News > Eat drink and make a difference

Created: 2007-11-13 17:25:25

Combine the seasonal love of good food and drink with the desire to support those affected by mental illness and join our National Festive Feast 2007 on Saturday, 8 December.

Gather your friends and family this Christmas for a festive meal and help SANE raise the money we need to train more SANEline volunteers. Charge a ticket price, hold a present raffle, or include a few games - it doesn't matter how you raise the money but every penny will help a great cause. 

It costs SANE £1,000 to recruit, train and support a SANEline volunteer for a year. With over 120 volunteers and a constant need for many more to deal with the demand for SANEline, we urgently need more money to be able to train new volunteers.

Last Christmas Claire* called SANEline in great distress. Both she and her son have bipolar disorder. She had just been visiting her son in hospital and due to the medication he was on he was barely coherent and she wasn't sure he was even aware of her presence which she found very upsetting. She felt guilty for having "passed on" her disorder, unsupported and very alone and had been having suicidal thoughts for several weeks.

The SANEline volunteer was able to calm Claire down and encouraged her to talk through her feelings. The volunteer also gave Claire contact details for support groups in her area and by the end of the call Claire felt more able to deal with her situation and that she had somewhere to turn for help.

By taking part in SANE's National Festive Feast you can ensure that we are able to give others like Claire the support and information they need before they reach crisis point.

For more information about how to join in the festive fun visit the fundraising section or contact the fundraising department on 020 7422 5544 or email fundraising@sane.org.uk.

*name has been changed to protect identity.