New north coast mental health charity Hummingbird Causeway is launched at Stormont
A new charity called Hummingbird Causeway – inspired by one north coast woman’s experience of mental ill health – has been launched to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week.
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 themselves and use this unique combination to help others.
Speaking at the launch event in Stormont, CEO of The Hummingbird Project Leigh Carey spoke of her own experience of mental ill health.
Her story involves a gynaecological procedure which went wrong, leaving her unable to have more children and dealing with other serious consequences. It was this experience that led Leigh, a mental health expert, to set up Hummingbird ten years ago.
She said: “Our service is unique in that our staff are all mental health professionals and all of us have faced mental ill health ourselves. We use this personal and professional combination to help and support others.
“Resilience is something we at Hummingbird know all too well. Every member of our team has had their own life challenges; lived experience of mental ill health which has shaped who we are and how we do business.
“Kindness, empathy, relatability, going the extra mile and sharing our own insights and learning builds trust with our clients.”
Coinciding with the start of Mental Health Awareness Week (May 12-18), political representatives including Health Minister Mike Nesbitt, East Londonderry MLA Claire Sugden and Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Cllr Ciaran McQuillan, heard more about Hummingbird Causeway.
Its work will extend the reach, value and impact of what has been successfully achieved by The Hummingbird Project over the last ten 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.”
CEO Leigh Carey 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.”
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said: “I am truly impressed hearing about the valuable work of Hummingbird, which is fitting considering this is the start of Mental Health Awareness Week.
"I am encouraged to hear the launch of the new charity will extend the reach, value and impact of what has been achieved by Hummingbird over the last ten years. This will help provide even more vital mental health support to individuals and communities in the Causeway Coast and Glens area.”
Building resilience, equipping people with the skills and tools to take charge of their own mental health is key to all Hummingbird activities.
To showcase the importance of this and to mark Mental Health Awareness Week, a specially commissioned film ‘Resilience’ was shown at the launch event.
The contemporary dance, performed by 18-year-old Lily Pyne, was filmed on Portstewart Strand and is a stunning portrayal of what it is like to face and adapt to an unexpected life crisis, process emotions and build the skills and mental toughness required to recover and walk towards a new and potentially brighter life.