Charity holds its flagship event

Lanarkshire charity FAMS held its annual flagship event at Strathclyde Park.

The Let’s Walk and Talk About Mental Health event coincided with World Mental Health Day for the first time.

In previous years the FAMS event has been held a month earlier, on World Suicide Prevention Day.

Those attending braved the somewhat chilly autumn weather to listen to a variety of speakers, some of whom shared their own mental health struggles with issues such as alcohol and drug addiction, or who had suffered abuse. Others had struggled to come to terms with the loss of a loved one.

FAMS co-founder Anne Marie Cocozza explained the thinking on the change of date this year.

She said: “As the crisis in mental health support deepens, this global event was about raising awareness to a whole new level.

“We decided to have it on this date as mental health is the precursor to lots of issues including suicide and addiction.”

FAMS was originally formed in Wishaw but now operates from a permanent base in Orbiston Street, Motherwell.

The charity was initially set up to support Lanarkshire people and families affected by suicide and murder but more recently broadened its network to help anyone.

It raises awareness of mental health issues and has its own Fams.chat service for those in distress.

The charity also provides compassionate, non-judgemental, unique, free and confidential “lived experience” peer-support and is manned by specially trained volunteers.

FAMS can be contacted by calling 01698 717424 or emailing info@fams. chat