Alun Thomas , chief executive of Welsh mental health charity Hafal

A DECADE ago we had a few very dedicated fundraisers for Hafal.

But, generally speaking, we had very little fundraising support from the wider public.

The reason was simple: mental illness was still so stigmatised that people preferred to donate to other good causes.

Fast forward to 2018 and the story is a very different one. Hafal now receives an extraordinary amount of funding directly from members of the public.

And the fundraising activities are phenomenal – from Waleslong cycles, to Facebook events to re-enactments of Michael Jackson videos!

Hafal members have been completely overwhelmed by the generosity, not to mention sheer inventiveness, of our fundraisers and their supporters.

One reason that mental illness has become less stigmatised is that more and more people are speaking openly about it.

Hafal has been a key partner in delivering the “Time To Change Wales” anti-stigma campaign, which has seen important work done in schools and in the community, as well as high-profile media work, all aimed at breaking down people’s misconceptions about mental illness.

Of course, the reduction in stigma – as very welcome as it is – presents new challenges. More people are aware of mental illness, more are self-diagnosing, and more are seeking help – putting pressure on services.

So those services need to be fully resourced to deal with the increased demand.

Furthermore, we are seeing a medicalisation of normal human experiences.

People who are experiencing everyday human emotions and situations – for example, those who are simply unhappy with their lives, or experiencing grief or sadness – are being treated as though they are ill, and are often medicated, when in fact they don’t have a mental illness at all.

However, despite these challenges, the benefits of our newfound openness in talking about mental illness are considerable.

Being able to talk openly about mental illness saves lives, it’s as simple as that.

It means people can share what they are feeling and experiencing, and get help when they need it.

The result of more fundraising and donating to mental health charities is that organisations like Hafal are able to provide even more effective support and help.

Hafal is part of Mental Health UK with sister charities Rethink Mental Illness (England), Support in Mind Scotland and MindWise (Northern Ireland).

Last year Lloyds Banking Group launched a new two-year partnership with Mental Health UK.

Through this partnership Lloyds Banking Group aims to raise at least £2m per year in offices and branches across the UK.

The fundraising by Lloyds Banking Group colleagues has been truly phenomenal, far exceeding their already very ambitious targets and to date they have raised over £4.8m.

The fundraising has allowed us to expand our services and reach out to the places and people who need help the most.

It has also enabled us to deliver a new, bilingual Mental Health and Money Advice Service which gives people with a mental illness and their carers the timely support they need to manage their finances.

Since the service launched in Wales at the end of November 2017 it has opened no fewer than 423 debt and welfare benefit cases.

The service has focused on challenging injustice and giving people a voice. This has resulted in over £118,676 of clients’ debt being written off – and nearly £234,000 of benefits being claimed.

The service is the perfect example of how fundraising can make a massive difference to the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in society.

So on behalf of Hafal’s members, I’d like to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you to all our fundraisers – big and small – who have done truly amazing things to support Hafal’s cause and enable us to develop muchneeded new services for people with a mental illness in Wales.

Without people like you, organisations like Hafal would struggle.

But with your support, we can achieve amazing things – and change and save people’s lives.