A local family are organising an evening in memory of a loved one they recently lost as a result of life long mental health problems. The aim is to generate funds for Mental Health charities and of course increase awareness in the area.
Omagh is a possible venue for this evening and the organisation is moving along nicely but there are one or two things they require advice on.
Would anyone out there be aware of a Guest Speaker and how to contact them) who would be appropriate for such an event? As this will be a cross community event they want to steer away from Politicians.
Also, a band would be required so any recommendations for that would be highly appreciated.
I was at a fundraising event recently & a boy was there from PIPS Newry & Mourne. You could try something similar in your own area.
Alan o Mara, former cavan goalie. Think he does stuff like this, he had his own mental health issues
He's on Twitter aomthecat i think is his handle
Oisin McConville might be a good one as well as he does a lot of this stuff. I would know a few people from the mental health profession like PIPS who would be very good, particularly in relation to suicide awareness, suicide prevention and support for families so if you're interested I could make a few calls
Thanks for the suggestions so far.
I will mention Alan O'Mara to them and Oisin McConville had already been thought of.
I believe PIPS are not an option as the family are working on this with another local mental health charity.
Alan Quinlan who played for Ireland may also be an idea even though he is not from a cross community background the rugby connection would be useful in that respect
Thanks again. I've contacted Alan Quinlan through his agent so hopefully that leads somewhere
If in Omagh, I'd be interested in going to it. Keep us posted Emmett.