It’s been an interesting, at times frustrating, but ultimately really positive 2015 for me personally and professionally. In common with many, Christmas is always a time for reflection, and gratitude.
Everyone in public affairs has a pet project, a cause or client which gets under their skin and means more than ‘just’ work. One of my earliest childhood memories is of my uncle, who suffered from severe depression, staying in our spare room and being very quiet. As children we were always aware that he needed a little space, and to play quietly when he came to the house. It was no big deal, just one of those things you remember.
Fast forward forty years and one of my biggest clients is Action Mental Health, Northern Ireland’s largest mental health charity. It’s been a real thrill this year to make a significant contribution to the debate around funding for mental health services, and the need for a serious change of course in terms of mental health service provision in Northern Ireland. We even won an IPR award for it.
Over the past 12 months we commissioned Queens University to carry out a huge study on where mental health services are providing good care, and where we are going wrong. The result was the ‘Regress, React, Resolve’ report which was so powerful it received over an hour’s attention on the flagship BBC Talkback programme recently. We’re now following it up with a new social media campaign ‘The 12 Christmas wishes’ which is being launched on Friday 11th of December.
For me, it’s a privilege to work on projects like that, and we look forward to the ‘Mental Health Summit’ which we’re running in late February. We’ll be bringing all of the stakeholders, including the Health department, voluntary sector and service users together to see if we can plot a course to make major positive changes to mental health service provision.
On a wider note, it’s all change at the top for two major parties here. The DUP leader Peter Robinson is to step down after 40 years in politics, making way for the ambitious and hugely capable Arlene Foster. It’s good to see a woman hold the top job in Northern Ireland, and it’ll be interesting to see if she can forge a good working relationship as First Minister with her Sinn Fein counterpart Martin McGuinness.
There’s also been a change of leadership in my old party, the SDLP which recently jettisoned the last of the ‘old guard’, Dr Alasdair McDonell in favour of the young and very personable Colm Eastwood. Colm is a relative unknown outside SDLP circles. I’ve known him since he was a young teenager who came into the party full of ideas and energy and it’s been amazing to watch him mature into the role of leader of the party. He’ll have his work cut out to guide the party after years of decline, but by putting a new face, with new ideas and plenty of energy in front of the electorate, the SDLP have at least given themselves a fighting chance of steadying the ship ahead of the 2016 Assembly elections.
Have a well-deserved break, and a peaceful Christmas from all at Turley PR and Public Affairs.