Stories of Hope and Recovery go on tour at Ceannt Station in Galway
- Photo exhibition from Grow Mental Health features stories of recovery and hope
- Exhibition on display at Ceannt Station in Galway for two weeks
Expressway, Ireland’s premium inter-regional coach service has partnered up with Grow Mental Health to raise awareness of mental health issues. Customers will see a photo exhibition with stories of recovery and hope in the Ceannt Station in Galway. The display started in early October in Busáras, Dublin and moved to Waterford and Cork Bus Stations before moving to Galway and Limerick this week and will move to other regional locations over the coming weeks. This partnership initiative is to promote positive mental health and raise vital funds for Grow Mental Health, the non-profit group.
As one of Ireland’s longest standing mental health charities, empowering and supporting over 1,000 people weekly, Grow Mental Health which was set up in 1969, has recorded a 400% year on year increase in demand for services since the pandemic began. Delivering a national unique peer-to-peer support to local communities through a tailored 12-Step Recovery and Growth program, the group is delighted with the launch of this exhibition, documenting its members’ stories, of hope and recovery.
Proudly supported by Expressway, the initiative will be promoted right across the bus stations and through Expressway social media channels over the coming weeks, with the public asked to read the stories of recovery and hope around mental health and to donate to Grow Mental Health – these donations will help people who are struggling at this difficult time.
Alan Keaveney, Grow Member and Area Coordinator, Grow Mental Health Western Region: said “Since joining a Grow Mental Health peer support group myself over 7 years ago, I have experienced first-hand how the sharing of a story can inspire hope. Hearing the stories of others and seeing just how much they have achieved, had a transformative effect on me. For me, talking or listening to someone who truly understood and who could personally relate to how I was feeling, was the first step in starting to feeling better. Sharing my story with my group was a huge part of my journey to positive mental health. Today in my role as an Area Co-ordinator with Grow MH I get to see this hope unfold in every weekly meeting”.
Brian Connolly, Bus Éireann Regional Operations Manager, West, said; “We are delighted to partner up with Grow Mental Health and display their member’s stories of recovery and hope in our Bus Station in Galway. We would encourage all of our Galway customers to take a minute and read these empowering stories of recovery and hope when in our bus station over the coming weeks. The photo exhibition started in Busáras in Dublin and moved to Waterford, Cork and now Galway and Limerick for two weeks and other bus locations over the coming weeks. We are hoping to create wide-spread awareness of the campaign messaging across our bus stations and social media channels and raise much needed funds for our partners in Grow Mental Health.”
For further information about the partnership or the services provided by Grow Mental Health visit www.grow.ie or phone the Infoline on 0818 474 474.
Wednesday, 1st December, 2021