Group pictured at the shaveathon presentation. Photo: Ken Wright

A close shave for mental health awareness

ELEVEN volunteers, from various walks of life, have raised close to €30,000 in a fundraising shaveathon.

The Shave Your Views on Mental Health project, as it was called, set out not just to raise funds for the Mayo Mental Health Association but, just as importantly, to create an awareness about mental health and to promote positive mental health.

Johnny McHale’s pub in Castlebar, under the baton of impressario Frank Forde, was the venue for the great shave-off as the 11 volunteers - Fr. Declan Carroll, Marcus Connaughton, Kevin Neary, Aidan Hopkins, Adrian McHale, Anthony Corcoran, Patrick Corcoran, William Murphy, James Neary, Darragh Shaw and Sean Mangan - bade farewell to their hirsute image and returned to their more normal clean shaven selves thanks to a hairdressing team under Angela Heneghan, who gave freely of their time.

The efforts of the 11, who are all friends, were commended by the chairperson of Mayo Mental Health Association, Mr. PJ Murphy, who thanked them for their work, while he also paid tribute to their families, friends and the general public who embraced the project and the various fundraising efforts, from cake sales to 10k walks to card games.

Your organisational skills were superb and you have been fantastic ambassadors for Mayo Mental Health Association,” Mr. Murphy told the group and the large crowd of supporters who came together to celebrate what was a wonderful achievement in coordinating such a fundraising effort.

He also thanked Niall Dunne, Mental Health Ireland development officer for Mayo MHA, for overseeing the project and for his leadership and dedication throughout 10-week project.

The project came about when Niall Dunne was approached by one of the volunteers, Kevin Neary, about the idea.

Said Niall: “It was a very humbling experience to have worked with all involved in this fundraising event.

The real success was having 11 lads all in the early 30s promoting mental health awareness. I know their work has not been given in vain as the positive feedback and response from the public has been magnificent. The general public and local business groups’ response to the cause has been overwhelming.”

Mr. Dunne spoke of one particular story that stands out and perhaps encapsulates the spirit of promoting positive mental health.

One of the volunteers was standing outside MacHale Park collecting for the event on a freezing night when Dublin came to play Mayo in the national league. A 10-year-old boy was curiously walking up and down past their information stand before stopping and asking Kevin was he collecting for the Mayo Mental Health Association.

Having been told he was, the young boy proceeded to check his pockets. Kevin told the lad to keep the money for the match but the little boy took out €2 from his left pocket, only to put it back in again and reach into his back pocket and produce €5.

Please take this as the Mayo Mental Health Association helped my dad,” he said.

 

* Pictured in the Mayo Mental Health Association’s office at the presentation of a cheque for €28,486.29, proceeds from Shave Your Views on Mental Health, are the group who had their beards shaved in Johnny McHale’s to raise awareness on mental health wellbeing. At front, from left: Mary Murphy, MMHA volunteer, Aiden Hopkins, Patrick Corcoran, PJ Murphy, chairman, MMHA, Marcus Connaughton, Angela Heneghan (barber) and Tony O’Boyle, MMHA volunteer. At back: Carmel Barrett, administrator, MMHA, Anthony Corcoran, Fr. Declan Carroll, Sean Mangan, Darragh Shaw, Adrian McHale, James Neary, Kevin Neary, William Murphy and Niall Dunne, Mayo Roscommon mental health development officer. Photo: Ken Wright