Mikeysline CEO stresses importance of looking after those in our communities during Mental Health Awareness Week.

Loneliness is the theme for the 2022 Mental Health Awareness Week campaign.

The head of a Scottish mental health charity has highlighted the importance of looking after those who need support in our local communities. The rallying call comes as the UK marks Mental Health Awareness Week (May 9-15).

Emily Stokes, CEO of Mikeysline – which provides face to face and text-based support in Highlands and Moray, said:

“With the pandemic and policitical upheaval around the world, it can be easy to focus on the bigger stories that dominate the news and our social media feeds. 

“However, it’s important not to overlook those that need our help on our doorstep. Whether affected by global events or situations closer to home, it’s vital that we look after those in our local communities.

“Since the first Covid lockdown, we have seen a 75% increase in demand for our services providing non-judgemental support to those dealing with mental health issues, emotional distress, or thoughts of suicide in the Highlands and Moray.

“In recent months we have opened new Hives across the region and expanded our text services to include WhatsApp, and yet we are still seeing requests for help continue to rise.

“It’s a sad fact that the rate of suicide is higher in the Highlands than anywhere else in Scotland. We must all look out for each other and check in on people that may be suffering in silence. Simply asking how someone is could make all the difference.

“It’s important that anyone struggling with their mental health knows that it’s ok not to be ok, and help is available from friends, family and services like Mikeysline.”

Mikeysline receives no government funding and relies on donations from businesses and individuals to provide its services.  In May, fundraisers are being sponsored to cover vast distances across the country in the Miles for Mikeysline challenge.

Ms Stokes continues: “We are so grateful to the business and individuals who have raised funds for us over the years and allowed us to expand our services to offer support to more and more people.”

Mikeysline on the ball with Elgin City FC for better mental health

A new football partnership has been formed to raise awareness of mental health.Highland charity Mikeysline has teamed up with Elgin City.The charity will provide awareness training to all the club’s age group players to increase understanding of mental health and what people can do to help themselves and others who are maybe struggling.Emily Stokes, chief executive of the charity, was at Borough Briggs this week to formally launch the partnership with the Cinch League Two Club.She said: “We will offer mental health awareness training for their players, for the community and we are just really grateful they are going to promote Mikeysline and the support we can provide.

“Partnerships with football clubs are brilliant because there are so many people that are part of a community and a football club is a focus of that. So hopefully we will be able to reach out to a lot more people should they need our support.“The club wants to get the message out that it is OK not to be OK and to reach out for support when you need it.

“Men in general can sometimes find it more difficult to talk about their feelings. In Scotland we have the highest suicide rate in Europe and men in particular are most at risk.“A football club gives us an opportunity to reach more men.

”The charity already has partnerships with Premiership Ross County, Championship Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Highland League Nairn County.“We are trying to reach out to Moray now so this is an amazing way to get that launched,” Emily added.“We really want to get the message out that Mikeysline is there for anybody in Moray of any age. We do textline support every day of the week that’s by SMS, Messenger, Twitter, Webchat and Whats App. We can also provide one-to-one support at our Hive in Inverness or virtually.”The charity has already been working with local schools in the Elgin and Lossiemouth areas.

Emily said the pandemic has had a huge impact on people, and added to anxiety levels.

The mental health needs have increased significantly. We have been around for six years and we have seen an increase in people using our services since the pandemic.“We are really grateful to Keiran (Carty, general manager) and the club for reaching out to us and we are really hoping we can make a difference in the community.”Keiran added: “We wanted to raise some awareness about mental health and we know Mikeysline do a fantastic job.“As a community-based football club we want to do as much as we can to help and educate.“Mental health is very important to think about. We want to make sure everyone is Ok. We have a club pastor who is open to talk to anyone.

“You know what footballers are like, they are a tough bunch and men are terrible for talking. It is trying to encourage people to talk and let them know it is OK not to be OK.”Mikeysline was founded in 2015 following the tragic deaths of good friends, Martin Shaw and Michael Williamson within 48 hours.Ron Williamson, Mikey’s uncle, heard that young people felt that they had nowhere to go when they were at a loss when struggling with mental health issues.So, along with other key individuals, he founded Mikeysline with the aim of changing this so that others might receive the help and support that Mikey needed.

Find out more about the charity at https://mikeyslineold.vhostevents.com/ If you need someone to talk to, you can text 07786 20 77 55, or contact the charity via messenger, webchat or twitter.Sunday-Thursday 6-10pm, Friday-Saturday 7pm-7am.You can also visit the Hive, 19 Academy Street, Inverness, 6pm-10pm, Sunday to Thursday and 6pm – 11pm Friday and Saturday evenings.