We have a wonderful collection of Christmas Cards available to purchase. Carlie has been very generous and has produced some beautiful designs – we could not be more grateful for her commitment and her compassion. Her aim is to fundraise as much as she can for our charity, whilst also raising awareness about mental health issues, and promoting the importance of connection and human kindness.

#CharityChristmasCard orders will help to raise vital funds for those experiencing mental health problems. Without the support of our beloved fundraisers, we would not be able to provide the essential services that we do.

If you would like to order some Christmas Cards on behalf of Herefordshire Mind, please contact: carlie.yardy@onside-advocacy.org.uk

Here is Carlie’s story:

“Supporting and fundraising for mental illness has become the forefront of my family’s life after we devastatingly lost our beloved mum to chronic depression in 2018. Ironically, my mum had just finished her Masters in Mental Health, and was well known for being an absolute credit to the industry. She was the most caring, compassionate and full-of-life individual. Due to her own previous lived-in experience and understanding of mental illness, she was extremely passionate about broadening understanding and fighting stigma for others in need. During this time, her illness returned after 20 absent years and she herself suffered an acute mental breakdown. Meanwhile, she didn’t receive an appropriate level of support desperately needed and this bore a heavy weight on our family. I often reflect back and know, with great sorrow, that that was the hardest and darkest time of my family’s life, and we have suffered the effects ever since.

During the painful passing of time in which we lost our beloved mum, we have since discovered a world of incredible mental health charities that we wish we’d knew about before! Herefordshire Mind is one of those, and without desire, I now find myself embarking on a new journey of grief and suicide-loss bereavement, to which I have found myself deeply connecting to the help, support and value that Mind so accurately provide to myself and others.

In honour of my mum’s legacy, I have passionately committed myself to raising awareness of such devastating diseases of the mind. My family and I also like to fundraise as often as we can, and I have recently changed my own profession, to allow me to work full-time in mental health. It’s important for me to transform our own family’s harrowing experiences into helpful knowledge for others.

Being creative by nature and studying art & design, I like to combine any fundraising with intricate artworks that my mum always encouraged me to create and utilise. This is what leads me to producing a collection of charity Christmas cards this year. Alongside raising vital funds for those suffering from mental health disorders, I hope to promote the importance of connection and human contact, whether you are suffering from a debilitating illness or not. This is especially important this year, as we all face social difficulties and further barriers during the pandemic.

Best, Carlie
-Daughter of Mandy Yardy