Livingston Designer Outlet has partnered with local charity Neil’s Hug Foundation to run a pop-up awareness and drop-in lounge hosted and run by their team of volunteers in support of Mental Health Week which runs until Sunday (May 15).
Open daily from 10am to 4pm, the lounge will offer different events to address mental health and get people talking.
The sessions, including Cuppa and Chats, Crafts, and Bingo and Blether, will run each day from 12pm to 2pm.
All sessions have been designed to engage with people, to get them talking and interacting with others as well as providing the opportunity to meet with the charity’s founders and volunteers who will be on-hand to offer advice and support.
Neil’s Hugs Foundation was founded by local Donna Paterson-Harvie who lost her only son, Neil to suicide in September 2011.
Their aim is to help raise awareness of suicide in the local community and support families who have been affected by suicide.
They can also signpost people to different charities and organisations that they feel may be able to help based on individual needs.
Commenting on the pop-up Kylie Wilson, marketing manager at Livingston Designer Outlet said: “We’re always looking at ways to support charities and organisations on our doorstep and we’ve been admiring the invaluable work that Neil’s Hugs do locally.
“Mental Health Week is the perfect opportunity to spotlight the charity to our guests and community and shine a light on the services they offer.
“And it’s not just about this week, we want to help spread the word that mental health charities are there to help and are a vital way to get people talking and providing support that people may not otherwise have in their day to day lives.”
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