A CONCERT to raise awareness of depressive illness and to help in the fight against stigma surrounding mental health issues has raised around £1,500 for charity.
The RADIUS event, which stands for Raising Awareness of Depressive Illness and Uniting Against Stigma, was held on Saturday at the Peel Centenary Centre.
Six acts performed on the night including Dave and Alanna McLean, Truman Falls, Katherine Crowe and Matt Creer, Will Greener, Blue John and Papa Cass and Friends and headliner Marcus Bonfanti.
Singer and guitarist Marcus and harmonica player and singer Will came from London especially for the event and the evening was supported by TalisMann Promotions.
A number of the musicians appeared for a completely spontaneous finale which had the audience singing along.
A short film, produced by the Time to Change anti-stigma campaign, was played at the start of the event to highlight how people with mental illnesses are sometimes discriminated against. The campaign is backed by a number of celebrities including TV personality Stephen Fry - who suffers from Bi-polar disorder – and comedienne Ruby Wax who has battled clinical depression.
RADIUS was organised by journalist and musician John Gregory who himself has suffered and recovered from episodes of depressive illness.
He said: "I am so grateful to everyone who came on Saturday night and supported this cause. Depressive illness is very common but unfortunately some feel unable to talk about it because of the stigma involved.
"Society is changing and I personally think more and more people are understanding – after all it is something which affects so many people - however there is no doubt there is still some stigma for all mental illnesses which is completely unacceptable.
"Two of the musicians spoke on stage about their own experiences of mental health problems and this will do more than anyone can imagine to break down stigma and discrimination.
"The final total has not been counted yet but I estimate it will be around £1,500."
This money will be split between the Manx mental health charity the Service Users' Network (SUN) and UK charity the Mental Health Foundation.
Headliner Marcus Bonfanti made the most of his time in the Island and performed two more gigs at the weekend – a Blues Brunch at the HQ Restaurant in Douglas and a gig at The Outback in Douglas where he was joined by some of the musicians who appeared at RADIUS and other guests including well known singer songwriter Christine Collister.
