A Derry man has used his personal experience with combating addiction to set up a well-being project to help others.
Aaron Gill established The Honey Pot Project as a way of keeping people occupied during their recovery and to create an atmosphere of positivity with like-minded people.
As well as raising awareness on mental health and addiction, The Honey Pot Project also donates some of the profits to chosen charities.
Read more: New RTE series highlights Derry Foyle Search and Rescue heroes
The Honey Pot Project creates wax melts with stress-relieving scents, with the project providing a way for those struggling with keeping their minds occupied with a way to keep busy and be productive.
Aaron spoke to MyDerry about how he came up with the idea of a wellbeing project to tackle issues surrounding addiction and mental health.
He said: "The idea for the project from came about as I was speaking to other people in recovery who struggle during the week with things to do. The project is their to give those people somewhere to go and something to do while giving back to the community.
"The ultimate aim is to raise funds for mental health charities throughout the city and create a no-judgement cafe and a possible crisis centre."
Aaron emphasised his own experiences with isolation and bottling up his feelings and wants to use this experience to change the outlook on mental health struggles.
He said: "As a man suffering from addictions and mental health I felt isolated as when I was younger. We are told 'big boys don’t cry' so I wanna reach out to the males and females struggling with addictions and mental health to have a safe space to chat about their feelings with someone who understands what it’s like to have been to hell and back.
"When people are suffering from mental health issues they lack of confidence and sometimes feel worthless. I would like to change the mindset of these individuals to help them understand that they are a rough diamond and just need a bit of polishing.
"As I’m the founder of The Honey Pot Project, it is always keeping me busy. Being someone who suffers from mental health I feel empowered to help others while helping myself."
While the Honey Pot Project is aimed to help the emotional wellbeing of those tackling mental health issues and addiction struggles, Aaron knows that there is a lot more to be done.
He said: "I want to get to a stage where I can challenge the government on the mental health strategy and the addiction help currently offered. I understand the NHS is struggling but I feel the mental health strategy isn’t fit for purpose. I also understand that the doctor's surgeries have mental health practitioners but the waiting lists are too long and always expanding.
"Because the individual has to wait so long they feel isolated and have nowhere to turn. Unfortunately, the NHS hasn’t got the staffing levels to cope with the mental health and addictions epidemic. They need to be a new approach with community lead projects available to those in need."
For more information on The Honey Pot Project visit their Facebook page.
READ NEXT:
- Derry man on meeting a former US President during a trip to the shops
- Words of Derry Girls character quoted at Good Friday Agreement conference
- Hillary Clinton greeted by smiling crowds in visit to Co Derry shared education campus
- Derry hotel included on 'best places to stay' list before it even opened its doors
To get the latest breaking news from Co Derry straight to your inbox, sign up to our free newsletter.
