Mikeysline announces star-studded Burns Supper featuring Torridon frontman Kenny Smith and 'Mr Loch Ness' to raise funds for mental health support
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Highland mental health charity Mikeysline is inviting supporters to toast Robert Burns in January 2023 at a fundraising event.
Scotland's national bard will be celebrated at the Kingsmills Hotel in Inverness on January 25 – while raising vital funds for the charity which provides mental health and suicide prevention services across the Highlands and Moray.
The Burns Supper will be hosted by Kenny Smith, of folk-rockers Torridon, and feature speeches from 'Mr Loch Ness' Willie Cameron, Highland businessman Liam Christie, and Highland hospitality specialist Yvonne Crook while others will be revealed on the night.
Katie Melville, fundraising manager at Mikeysline, said in 1789, Robert Burns wrote 'My Heart’s in the Highlands'. "Today, we also believe that the Highlands is full of heart – that we as a community are passionate about coming together to support those in need," she said.
"That’s why we’d love to see as many people as possible join us at the Kingsmills Hotel this January to raise a dram to Burns, and help Mikeysline continue to provide much-needed mental health and suicide prevention support across the Highlands and Moray.
"January can be a difficult time for many people. After the rush of Christmas and Hogmanay, many are left feeling flat or isolated after such a busy and sociable period.
"By holding a Burns Supper, we’re hoping to give people something to look forward to in the new year – all while raising awareness that it’s ok not to be ok, and that help is available for those who need it."
Tickets for Mikeysline’s Burns Supper are available from Katie Melville on katiemelville@mikeysline.co.uk and cost £65 per person – or £650 per table.
The event starts at 6.30pm for 7pm and includes entertainment, a welcome drink, three-course dinner, whisky toast, and tea and coffee.
Funds raised at the event will go towards Mikeysline’s growing services which includes outreach into primary and secondary schools, engagement with local businesses, awareness-raising collaborations with celebrities and sporting organisations and its vital face-to-face and text-based support services offered throughout the north of Scotland.
Willie Cameron said: "The support Mikeysline provides to those in need in the Highlands and Moray can’t be underestimated.
"The charity’s work with people of all ages is making a huge difference to our local communities.
"From the iconic Address to a Haggis to the Immortal Memory and the Toast to the Lassies, Mikeysline’s Burns Supper is guaranteed to be a great night full of laughs, celebration, and raising funds for a wonderful cause."
Mikeysline’s Burns Supper is supported by title sponsor, Caley Timber Building and Supplies Ltd.
Manager Donald Morrison said: "We are pleased to be the title sponsor for Mikeysline’s upcoming Burns Supper and looking forward to attending ourselves.
"We have been aware of Mikeysline’s work in the Highlands for some time and just wanted to help in any way we could."
Other sponsors include the Kingsmills Hotel, whisky toast supplier Louis Vuitton Moet-Hennessy, which is providing a selection of Ardbeg and Glenmorangie miniatures for guests, Stagecoach Highland, Dicksons of Inverness, Ashers Bakery, Mackenzie & Cormack Solicitors and Estate Agents of Tain, and Arthur & Carmichael LLP of Dornoch.
Since 2015, Mikeysline has offered confidential, non-judgemental support to people of all ages dealing with mental health issues, emotional distress or thoughts of suicide in the Highlands and Moray.
It does this via a text line service at 07786 207755, WhatsApp at 01463 729000 and via its website; and live chat, Twitter and Messenger via its website.
The charity also produces a popular podcast, Speaking of Suicide, as well as working closely with teachers and pupils in schools across the north of Scotland.
It offers face-to-face support in four Hives across the region at its Inverness headquarters, Tesco in Tain, The Place in Alness, and the Highland Yoga Collective in Nairn where service users can engage in one-to-one support or join in group sessions.
Visit www.mikeysline.co.uk or find Mikeysline on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more information.
