Highland News & Media choose Mikeysline as their charity for 2022/23

The staff of Highland News and Media have voted for Mikeysline to be its 2022-23 Charity of the Year, and have pledged to raise as much money as they can over the coming 12 months.

Emily Stokes, chief executive of Mikeysline, said:

“We are absolutely delighted that staff at Highland News and Media have chosen Mikeysline as their charity this year and we hope to use this tremendous opportunity to talk generally about mental health and wellbeing and suicide prevention as well as the support that is available for people of all ages.

“Only by talking about these subjects openly can we help others to feel more able to reach out for support when they most need it without fear of judgement or stigma. It’s ok not to be ok, but when we are not ok, talking about it with people we trust and reaching out for support can make a huge difference to our lives and others around us.

 “At Mikeysline we are always striving to develop and expand our services further and as well as providing individual support, we work with schools, businesses and offer group support.

“As a charity, we ultimately rely on fundraising. We have been so lucky and are so grateful for the amazing support that we have received as a grass roots charity since 2015 and are always looking for new ideas and options to raise awareness and funds with individuals, groups and businesses.”

If you can support the charity in any way, you can get in touch at enquiries@ mikeysine.co.uk if you would like to work them or can help get key messages out in local communities. Since 2015, Mikeysline has offered confidential, non-judgemental support to people of all ages dealing with mental health issues, emotional distress or thoughts of suicide in the Highlands and Moray. It does this via a text line service at 07786 207755; WhatsApp at 01463 729000 and via its website; and live chat, Twitter and Messenger via its website (www. mikeysline.co.uk).

Mikeysline also produces a popular podcast, Speaking of Suicide with Adventurous Audio, and will be launching a new series over the next few weeks.

Darrel Paterson, business development manager and charity champion with Highland News and Media, said:

“We are passionate about our communities and our Community Social Responsibility. “Each year we ask our employees to vote for our charity of the year, and it is with great pride that that Mikeysline will be benefactor from September 2022 to September 2023.

“Given the challenges we have faced over the last few years and with the cost-of-living crisis, it is imperative that charities like Mikeysline get the support they need to be able to be there to offer support for when people need it.”

September 10 is World Suicide Prevention day, and Darrel says everyone at HNM is keen to use this opportunity to raise awarness of the work that Mikeysline does. He added:

“Our team will be working on a series of fundraising events and challenges to support that charity, and we would welcome our readers to join us in supporting them.” 

For more information visit www.mikeysline. co.uk – or find Mikeysline on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.