Welcome to INSPIRED

A love of stories runs deep in our culture and storytellers hold a special place in our hearts. Words, music, poetry and song are part of who we are as people and how we find our place in the world. Stories remind us of the past. They place our mark on the present and help us imagine what might come in the future.

Inspire’s story started 65 years ago, when Lady Margaret Wakehurst, shocked by the conditions in hospitals and the lack of support for people outside formal psychiatric settings in 1950’s, set up the first Beacon community mental health service in Belfast.

As the world evolved and shifted, our story moved with it and Inspire has grown into one of the largest providers of services in Ireland. Our campaigning role has made us a strong and influential voice. This exhibition captures that voice through extraordinary stories, told through ordinary objects.

Each one is deeply personal. Yet, taken together, they chart the generational and societal changes in how people living with mental ill health, addiction and intellectual disabilities are supported, seen and treated. They weave a path through many of the seismic global events that shaped the world in which we live today: the mother and baby homes scandal, conflict in 1980’s Northern Ireland, the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, the Omagh Bombing, and 9/11. These stories are part of Inspire, part of our community and part of all of us.

Lady Wakehurst named our very first service Beacon because she wanted “a name suggesting light.” Six decades later, we are proud to share this special exhibition, which shines a light on the people who make us who we are and the important stories they have to tell.

If you are affected by any of the issues raised and want to find out more about the support available from Inspire, contact us on 0808 189 0036.

If you are in distress and would like to speak to a counsellor immediately, please call Lifeline on 0808 808 8000.