Lottery Cash To Improve Mental Health
Lottery Cash Improves Mental Health of Northern Ireland Communities
Innovative activities to improve the mental health of the Northern Ireland community, are now being funded with lottery cash.
Healthy Minds NI, was launched today by the Big Lottery Fund, which is the largest of the National Lottery Good Cause Distributors. The focus is to provide support for activities which will improve the mental health and well-being of the people in the community.
Grants of between £500 to £10,000 are now available to groups across Northern Ireland to fund these activities. Typical examples are the support of isolated senior citizens, mental health issues in adults, families affected by alcohol, and the changing effect on life by bereavement for example.
Additional activities include:
- activity classes for senior citizens in nursing and care homes
- alternative therapy sessions supporting the mentally ill, or folk with addiction difficulties,
- physical activity programmes, supporting folk with disabilities
The NI Museums and Galleries Open Museums project in Omagh and East Belfast has been allocated a grant from the Big Lottery Fund, enabling them to hold reminiscence and art sessions, designed to help unlock the minds of dementia sufferers from residential homes and day centres.
Briege McClean, who delivers the project, said “Even if they have not been involved in an artistic hobby before, folk with dementia, can really enjoy taking up this hobby.”
At the Ulster American Folk Park the programme started out with a few reminiscence sessions, bringing various articles from the museum. Next, the arts programme, aided by an arts tutor, was included.
McClean continued: “By its very nature, dementia can cause fear and anxiety. Yet during the first few weeks, we actually observed the transition of folk from being terrified of lifting a paintbrush, or making a mark on the paper, to being very happy and relaxed with their achievements.”
Source acknowledged with thanks : Big Lottery Fund UK 23/03/10
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