MSP Karen Adam supporting fundraising efforts to create suicide prevention centre in Aberdeenshire
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Banffshire and Buchan Coast MSP Karen Adam has offered her full support to Danny Thain of Fraserburgh who is raising funds for The World Suicide Prevention Project.
Its work could see the establishment of a mental health rehabilitation centre in the north-east.
Danny lost three friends to suicide in the space of nine years, all young men under the age of 25, the third as recently as this past summer.
Danny then decided to do something to address the terrible problems around mental health and suicide, to offer help to vulnerable individuals and support to the bereaved.
He founded The World Suicide Prevention Project (TWSPP) which aims to set up Scotland’s first specialist mental health rehabilitation centre with an ambitious initial programme of fundraising £3 million towards a 16-bedroom house on a 300-acre estate in Aberdeenshire.
With a very hands-on approach to fundraising, Danny is currently sleeping rough on the streets of Aberdeen until December 7 and asking the public to contribute to TWSPP via his GoFundMe page with more than £8200 donated so far.
Ms Adam immediately saw the value in Danny’s actions and made special mention of him in the Scottish Parliament last week when the MSP was addressing the chamber via video link during a debate on mental health stigma in the workplace.
She has since written to Danny, thanking him for his efforts and offering him her full support, also sharing his fundraiser on her own social media accounts.
Ms Adam is currently investigating grants or other funding avenues for TWSPP.
She said: “Suicide prevention is something very close to my own heart. During the debate in the Scottish Parliament on November 10 about mental health stigma, I wanted to take a moment to recognise all the individuals who work so incredibly hard to raise awareness and provide support – Danny certainly came to mind.
“Like Danny, many have been impacted themselves by mental health issues, either personally or with someone they love.
“Danny’s experience of losing three young friends in the way he did is truly tragic but the fact he is using his lived experience to benefit the lives of others, working on suicide prevention, is wholly commendable and I hope to help him however I can.”
Danny Thain is sleeping rough on the streets of Aberdeen from November 7 to December 7 to raise funds for The World Suicide Prevention Project (TWSPP).
People can visit his gofundme.com page to support his fundraising.
