Mark Evison, co-founder of suicide support group Big Bro Belfast, and his son are set to climb the highest point on the Isle of Arran to raise much needed funds for Suicide Awareness.
Mark and his son have already raised £400 from a 20 kilometer walk to commission street artist Eoin McGinn to paint a mural on the gable wall of the Suicide Awareness building.
Artists at Sink the Ink tattoo studio also launched a tattoo drive which contributed to the creation of the mural and Eoin is set to start it this Wednesday July 13 at 9am. Big Bro Belfast are raising the other half of the funds by taking to the top of the Isle of Arran on August 28.
Mark said: “Myself and Darren Livingstone from Sink the Ink formed Big Bro Belfast to help those at risk of suicide and then we decided the first major thing we would do was the mural. The gable wall at Suicide Awareness has an old half finished mural on it, so we got in touch with street artist Eoin McGinn and we start on Wednesday.
“At the moment we have raised half the funding, so my twelve yr old son and I have decided to climb Goat Fell on the Isle of Arran at the end of August as we planned to go camping there.”
Donations are welcome no matter how small and can be made at Suicide awareness on the Falls Road, Sink the Ink tattoo studio on Castle Street or via Just Giving: crowdfunding.justgiving.com/mark-evison
With startling suicide statistics in Northern Ireland, Mark stressed the importance of communities supporting each other and raising awareness on the issue: “Having suffered mental health problems myself, this is something that is very dear to my heart. As I’ve said in the past I believe that those at Stormont are more interested in lining their own pockets than helping fund vital community services such as Suicide Awareness and PIPS.”
To donate see crowdfunding.justgiving.com/mark-evison and ‘like’ Big Bro Belfast on Facebook for more information www.facebook.com/Big-Bro-Belfast.