Northern Ireland Mental Health Arts Festival (NIMHAF)
Registered Charity Number: 103013
Annual Report for the Charity Commission
Financial Year - 5th April 2022 – 4th April 2023
The aims of the Northern Ireland Mental Health Arts Festival
The Festival was established in 2013 and in 2022-2023 we held the 9th Festival.
The main aims of the Festival are to:
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Celebrate mental health
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Challenge stigma and mental health inequalities
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Make connections between public, arts, and community organisations
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Reach those often missed by both the arts & health education models
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Support recovery and wellbeing and reduce self-stigma through participation in the creative process
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Create enduring partnerships and projects
The main activities and achievements in 2022-2023
The main activities and achievements in this year were the planning and management of the 9[th] Festival which was held in May 2022, to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week.
The main Festival events can still be accessed at: https://www.nimhaf.org/2022
The main theme of the Festival in 2021 was ‘Gather’ and events were held in-person and online. For the purposes of the report, some of the events are also outlined below:
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Festival evaluation
There was positive feedback about all of the Festival’s events. Audiences tended to be much larger and wider reaching than in previous years due to the online nature of the Festival. An evaluation was carried out on the 2022 festival to gather feedback from attendees. Evaluation forms were collected from N=109 people who attended in person events during the 2022 festival. The majority of attendees rated both the event and host venue as excellent (88.7% and 85.6% consecutively). Most commonly, attendees felt that the event attended improved their mood (N=85 attendees) and provided a worthwhile experience (N=85 attendees). The majority of attendees were 25-30 years, however there was significant representation from attendees aged 18-25 years and 31-40 years. The majority of attendees identified as women (53%) or men (37%), with some representation from people of other gender definitions. A total of 17% of attendees reported that they are from a disadvantaged background. A total of 29% of attendees reported that they live with a mental health condition, 8% reported that they live with a disability, and 8% reported that they live with a chronic physical condition. The majority of attendees travelled from East Belfast and South Belfast, however there was at least some representation across a variety of geographical areas, including the USA.
Public benefit requirement
The Trustees have had regard to the Commission’s public benefit requirement and the Festival continues to make a positive difference to both the artists involved and the audience members. The wider promotion of the Festival also helps promote mental health and address some of the stigma that may be associated with it.
A review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the year
As the submitted accounts detail, the Festival’s balance at the beginning of this year was £3,512.82. In the 2022/23 financial year, £15,000 was also awarded to the Festival by the Baring Foundation, £21,919 from Future Screen NI, £500 from Ekalon and £5,000 from the Mental Health Foundation. The costs associated with the 2022 Festival were £31,148. The balance at 4th April 2023 was £14,793. The Festival does not have any other assets or liabilities.
Charity Trustees 2021-22
The Trustees during this year were Emma Berry (Co-Chair), Frank Liddy (Co-Chair) Olivia McIntyre (Secretary), Kate Liddell (Treasurer) and Trisha Forbes (Board Member).
The 2022-23 annual report was prepared by Emma Berry (Co-Chair) and Trisha Forbes (Board Member) with the input from the rest of the Trustees.
21th December 2023