We are MindWise and we are dedicated to supporting mental health service users to manage their mental health problems, maintain wellbeing and lead their best lives, free from stigma and the isolation that illness can bring with it. We also provide support for carers because caring for a family member or a friend with a mental illness can be stressful and impact their mental wellbeing too.

MindWise’s vision is a world where people affected by mental health issues receive support to lead a fulfilling life through recovery and discovery.

We provide vital support services for mental health services users and carers in the NHSCT catchment area. This amazing work, which has had a direct and positive impact on people’s lives, would not be possible without our brilliant staff and volunteers.

Statutory funding enables us to provide services across the Northern Trust Catchment area. Our community services includes day opportunities for service users in Ballyclare and Magherafelt where we provide meaningful activity programmes and drop-in facilities. Our Community Bridge Builders provide services in the Ballymoney and the Newtownabbey, Larne and Ballyclare area, working with service users who have high levels of anxiety and distress. Our carers service operates throughout the Northern Trust area and provides support groups in Portrush, Coleraine, Antrim, Ballymena, and Monkstown.

There are a number of reasons for our fundraiser. Our combined services i.e.

• Magherafelt Day Opportunities

• Ballyclare Day Opportunities

• Ballymoney Community Bridge Builders (CBB)

• Newtownabbey, Larne, and Ballyclare Community Bridge Builders (CBB)

• Carers and Family services

Our community services currently support 170 services users and 87 carers. This involves face-to-face one-to-one sessions where service users are provided with the support that they need for a wide range of issues. This also includes support planning and goal setting. Group activities are also very important for service uses as these promote socialisation and reduce isolation. The activities need to be meaningful and provide service users with a variety of activities. Staff and volunteers go the second mile to delivery activities such as arts and crafts, photography, awareness sessions, wellbeing know how, self-care techniques, Arts care, healthy eating/mindful eating, boundary issues and keeping safe.

One of the reasons for our fundraiser is to obtain monies is to be able to resource specific meaningful activities that service users and carers have requested but we are not that we are not in a position to provide. We are most appreciative of the funding we receive from our commissioners and provide a range of services and services within our budget limits, which we carefully manage, and carefully scrutinise on a monthly basis to ensure service sustainability.

Were we to obtain monies from our fundraising endeavours this would enable us to provide activity programmes that will not only benefit the service users on our register but also other service users who can be difficult to engage and who could be incentivised to attend and be able to get out of the quagmire of isolation and being confined to their accommodation which is not conducive for wellbeing and improved mental health.

Monies raised by the just giving fundraiser will enable us to:

• enhance service delivery

• provide additional activities

• obtain the services of tutors for a range of sessions including:

- focus on wellbeing issues

- healthy eating

- healthy minds

- coping with stress

- empowering and taking control – autonomy

- gardening

- grow your own veg

- awareness of nature

- provide transport for our walking groups to travel 4 times a year to areas of natural beauty for a change of scenery (our groups walk once a week)

These are just some of the things we can provide

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• purchase materials for art and crafts

• transport for education visits

• outings for our service users

• Develop a new Woman’s group for Magherafelt

Our service users, staff and volunteers are involved in promoting the ironman challenge. We are happy to speak to anyone who is interested in hearing more about what we do and how any monies raised will help to enhance our services. It’s not every day we have someone taking on an ironman challenge and has been in training for a year to succeed in this gruelling triathlon; 2.4-mile swim, 100 miles on a bike and a full marathon to complete.