Lancashire charity creates a Love from Lancashire calendar

Mental health charity Lancashire Mind have launched a ‘Love from Lancashire’ 2021 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 so we came up with the idea of a calendar so the pictures could be enjoyed all year round” 

"We’re really pleased with the calendar and would like to thank all those who submitted entries and especially the companies who kindly sponsored each month - Rewards Finance Group, Convene IT, Novi.Digital, Webbox, Viva PR, Creativeworld, Fredericks Ice Cream, Community Rail Lancashire, Fertile Frog, Axa Insurance and Conlon Construction.

“Their generosity has meant we were able to create a lovely product and all the money made will go to ensuring we can continue to deliver our services to individuals and organisations right across the county.”

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 think the calendar is perfect as a gift for Christmas and a great end of year gift for employees or colleagues.  

“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 has also caused 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 55 per cent 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.”  

If you’d like to purchase a calendar, please go to https://bit.ly/LfLcalendar