On behalf of the Friends of Newcastle I welcome you to the launch of our new web site:
www.friendsofnewcastlehospital.ie.
We hope that it will become a well used resource for people using the mental health services, their families, staff and other professionals working in the area. We also hope that it is not merely seen as a source of information but that it draws attention to the importance of clients taking centre stage in their recovery. Recovery is a very personal journey which requires the person to become independent and confident in themselves, be able to cope with life’s stresses and acknowledge when help and support is needed.
The Friends, for many years, have worked in partnership with the Hospital to promote a better public understanding of mental illness and to create a positive environment in which to enable change to happen for those using the mental health services. This change is at the core of Governments Policy in ‘Vision for Change’. We invite service users, their family and friends to become involved in using this website and to grow it so that it becomes an important vehicle in sharing a conversation about mental illness and changing attitudes.
On behalf of the Friends, I wish to thank everyone who has helped in creating this site especially Jean-Luc Oudart the designer. I also wish to congratulate the participants in the mental health services in Bray, Wicklow and Arklow and their tutor Maggie Murphy for their dedication to the development of the Recovery Garden in the grounds of Newcastle Hospital. The Friends value the great opportunity given to them to participate in this collaborative project. It has been a very positive learning experience that has culminated in a wonderful piece of creative work.
Lastly I wish to thank Raymond Fenton and EVE Holding, along with Mark Madden, New Dawn, Bray for their support and vision and finally to thank the staff of Newcastle Hospital without whom this work could not have been undertaken.
Best Wishes,
Evelyn Cawley
Friends of Newcastle Hospital
