An Lanntair was over the moon to present the Western Isles Association for Mental Health (WIAMH) a donation of £1,706 which had been raised by a series of fundraising challenges undertaken by An Lanntair’s staff throughout April.
An Lanntair’s annual fundraising efforts focussed this year on the number 16 – celebrating the arts centre buildings 16th anniversary – and the staff team agreed the desire to support WIAMH and its vital work in providing mental health support and services to so many local residents across the Western Isles.
Rebecca Mahony, Project Manager at WIAMH, said: “I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all of the An Lanntair staff team for their amazing fundraising appeal on behalf of WIAMH. It has been so great to see and read about individual An Lanntair staff members creative fundraising activities.
“WIAMH deliver Catch 23 services for adults experiencing mental health issues and their families, friends and carers. The pandemic has impacted on everyone’s mental health and well-being, and donations such as this will help enable us to continue to support our existing members and open-up opportunities for us to respond to the increasing demand/need for mental health support in our local community.
“We will ensure that this fund is utilised to directly benefit our service-users to support recovery, and maintenance of positive mental health and well-being.”
Throughout April An Lanntair’s team completed a range of individual challenges, some creative, some physical, some musical…
Four Coffee Break Craft sessions, hosted online by staff, invited members of the public to join the fundraising effort whilst learning something new; Arts Worker Catriona undertook an hour of dancing each day, creating 16 new short dance routines; Front of House Lynda tap-danced for an hour for 16 days; Head of Technical Mike Adkins lifted a total of 16 tonnes of weight in one training session, and Head of Programming, Alex Macdonald, entertained by sharing daily her 16 top tracks from An Lanntair’s music and performing arts programme via the art centre’s social media channels.
Many of the staff team pulled on their hiking shoes and walked or ran to raise funds – Front of House Ainslie completed her local lockdown walk every day for 16 days; Head of Education and Outreach Joe walked to work from Point three days in a row (totalling 16 miles); Steward Heather H walked a 16 mile challenge; CEO Elly ran her 16 miles around Lews Castle Grounds, while Arts Worker Danielle ran a 5k daily for 16 days.
And others in the team combined their fundraising efforts with litter picks as Digital Technician DC completed his favourite local lockdown walk for 16 days in a row, collecting littler along the way each day. Arts Worker Heather M collected a bag of litter a day for 16 days as she walked around Lews Castle Grounds; and Gaelic Programming Officer Calum Fraser completed a 16 mile walk across the Pentland, clearing two truck-loads of rubbish from the moorland!
An Lanntair would like to say a HUGE THANK YOU to everybody who joined our Coffee Break Craft sessions and who donated to our 2021 Fundraising Challenge in aid of WIAMH.
CEO Elly Fletcher and Gaelic Programming Officer Calum Fraser presented WIAMH’s Rebecca, and members Cathy and Iain, with the art centre’s donation during Mental Health Awareness Week (10-16 May).
Rebecca Mahony added: “Wonderful timing that we have received this donation during Mental Health Awareness Week.
“We are delighted to be able to continue to work in partnership with An Lanntair to help reduce mental health stigma and encourage social inclusion and hope that everyone will get the opportunity to come along and see The Reliquary Exhibition in An Lanntiar’s Café Bar (May 22-Jun 26), which was delivered in partnership with The Mental Health Foundation, See Me and Penumbra, and showcases work of some of our fantastically talented members.”