Brent pope to launch 4th offaly mental health talk week

The fourth Offaly Mental Health Talk Week will be launched next week by rugby analyst Brent Pope, who will travel to Tullamore library next Wednesday evening for the official launch event.

Offaly Mental Health Talk Week is designed to promote positive mental health, and this year’s programme includes more than 50 events. Organisers of the event say Mr Pope didn’t need to be convinced to support the event, and cited his motivation to help younger people growing up to seek support and help and not suffer without knowing how to cope with what’s troubling them.

“Similar to Brent’s home country of New Zealand, suicide rates there are high so he is only too well aware of the importance of taking care of your mental health from an Irish and New Zealand perspective,” organisers explained.

Contrary to its name, Offaly Mental Health Talk Week will run over two weeks from November 10 until November 23 next. The key messages for the campaign are that mental health problems will affect one in four of us at some point in our lives, and that it’s nothing to be ashamed of.

“There is a huge stigma about experiencing mental health problems,” those behind the event said. “If we want to change attitudes and encourage people to be open, then it has to start locally and at community level. That’s why we’ve put together these events for Offaly to encourage people to come out to events and learn about minding your mental health.

“People with mental health problems can and do recover,” they continued. “If we all work together to increase understanding about mental health problems, then people will know that there is always somewhere to turn to if they need help.”

Offaly Mental Health Talk Week will be launched at 7pm next Wednesday, October 22 in Tullamore library.

More information is available at www.omhtw.ie or at the Offaly Mental Health Talk Week page on Facebook.