Buckie mental health charity Feeling Blue hails four-figure cash boost from Yorkshire Building Society for life-saving counselling sessions
A Moray suicide prevention charity has welcomed a four-figure boost to its coffers thanks to a kind-hearted building society customer.
Buckie-based Feeling Blue, which offers free counselling to those suffering from a range of mental health issues, have received a donation of £1000 from Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation after being nominated by a customer from the Aberdeen branch.
The money will be used to fund future counselling sessions. Each person who receives confidential, one-to-one counselling with one of the specialist counsellors who Feeling Blue work with typically receives around 20 sessions.
This comes with a price tag in the order of £1000 per person.
Feeling Blue was nominated for the donation by a customer of the Aberdeen branch through Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation’s Small Change Big Difference scheme where members donate the pennies from the interest on their accounts just once a year to help smaller charities around the UK.
Cheryl Hyland, of Yorkshire Building Society in Aberdeen, said: “We are proud to be able to support Feeling Blue in our community with a donation from Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation.
“The work that they are doing to support vulnerable people is amazing.”
Pauline Thain, who founded Feeling Blue, said: “Feeling Blue are so grateful for this fantastic donation which will fund up to 30 counselling sessions to help people in desperate need.”
A family tragedy was to spur the formation of Feeling Blue last year when the Thain family were rocked by the sudden loss of their son, Jody, who took his own life. He was just 31.
Looking back on the day that was to change the family’s life on August 23, 2023, Pauline said: “Losing Jody came out of the blue, he didn’t seem to have any problems.
“He was the life and soul of the party, he had a good job, a house and a car - we’ve no idea why he took his own life.
“Jody had a glittering career ahead of him. He was a marine engineer and originally started off on the cruise liners before getting an offshore job in China. Due to Covid he ended up spending 11 months there because of the regulations in force at the time. Jody left that company and got a new job offshore in Africa - after he died we got a letter from them saying he had a very bright future, that he was chief engineer material.
“Jody would’ve helped anyone if they needed it and was the last to ask for help himself. He was a real gentleman.
“The day before the funeral I made Jody a promise that I’d make it my life’s work do something so others wouldn’t have to suffer with mental health issues.
“Jody was a huge Rangers fan which helped inspire the name of the charity Feeling Blue.”
Last year Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation celebrated giving £10 million in donations to local charities and good causes across the UK since 1999.
To support feeling Blue, or for more information, contact feelingbluecharity@gmail.com, visit the charity’s Facebook page or text 7907 134480.
For more information about our Small Change Big Difference® scheme visit www.ybs.co.uk/charitablefoundation
