Charity creates Love from Lancashire calendar

Mental health charity Lancashire Mind are launching a ‘Love from Lancashire’ calendar after the success of their photo competition which they ran earlier in lockdown. 

The charity asked people from across the county to post photos from anywhere in the county on their social media channels in order to create an album, called ‘Love from Lancashire’. 

Lancashire Mind fundraising lead, Emma Bateson, said: “We initially had the idea as a way of bringing people together and showcasing our beautiful county. At the time people were only able to venture out locally and there were many places that people missed visiting. 

“We had such a fantastic response and got such great photos we didn’t want to just leave it there. We came up with the idea of a calendar so the pictures could be enjoyed all year round” 

The charity work closely with many businesses in Lancashire to help promote workplace mental health and wellbeing and deliver workshops and training as well as hosting an annual workplace conference. 

Emma added: “We want to get businesses involved and we’re offering the opportunity to sponsor a month in the calendar. For just £50 we will display the company name, logo and website, with a ‘proudly sponsored by’ message. This acts as a clear indication that that company or organisation takes mental health and wellbeing seriously. 

“COVID-19 has affected people’s mental health very differently. This includes a lot of people experiencing mental distress for the first time. The return to work is also causing distress to some and we have seen an increase in demand for our services as more people and businesses reach out for help.”  

Like many charities, Lancashire Mind have seen a significant drop in income with fundraising events and activities that help support the work they do, postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19. 

"We have seen a significant drop in our income, and we have to be creative in our fundraising, trying avenues we haven’t done previously. If the calendar is successful there’s no reason why we can’t do it every year.” 

The sale of the calendars, as well as the company sponsorships available, will help in ensuring Lancashire Mind can continue to deliver their services across Lancashire.

If you’d like to sponsor a month you can email emmabateson@lancashiremind.org.uk and a gallery of images can be viewed at https://bit.ly/LMPhotAlbum