Mealla Campbell, Lord Mayor for Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council visited Inspire’s Community Wellbeing Service based at Dobbin Street Community Centre, Armagh on Tuesday 11th June 2019.
The Mayor was welcomed by Cheryl Lester, Community Wellbeing Manager. This was an opportunity for the Lord Mayor to meet and speak with a number of service users who benefit from this service.
Inspire’s Community Wellbeing Service facilitates the recovery and emotional resilience of individuals with lived experience of mental ill health by promoting and implementing wellbeing programmes and developing positive outcomes for individuals and groups.
Lord Mayor of Armagh City Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, Mealla Campbell stated
“I was delighted to have the opportunity to visit the Inspire mental health team at Dobbin Street in Armagh and hear more about their services and the support they give people living with mental health conditions”
She added “About 1 in 5 people will suffer from mental health issues during their lifetime. Looking after our mental health is just as important as our physical health and wellbeing and I am pleased there is now a greater focus on mental health awareness across our society. Services like these are invaluable in reaching out to and helping those who are experiencing difficulties. We all should be encouraged to seek help if we need it, but also to reach out and support those in need. Inspire do just that and they provide a range of services from 1-1 counselling to group sessions that are designed to take account of users individual needs. They support people to move forward at their own pace. Their caseload is varied and can take the form of a visit to an elderly resident who may be feeling isolated and lonely to intervening in crisis situations and ensuring the appropriate referrals are made.”
“Mental health is one of my key priorities for my year as Lord Mayor and I am so pleased that we have this facility in Dobbin Street where it can operate at the very heart of the community in Armagh. I was keen that a visit to Inspire would be one of my first engagements so I could speak with the team to offer them my thanks and support for their commitment and dedication to an issue that affects so many and is vastly under-resourced”
Another key focus for the visit was local community engagement, education and support. Armagh Community Wellbeing Service has supported many of Inspire’s Anti-Stigma campaigns including Change Your Mind and Mental Health Awareness Week. Inspire’s campaigns provide information resources for the general public, awareness campaigns in the media and specific programmes in education, communities and workplaces across Northern Ireland. Staff and volunteers aim to reduce stigma faced by service users in the community by educating various groups within the community about mental health and wellbeing.
Cheryl Lester, Manager said, ‘We have been working hard to raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing in the local community and we were delighted to host the Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council to the service in order to showcase the work we do and to hear from individuals we work with daily.
For more information about the service Inspire provides speak to the team who are located at 11a Dobbin Street, Armagh, BT61 7QQ, via phone on 028 3752 8771 or via email on armaghcws@inspirewellbeing.org or visit the website here.