Ballymoney girls take plunge

They are ‘taking the plunge’ for a good cause by taking part in a charity abseil on June 14th to raise much needed funds for their local mental health service.

Beacon Wellbeing which is a part of Niamh (Northern Ireland Association for Mental Health), the largest and longest established local mental health and learning disability charity operating across Northern Ireland, provides supporting housing accommodation for up to 12 residents with long-term mental health conditions at their location in Shiels Court.

The abseil which takes place at the Europa Hotel in Belfast, will see participants descend 51 metres from the roof of the building to street level under the expert guidance of the staff from Belfast Activity Centre who’s highly team of qualified outdoor instructors will be on hand to make sure everyone has a safe and fun experience.

Patrick McDonald, Niamh’s Income Generation Officer is urging as many people as possible to get involved with this exhilarating fundraiser. He said: “Doing the abseil is both a great way to set yourself a personal challenge whilst raising money for a very worthwhile cause.

“We still have a few places left for the June date so I am calling on other good sports to join with Team Shiels Court and take the plunge themselves.

“Anyone taking part needs to raise a minimum of £150 in sponsorship which I will support them to do. As well as raising much needed funds it’s also a brilliant way to raise awareness of local mental health services.”

If your fancy taking part in the charity abseil on the 14th or would like to make a donation to support the staff from Shiels Court’s efforts, please get in touch with Patrick McDonald and he can help you to do so. You can contact Patrick by telephoning 028 9032 8474 or email [email protected]

To find out about Beacon Wellbeing services in the North East area, or more generally about the work that Niamh does to support individuals from across Northern Ireland with either a mental health condition or a learning disability, you may like to visit their website www.niamhwellbeing.org

Beacon provides 24/7support services to people with experience of mental illness through supported housing, day support and advocacy services. This is the largest division in the Niamh family and it has grown substantially over the past few years. Beacon’s 15 day support schemes located throughout Northern Ireland provided a range of recovery-focused programmes to over 1300 people every year.