Area £255m per year according to recently published statistics from the London School of Economics and the Mental Health Foundation.
“Living in rural areas can bring unique challenges such as social isolation and economic deprivation which contribute to stress, anxiety and depression with detrimental effect on mental health and wellbeing.”
“Our charitable status gives us new income generating capacity to support locally tailored, innovative and collaborative mental fitness projects.
"We’ll also be launching a persuasive case for more investment into mental health services in areas outside NI’s major towns and cities and will bring together and give voice to other wellness service providers in the North Coast area making us more impactful together than apart.”
Leigh Carey, ceo and founder of the Hummingbird Project said: “We have invested over £1.5 million in local mental health projects over the last ten years and have won numerous awards for innovation and impact in modern mental health services.
“The launch of Hummingbird Causeway is a giant leap in our development. It will allow us to increase our service provision to support even more people at their point of need using our unique therapeutic blend combining professional expertise with lived experience of mental ill health. We are grateful to The R&A for the opportunity to be present in Portrush at this year’s Open.”