Campaigns – Wellbeing Matters Lanarkshire

Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival 2025

Recovery Event 2025

We are delighted to announce that our 4th Celebration of Mental Health Recovery Event will take place on Wednesday 12th November 9am- 3pm at The Alona Hotel, Strathclyde Park. This year our host for the day will be Edward Reid, local celebrity & semi-finalist of Britains Got Talent. The day will be full of surprises including the premier of Trouble in Mind by Glen Dickson followed by a Q & A session. Your ticket will also include one workshop activity session which you will be able to select when registering for a ticket. To book your place please go to www.RecoveryEvent25.eventbrite.co.uk or click on the image below.

Mental Health Awareness Week 2025

The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week 12th– 18th May 2025, organized by the Mental Health Foundation, is Community. This theme highlights the vital role that supportive and safe communities play in supporting mental health and well-being. Being part of a safe, positive community is vital for our mental health and wellbeing. We thrive when we have strong connections with other people and supportive communities that remind us, we are not alone. Communities can provide a sense of belonging, safety, support in hard times, and give us a sense of purpose. Here are a few of the activities taking place: Park Bathe Flyer Sakoon Mind Flyer Mental Health & Green Health Awareness Week 2025 Flyer Mental Health Awareness Week 2024 Poster

Winter Campaign

We all recognise that Christmas and New Year are times of great celebration providing people with an opportunity to come together, exchange gifts, share memories and show friends and family how important they are to us. However, it is almost impossible to get through Christmas without experiencing some level of stress. For many it can be a time that brings financial pressure, stress, loneliness and can remind us of sad times in our lives. There are practical steps which you can take all year round to look after your own and others’ mental health. Feeling Snowed Under? Worrying about money? A guide to surviving Christmas Mental health – South Lanarkshire Council

Suicide Prevention Week 2025

National Suicide Prevention Week is an annual awareness-raising event providing an opportunity to create awareness of this leading cause of death. Suicide Prevention Week 2025 will run from 7th – 13th September.

Training

There are a number of Mental Health & Suicide Prevention training courses available. The training Pathway explains the levels of training available & how to access. Training opportunities include the following: Ask, Tell, Save a Life — Mental Health, Compassionate Conversations and Suicide Prevention- 2 hour online or in person Learning overview: To inform everyone about mental health and the prevention of suicide so that they may be able to promote good mental health, respond to distress and help people seek help. Go to the following link for dates & booking: https://forms.office.com/e/pAsnEpE37K Applied Suicide Intervention Skills (ASIST) (2 full days in person). People must attend both days. Learning overview: To teach participants to carry out life-saving interventions for people with thoughts of suicide. For information on booking, email at the following links: South Lanarkshire Training North Lanarkshire Training Understanding mental Health Stigma & Discrimination (1.5 hours online) Understanding and tackling stigma and discrimination is foundational to all mental health and wellbeing incentives and work streams as well as the provision of services. Learning overview: To equip participants with the knowledge to confidently join a stigma free movement for change. For more information contact: Audrey.lrn@lanarlkshirelinks.org.uk or David.lrn@lanarkshirelinks.org.uk

Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival

The Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival (SMHAF) is a National Festival that has been running since 2012. The festival was developed to promote positive attitudes towards mental health, mental illness, support and recovery, and to effect significant cultural change through the insights and influences of the creative arts. The festival fundamentally seeks to strengthen the links between arts, community and public organisations. Festival Aims The festival is part of a wider programme of mental health improvement, which aims to: Promote positive attitudes around mental health problems. Increase understanding of mental health and well-being – and how we can promote and support our own and others mental health and well-being. Increase awareness of what help and support is available. As well as the above objectives the festival also wishes to: Increase awareness of the important part that the arts can play in supporting and promoting mental health and well-being. To engage with the local media to support mental health awareness. To increase participation by varying the opportunities to engage by using different mediums, targeting different age spans, spreading across Lanarkshire and creatively promoting the events. To link with existing arts and cultural programmes to showcase sustainable projects and build mental health awareness into existing projects and programmes. To strengthen the links between arts, community, academic, voluntary and public organisations. To challenge and engage on the topics of stigma, recovery and mental health inequalities. Lanarkshire has actively been involved with the festival since its inception & delivers an extensive programme each year. After the success of previous festival campaigns, Lanarkshire is delighted to announce their participation in the 19th Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival. SMHAF 2025 will take place from Monday 20 October to Sunday 9 November. It will explore the theme Comfort and Disturb. “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable”. As always, the theme is full of creative possibilities and we are excited to experience all the diverse, inspiring and illuminating ways that artists and communities interpret it, this October/November. If you would like to submit a proposal for funding please complete the attached form & return by 2nd June 2025 to susan.mcmorrin@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk Download Form

Stigma Free Lanarkshire

Stigma Free Lanarkshire is a programme that aims to end mental health stigma and discrimination. We are supporting Lanarkshire Mental Health and Wellbeing Delivery Plan, 2024-2026 that pledges to work together to lift the stigma and discrimination often surrounding mental health, putting it on an equal par with physical health. We know that tackling stigma and discrimination is foundational to achieving a mentally healthy Lanarkshire in every area of life from workplaces and education to Health and Social Care and communities. We want to collectively create the conditions for prevention and recovery, enabling people to lead fulfilled lives as defined by them. The programme is focused on the power of individual actions that collectively bring about real change. Our programme board supports our current work plan and includes experts in the fields of health and social care with specialities in mental health, wellbeing, health promotion and suicide prevention among others. The programmes key aims are that: People will understand that we all have a part to play in creating a mentally health Lanarkshire. People will recognise stigma and discrimination. People will understand the impact of stigma and discrimination on individuals and communities. People will know strategies to prevent mental health stigma and discrimination. People will be confident in tackling stigma and discrimination. People know where to access supports and resources. Empower people with lived experience. Embed anti-stigma practices throughout. People will know how to promote safe, open and inclusive environments. For more information: https://www.lanarkshirelinks.org.uk/stigma-free-lanarkshire/

Recovery Event 2024

On a crisp, sunny winter’s day in November 2024, 160 people with lived experience of poor mental health came together to celebrate mental health and mental health recovery. 40 young people (mental health ambassadors across Lanarkshire schools) came along and updated on their work, promoting good mental health and challenging stigma. The day was opened by NHSL’s medical director. Our host (local radio DJ and mental health advocate Steve McKenna) moved us seamlessly through a day that included stories, song and laughter, discussion, workshops and reflection. 100% of people attending reported that they enjoyed the day 100% of people attending said the day met or exceeded their expectations 93% of people said they’d learned something new about Recovery 80% said the day had helped their own Recovery What Does Recovery Mean to You? “A path to help achieve happiness” “Starting something beautiful, a new journey” “Insight, a future, inclusion. Sharing a happier day” “Learning how important you are” “As young people, mental health can be daunting and difficult to talk about, but today broke down so many barriers. It helped me see the real-world importance. I heard the voices of people who were experiencing recovery, and the challenges they face. Talking about mental health in school feels theoretical. This is life.”

Category: Campaigns