Director of Turning Point NI Trudi Power with the team at The Barber Collective, Ballymena
Ballymena based charity Turning Point NI have partnered with local barber shop The Barber Collective to start a new campaign around men’s mental health #fadeoutfear.
The campaign with a vital message is being highlighted today - World Mental Health Day (Tuesday 10 October) by the team at Turning Point NI. The charity has been making a real impact for a number years in communities in Ballymena and across County Antrim.
Highlighting the importance of the campaign message, Trudi Power, Director of Turning Point NI said:
"We are all aware that men don’t talk about how they 'REALLY FEEL' and the stigma attached to men and mental health.
"We want to raise awareness of our #fadeoutfear campaign across Mid and East Antrim and get men to talk. We want to normalise that it’s ok not to feel ok and who better to raise this awareness than our local barbers, Barber Collective Ballymena.
"The Barber Collective has a footfall of over 400 clients per week, and with statistics revealing that 1 in 5 suffer from mental ill health, this shows that potentially 80 of their clients could be struggling.
"If you are a man and reading this and you are struggling, whether it be mental ill health, debt, gambling, family or drug issues then take that 1st step and begin your journey."
There were 237 deaths registered in 2021 from suicide in Northern Ireland with a total of 176 men and 61 women making up this figure.
Trudi added:
"Please don’t become another statistic! Let’s normalise ill mental health and #fadeoutfear."
Two local men who have reached out and used the free service of Turning Point NI previously, said:
"Thank you so so much for keeping me alive." Anon.
"Thank you for being a light." Anon.