Alliance Praises Work Of The Well In Kilkeel
South Down Alliance MLA Patrick Brown last week visited The Well in Kilkeel, a community wellness hub providing mental health support to the community.
Mr Brown said: “I called into Kilkeel last week to visit The Well along with my constituency manager Jill Truesdale.
“It was fantastic to see the amazing support services being provided by volunteers to some of our most vulnerable members of the community who are struggling with their mental health.
“Without an NI Executive and an agreed budget, our health services are unable to provide funding to deliver on many of our policy plans and strategies.
“Because of this, the latest Mental Health Strategy Delivery Plan is one of the many impacted policies.
“With the increased pressure this places on services, our community and voluntary sector is providing life-saving care.
“I am so grateful for the hard work of all our volunteers across the community. There is so much more we need to do to improve our mental health service provision.
“We could introduce a Wellbeing Hub for South Down and other key policies that would make a difference. However, we cannot deliver on these without an Executive.
Patrick Brown added: “In the meantime it is essential that organisations like The Well have the support they need.
“The Well services the wider Kilkeel area where many in our rural communities do not have easy access to mental health support services.
“It provides programmes of crisis support, suicide prevention and mental health training, as well as support for maintaining good mental health and wellbeing.
“We had a very productive conversation about the importance of early intervention and support for suicide prevention, as well as post-vention for supporting people after suicide in the community.
“I look forward to continuing to support The Well and the community and voluntary sector with their vital work in the future.
“If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental health, please reach out to get the support you need.
“Services can be accessed through your GP, or through organisations such as The Well, who can be contacted on email at:
“or by phoning 028 4176 7272.”
