SPONSORED CONTENT: Mikeysline reveals bold business plan
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The spotlight on the importance of good mental health has never been so focused as it is right now as we aim to recover from the pandemic and face a cost of living crisis.
Unsurprisingly, the demands on Highland mental health and suicide prevention charity, Mikeysline, have never been greater.
To keep pace with the increasing need for support, Mikeysline is continuing to reach out to local businesses and organisations to help it expand its services to anybody struggling with their mental health.
New Fundraising Manager, Katie Melville, was appointed to forge partnerships and relationships with the business community to help fund its work in a more sustainable way, particularly in the most rural communities where access to support can be limited.
A Highlander born and bred and having spent six years as a solicitor, Katie is ideally placed to use her corporate background and local knowledge to develop long-lasting relationships with the business community.
“We’ve always had fantastic support from the public but it’s good to have long-term fundraising goals and that’s more sustainable with a corporate approach to fundraising along with the work we do with the public,” explained Katie.
Founded in 2015 following the suicides of friends, Martin Shaw and Michael Williamson, Mikeysline provides support to people of all ages through a range of innovative services including face-to-face meetings at its Hive centres in Inverness, Alness, Tain and Nairn, support through text-based and other social platforms, anti-stigma and awareness-raising campaigns, and workshops with schools, employers and sports clubs.
Supporting employers and employees is an additional priority for the charity given the impact on workforces caused by the pandemic and now the cost of living crisis.
A key part of its new business partnership approach is that support can be reciprocal, should the business welcome that.
Businesses and organisations that support Mikeysline through fundraising and volunteering can be supported right back with workshops and other services to help employers look after their staff.
The charity has already made significant inroads in supporting businesses with regular, hour-long sessions with a number of construction companies to help identify the main triggers of poor mental health and look at coping strategies. According to a 2021 study by Glasgow Caledonian University, the suicide rate of construction workers is around three times the national average. Mikeyline is also working with other sectors and organisations including agriculture and sports which can have particular factors affecting mental health, from working or performing in isolation to a perception of never showing weakness.
“There’s much more we could do if we were able to financially”, said Mikeysline CEO, Emily Stokes. “Katie’s role is crucial for us in developing those relationships and promoting what we can offer businesses in return which is supporting the mental well-being of the workforce, knowing what support is available and helping the employer promote that to their staff.”
A key part of Katie’s role in tandem with other members of the team is raising Mikeysline profile and presence in the business community. The charity is already a member of Business Network International (BNI) Highland and BNI Tuath, Highland Business Women, and Katie will be the charity’s representative at Inverness Chamber of Commerce.
“Part of my long-term strategy as Fundraising Manager is to have a comprehensive annual calendar of events that we and our supporters can rely on, so there’s a structure to the fundraising. And that means as soon as we’ve got fundraising in place we can expand the service.”
A successful golf tournament held earlier this year will be repeated on April14, 2023 at Royal Dornoch with dinner at the Kingsmills Hotel, Inverness. Ten teams have already signed up and a campaign will get underway in September to encourage more participants. In addition, the charity had a stall at the Moy Country Fair, is working with the Victorian Market on events around its re-opening, and is looking to hear from businesses that want to mark World Suicide Prevention Day, September 10 and World Mental Health Day, October 10.
As well as its own events, Mikeysline is always grateful to businesses and the public who organise events that contribute to its fund and awareness raising including memorial football matches, the Thriller in the Chiller boxing event at Inverness Ice Centre on September 3, and Celebrating Amy, a new organisation set up by the family and friends of Amy Tuach who passed away in February 2022. The family is hosting an event at the Macdonald Drumossie Hotel, Inverness on October 29 for what would have been Amy’s 40th birthday.
Katie is looking forward to working with supporters, both business and public, in helping Mikeysline reach out to anybody who needs its support at any time in their lives: “It really feels we are on the ascent with expanding the services we provide, and at the same time it feels there’s a real sense of urgency.
“Between the pandemic and cost of living crisis, there’s never been more demand. It feels good to be doing something useful and I’m looking forward to using my professional experience to contribute to building relationships and developing partnerships for Mikeysline.”
The Hive, 19 Academy Street, Inverness
IV1 1JN
T: 07786 20 77 55
E: enquiries@mikeysline.co.uk
