The Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens has announced his support for the charity MindWise, the first of two charities he will partner with during his term.

MindWise is a Northern Ireland based charity whose vision is: “A world where mental health and wellbeing is everyone's business”.

Councillor Ciarán McQuillan is from the village of Dunloy and said: “I have chosen to partner with MindWise to help focus on addressing the stigma of mental health for men in rural communities.

“The MindWise ethos really resonates with me, and I would like this partnership to help shine a spotlight on the importance of mental health support for everyone and help to encourage early intervention at a young age on these issues.

“I know that some men in particular find it difficult to be open about their struggles, especially in small towns and villages where everyone knows everyone else. I think it’s important that asking for help becomes normalised and is not something you feel you need to hide.

“I am honoured to be Council’s Mental Health champion and as part of this I’m delighted that Council’s new Sport & Wellbeing Grant is now open for applications.”

While working with MindWise to promote the support they offer, Councillor McQuillan hopes to help trigger conversations in schools and community groups across the Borough so that mental health is addressed from an early age.

He added: “I would encourage community and sporting groups out there to apply for this funding, which allows up to £500 for initiatives aimed at promoting positive mental health through physical and mental wellbeing activities.”

Amy Stothers, Children and Young People Programmes Engagement Co-Ordinator at MindWise welcomed the partnership, saying: “Thank you to Councillor McQuillan for supporting us as one of his Mayor’s charities.

“We are delighted to be working with him to highlight the importance of mental health and we look forward to the Mayor helping to support our initiatives during his term.”

To read more about Council’s Sport & Wellbeing Grant visit: https://grants.ccgbcapps.com/

More information on Mayor’s charity MindWise can be found by visiting: https://www.mindwisenv.org/who-we-are/