Phil Kearns was the charity steward and David Bridge is the master of Makerfield Lodge No 2155, and both went along to present cheques of £300 to Katie Holt, Director and Trustee of Blessings in Disguise, a children’s needs charity in Leigh.
They are actively raising funds through events/activities and through the kind generosity of their donors. There was also a cheque for £300 which was presented to Mark Smith, CEO of ManLeigh Charity a wonderful support help for men also based in Leigh which, they have a great video on YouTube with lots of information.
Blessing in Disguise children’s charity actively raises funds through events/activities and through the kind of generosity of their donors, support from the community and local and national businesses to provide a range of essential and special needs equipment, such as special needs prams, walkers, sensory equipment, communication aids and planned activities. They also provide a range of life enhancing experiences via their free service helping to significantly improve the quality of life by promoting and providing social and recreational opportunities, enabling the freedom to enjoy treasured memories to share with family and loved ones for terminally ill, disabled and disadvantaged children and young people across the UK.
They strive to build close partnerships with companies and other charities so they can all grow and enable disabled and disadvantaged children and young people to have the same chances and opportunities as everyone else. They welcome support, no matter how big or small a pledge for support is, every little goes a long way to achieving some of the life goals for these children and their families and carers and anyone who wants to make a difference to a child’s life.
ManLeigh is built on empathy based around shared experiences, focusing on strengths, rather than weaknesses, with the goal of achieving wellbeing and recovery. It may be social, emotional or practical support but, importantly, peer support is mutually offered and reciprocal, allowing men to benefit from the support whether it’s being giving or receiving it.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, there have been over 40,000 extra deaths in the UK alone. These families will be reaching out for support, in line with what we know about the way men seek support for bereavement, we expect men to put themselves last when it comes to helping their families deal with their bereavement. It is vital that a visible support service dedicated to men is available, already seeing male suicide numbers increase year on year and without direct action, this will continue to rise through 2023 and beyond. Their volunteers have been trained in a variety of counselling skills including active listening, verbal and non-verbal communication, confidentiality and problem solving.
The benefits of peer support are wide ranging including the peer support workers themselves, helping improve their mental health, key to this being the increased empathy and respect that peer supporters have for the individuals they support. Providing and receiving support increases self-esteem, confidence and positive feelings that increase the ability to cope with mental health problems.