A BANBRIDGE businessman who has previously talked openly and publicly about being impacted by the distressing symptoms of mental illness has invested a six-figure sum into creating a new wellness centre and adjoining gardening and teaching centre in Portadown.
Alan McDowell (59) says the facilities provide crucial support and empowerment for men and women who may be recovering from mental illness, addiction, physical illness, loneliness or isolation.
And it does so in a holistic way by offering a variety of services that include practical, therapeutic activities, social events, listening spaces and talks and presentations on well-being.
The centre at 31-37 Armagh Road in Portadown (opposite McCrums Motorcycles) currently offers - or is actively planning for - classes in pottery and ceramics, woodwork, woodcarving, arts and crafts, sewing and design, yoga and physical exercise, horticulture and gardening, and furniture restoration and upholstery.
Alan said: “I've always had the urge to give back, and if this centre helps even one man or woman to get back to wellness, that alone will have been worth the time and investment.”
And he admits: “I'm living proof that, with the right support and help, everyone can recover from mental illness and lead happier and healthier lives in the future.”
The number of lives lost to suicide in Northern Ireland is soaring at startling levels, and according to a recent research paper for the Stormont Assembly, around 70 per cent of those who die by suicide in the north are not known to mental health services, making it particularly challenging for agencies to step in to offer help.
“Thanks to effective intervention, I'm now well again. But I want to use my own personal experience and recovery process to help others get back to wellness, because with the correct help and support, everybody can make a successful recovery from this debilitating illness,” he added.
“The most effective way back to lasting wellness is to address the issues that triggered the illness with a professional and experienced counsellor.
“But in addition to this, I believe that to break the cyclic, negative thinking often associated with ill mental health, we have to participate in an enjoyable, practical activity that will create distraction, and that's what this project in Portadown is offering.”
Alan previously held senior management positions in a number of globally-recognised horticultural firms, among them Westland Garden Health and Bulrush Horticulture in Northern Ireland, and his personal financial investment in the site at Portadown utilises his 40-year experience in that sector.
“The vision for our teaching Empower Gardening & Educational Centre is to provide an opportunity for young people experiencing mental health issues or who are unemployed to learn a host of new skills and talents.
“This will help raise their self-esteem, self-confidence and self-belief to enable them to enter a new career and/or enter paid employment in a career they have passion for.
“Importantly, we've developed a business which will generate revenue for the adjoining Portadown Wellness Centre, which currently relies on funding from various bodies to operate.
“And it's the firm vision of our board of directors - who have many years’ experience in business management and development - that both centres will become self-financing within the next two to three years and no longer have to rely on public funding.”
Meanwhile the centre is hosting a Community Family Artisan Christmas Market over the next four Saturdays (running from 10am to 6pm).
Each week around 20 innovative crafters and talented small businesses will be selling a range of unique festive gifts and products, ranging from hand made candles, jewellery, hand crocheted and knitted items, floral table decorations, fine art and paintings and drawings by local artists.
There will also be an animal farm under canopy to the rear of the Empower Garden Centre where children can pet real donkeys, goats, lambs and other animals.
Alan adds: “We open the market this coming Saturday, which also happens to be International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day, an event in which survivors of suicide loss come together to find connection, understanding, and hope through their shared experience.”
