Helplink provide accessible, free or low cost mental health services; locally, nationally and internationally, 7 days a week and out–of–hours.
The three types of mental health services that Helplink provide are: Counselling, Information Provision and Education.
Coldtober was a national sea swimming fundraising challenge for the month of October, where each day a staggering 490 participants across Ireland (including one in Australia!) took part by joining us for a sea swim in their local area, to help us meet our 2021 mission; for children, young people and adults to achieve and maintain positive mental health.
We would like to say a huge THANK YOU to each of our 490 participants who set up a fundraising page and shared their #Coldtober post sea swim selfies across their social media and to our main sponsors Portwest and Solaris Tea. The campaign has raised vital funds and awareness for our mental health services that are needed now more than ever.
Coldtober began building on from last year’s successful sea-swimming fundraising challenge organised by students from NUI Galway who completed a daily swim in Blackrock, Galway each day of November in aid of our mental health services, who raised €15,000.
For 2021 we decided to go national with ‘Coldtober’ so people all across Ireland could take part. We are blown away by the total amount raised which is a staggering…€129,000! We have also employed 4 new counsellors to keep up with the increased demand for our services since we began promoting Coldtober!
Along with the overall running of our organisation, the money raised will also go towards;
- Enhancing our mental health e-learning platform that houses our information & education services (mindhacks.ie)
- Our free and low cost mental health services; for children, young people and adults; 7 days a week and out–of–hours, nationally and locally
- Support us to possibly open a third office location this time in Athlone for people in Co. Roscommon and the Midlands.
Founder & CEO of Helplink Mental Health Lochlann Scott says,
“When we launched Coldtober this year we were hoping for around 100 people to take up the challenge. Never in our wildest dreams did we expect nearly 500 people from across 21 counties to take up the challenge! People’s generosity is just amazing and because of that generosity we are in an even better position to continue to enhance and expand the mental health services we offer to children, young people and adults 7 days a week.”
Coldtober 2021 Brand Ambassador Irish surfer and mental health advocate Dr. Easkey Britton says;
“Coldtober brought together two of the things I’m most passionate about — a love of the sea and cold water, and supporting our well-being and mental health.
It was incredible to see such a huge response from all over the country with people taking to the cold water in support of Helplink Mental Health’s vital services, while also deepening their connection with the sea.
Coldtober created a more positive approach to how we experience, understand and promote our mental health. People discovered how the sea and cold water immersion can also help our mental health in so many ways. The multi-sensory nature of water stimulates all our senses bringing us back into our bodies instead of feeling stuck in our heads. That’s one of the reasons why it feels so freeing and energising, helping to reduce stress and anxiety.”
Follow our journey with us on our social media pages @HelplinkMentalHealth or Twitter @HelplinkMH as we complete our 2021 mission, and will provide updates across our channels of how the donations will be spent on our services across 2021 & 2022!
Also, stay tuned for #Coldtober2022!
For more information, interviews, or to become a Coldtober 2022 sponsor or make a donation or hold a fundraiser for Helplink, please contact Marketing & Fundraising Manager Ruth Mc Court – ruth@helplink.ie