The Niamh Louise Foundation
A charity set up in memory of a teenager who lost their life to suicide, The Niamh Louse Foundation is taking the taboo away from suicidal thoughts and helping young people manage with their mental health.
Catherine McBennett’s daughter Niamh McKee was only 15 when she died by suicide and her mother did not want anyone else to die by suicide.
In February 2006, on what would have been Niamh’s 16th birthday, Catherine co- founded The Niamh Louise Foundation. The charity has spent the last 16 years providing a safe community space for people to share their worries and provide care for anyone in crisis with thoughts of suicide or self-harm. It has also filled the gap in bereavement support groups in the heart of Tyrone and Armagh.
One of the Foundation’s main projects is the National Lottery-funded Empowering Young Minds. This provides a tailored care-package to support young people aged eight to 25 in emotional distress, with thoughts of suicide or self-harm, or who have been bereaved by suicide.
The eight-week group programme is designed to help de-escalate the crisis, help them heal and recover, develop life skills and build self-esteem and resilience. The programme also includes one-to-one therapy, training in emotions, care plans, creating a Suicide Prevention First Aid Kit and the development of 7 storybooks based on 5 main emotions inspired by the stories of children and young people who attend the centre.
Wedi’ch ysbrydoli? Ymgeisiwch am arian
Wedi’i ysbrydoli gan The Niamh Louise Foundation? Ymgeisiwch am arian i gefnogi’ch cymuned eich hunan. Chwilio am nawdd
Dros 685,000 o brosiectau wedi’u hariannu
Mae’r Loteri Genedlaethol wedi rhoi £43 biliwn i brosiectau lleol yn union fel y prosiect hwn i gefnogi’ch cymuned leol. Discover more local projects in your community