Be More than a Number with the Big Lottery Fund

Area:

Wales

Programme:

Mental Health Matters

Release date:

29 5 2007

Earlier this year, the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) launched its £15million Mental Health Matters programme in Caernarfon, North Wales, to promote the rehabilitation and independence of people with serious mental health problems in Wales and support those at greatest risk of suicide. To complement the programme and help raise awareness about mental health issues, BIG announces its ‘More than a Number’ campaign today at the Urdd Gobaith Cymru National Eisteddfod in Carmarthenshire, South Wales.

(The official event will be held at the Big Lottery Fund stand 116- 119 on the festival site between 12:30pm – 1pm on Tuesday, May 29. See end of release for picture, filming and interview opportunities).

Statistics show that one-in-four adults will have mental health problems at some time in their lives and that one in ten children will need professional help for a mental health disorder. ‘More than a Number’ is a series of initiatives that BIG is running during the year to inform people about the commonality of mental health issues, how they can affect us all and how we can all play a part in reducing discrimination and myths. The initiatives include research projects and BIG will also be taking the campaign on the road and visiting other events in Wales throughout the summer.

Mental health issues and how they impact young people will be at the forefront of discussion during the Urdd Eisteddfod. With 15,000 young competitors and 100,000 visitors to the event, the festival is an ideal venue for raising awareness amongst youngsters and their families. The BIG stand might be the ideal retreat for those looking to brush away the stress of competing on the big stage. Throughout the week, BIG will be promoting ways of reducing stress levels through complementary laughter, relaxation and learning sessions.

For the first time, BIG will be displaying its new Myths and Facts cards, created especially for the campaign to raise awareness about mental health issues. A series of artworks created by mental health service users will also be on display and visitors will literally have a chance to ‘squeeze’ the stress away and take home one of the free stress balls that BIG is giving away as part of its campaign.

Today (Tuesday), BIG is providing opportunities for people to relax in the hands of professional relaxation therapists from the Swansea-based project, Rural Stress Relief. The group received £5,000 under the Awards for All Wales programme and will provide hand, neck and Indian head massages on the stand throughout the day.  

In addition to the complementary therapy on offer, those attending will also be able to see and hear a piece of poetry commissioned by BIG to raise awareness of mental health issues, which has been created especially for the ‘More than a Number’ campaign by a young Welsh poet from Carmarthen, Catrin Dafydd. Catrin, who is also in the running for Book of the Year award, will hold workshops with young people during the year to help them develop their creative skills and her poetry is also being used in BIG’s publications during the year as part of the awareness campaign.

Highlighting the importance of raising awareness about mental health issues among youngsters in Wales, one of the guest speakers at the event, the Services Manager for Hafal in Carmarthenshire, Evan Thomas, said: “There needs to be an improvement in the quality of services on offer for youngsters with mental health problems in Wales and a change in the way we treat them for various conditions. We are delighted that the Big Lottery Fund has set aside £15 million towards mental health in Wales and this campaign will help raise awareness and eradicate some of the stigma attached.

“Over the years there have been vast improvements in the methods used to treat sufferers. However, more needs to be done to raise awareness and prepare society to accept people with mental health problems. Teaching our youngsters about mental health and how to deal with it should be part of the school curriculum. The earlier we teach them, the more knowledge they will have about it. This will assist in eradicating the stigma and preconceptions attached and arm them with the relevant knowledge they need to recognise and deal with the symptoms more effectively.”  

Explaining the importance of the ‘More than a Number’ campaign, Big Lottery Fund Wales Country Chair, Huw Vaughan Thomas, said: “Our consultations demonstrated there was a clear gap in mental health provision in Wales and that’s why we were delighted to launch our Mental Health Matters programme earlier this year. However, we didn’t want to rest on our laurels and we decided to launch the ‘More than a Number’ campaign to run parallel with the programme to raise awareness about mental health issues in Wales. National events such as this one attract thousands of visitors and competitors each year, providing us with the perfect platform to connect with members of the public and share information.”

He added: “Our presence at the event serves to increase people’s knowledge and understanding of issues faced by mental health practitioners and service users in Wales. And where better to raise awareness about the issues that young people face other than Europe’s premier youth arts festival?”

To find out more about interview, photo and filming opportunities, contact Oswyn Hughes at the BIG press office by e- mail or on the numbers below. Information about the Mental Health Matters programme and all our other programmes will be available on our stand. Those who can’t attend can log onto www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Further information

PICTURE, FILMING AND INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES:

Event: Announcing ‘More than a Number’ campaign at the Urdd Eisteddfod

Date/Time: Tuesday May 29, 2007 (12:30 – 1pm)

Location: BIG stand (116- 119), United Counties Show Ground, Carmarthenshire

Photocall/ Filming: Welsh poet Catrin Dafydd, Evan Thomas from Hafal, visitors receiving complementary therapy, the therapists and bilingual representatives from BIG will all be available for filming, interviewing and photographic opportunities. Commissioned photos of the event will also be available on request from the Big Lottery Fund press office- free of charge.

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 02920 678 207
Out of hours contact: 07760171431
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030
Textphone:  0845 6021 659
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Notes to Editors:

• The Big Lottery Fund rolls out close to £2 million in Lottery good cause money every 24 hours, which together with other Lottery distributors means that across the UK most people are within a few miles of a Lottery-funded project.
• The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in June 2004.
• On 1 December 2006 BIG was officially established by Parliament and at the same time assumed the residual responsibilities of the dissolved National Lottery Charities Board (Community Fund) the New Opportunities Fund, and the Millennium Commission. BIG is building on the experience and best practice of the merged bodies to simplify funding in areas where they overlap and to ensure Lottery funding provides the best possible value for money.

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