Siobhan Bailey, Fibromyalgia Support Group; Victoria Mullan and Paul Crawford, Inspire; Mayor of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, Cllr Tim Morrow; Mandy Gilmore, Atlas Women's Centre; Gareth Lennox, Robbie Gray and Kerri Simms, LCCC Mental Health Champions.

Mayor of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, Cllr Tim Morrow, was delighted to host a coffee & connect morning for local service users, LCCC Mental Health Champions and mental health charities at Lagan Valley Island, 2nd October, to celebrate World Mental Health Day.

The World Health Organisation recognises World Mental Health Day on 10 October every year. This year’s theme is ‘Mental Health in the Workplace’

This year to promote positive mental wellbeing the Council in partnership with the South Eastern Trust and Inspire Wellbeing have developed ‘Coffee & Connect’, a toolkit for businesses and local community groups, to encourage people to come together and talk about mental health.

Mental health problems can affect the way you think, feel and behave. They affect around one in four people in the UK, and range from common mental health problems to more rare conditions. A mental health problem can feel just as bad, or worse, as any other physical illness therefore it is important that we take steps to managing our mental wellbeing.

Speaking about the importance of looking after your mental health the Mayor said: “The ‘Take 5 Steps to Wellbeing’ campaign; be active, connect, keep learning, take notice and give, developed by the Health and Social Care Trust NI, are small changes that can be easily introduced into our everyday lives to ultimately improve our mental wellbeing.

“Evidence shows that good relationships with family, friends and our wider communities are important for our mental health and wellbeing. Building stronger, wider social connections can help us feel happier and more secure and give us a greater sense of purpose. We are encouraging communities and businesses to use our toolkit to plan a “Coffee & Connect” event for World Mental Health Day.”

World Mental Health Day is the annual global celebration of mental health education, awareness and advocacy.