A group of people in recovery from mental health illnesses have grouped together to create a powerful music video this Christmas.
The video features people who have been helped by Suicide Awareness and Support Group West Belfast, and shares the important message that "you are not alone this Christmas."
The group re-wrote Do They Know It's Christmas by Band Aid, changing the lyrics to reflect important issues in society in Northern Ireland today, including mental health issues and the impact of the cost of living crisis.
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Rose Lynas from Suicide Awareness and Support Group told Belfast Live they wanted to give a voice to the voiceless through the video.
"This video was created by people who are in recovery from mental health illnesses," she explained.
"We have a group chat and it's kind of like therapy for us all. If we're having a bad day or if someone is struggling, we'll talk to each other in the group chat, and it's like a form of therapy for us.
"We wanted to highlight that you can get better. There's that much going on at the minute where it's affecting people's mental health, and in the video, we highlight the fact that Stormont is once again closed.
"We feel, as a group, the government doesn't seem to grasp how demoralised people are at the minute and feel like they have no voice.
"Politicians are going to be sitting around their Christmas tree with their heat blasting, and there's parents who can't put food on the table for their children, and they can't turn their heating on. That in itself is traumatising for anybody.
"With the cost of living crisis, it is so hard for people to navigate through because a lot of people haven't been in this position before. I know a lot of two-parent families who are working 40 hours a week and they can't turn their heating on."
Another issue highlighted by the video is the difficulty to get a GP appointment, which many people in Northern Ireland are currently experiencing.
Rose said she counts herself very lucky to have been able to turn to the support group for help when she needed it most.
She said: "One of the most fundamental factors in recovery with your mental health is connection. I suffer from PTSD, depression, and anxiety, and a lot of people in our group also do.
"You don't heal in isolation, you heal in connection. It's when you detach from that, it's a scary, dark place to be. It's not that you want to die, you just want the pain to end.
"We also wanted to highlight that GPs still aren't seeing their patients. I count myself very, very lucky, because whenever I had my breakdown during coronavirus, even getting through to my GP took days and when I did, my GP just wanted to write me a script for medication, it wasn't actually getting to the problem.
"So I count myself lucky I was able to get help in the community through Suicide Awareness and Support Group. They helped not only me, but my family as well, and if it wasn't for them I wouldn't be here today."
Rose said the group are hoping the video can provide a bit of hope for people struggling at the moment.
"We dedicate this song to everybody who feels like they're lost or forgotten, and they can't see any way out of this. We want to send the message to them - hold on. They matter, and you can get better with the right help, and it all starts with using your voice," she added.
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