Social IssuesOCT 13, 2018

Mermen For Mind

We have made a calendar in memory of our beautiful girl Ellen who took her own life last year.

It was two days after her 23rd birthday and overnight she was gone...

We wanted to do something that would have made her laugh but would be all about her.

Ellen was a beautiful soul, a very special person. On 25th June 2017 she lost her battle with depression and anxiety and we will never stop being heartbroken about this. What we can do though is continue where she left off and further a movement - towards better mental health.

People with Mental Health issues can turn to ‘Mind’.

I am Ellen’s mum Anna and I made her a mermaid costume for her 5th birthday. She wore it with pride. It was a shiny affair with a silver lame top like shells and a sequinned turquoise tail. She looked beautiful and she loved being a mermaid. Ellen grew up into an amazing young lady with creativity and spirit that knew no boundaries. She would light up a room by just walking into it. We would often take stock after she left the room like the whirlwind she was thinking ‘What just happened there’?

Ellen always kept fish. We had tropical fish when she was growing up and she used to stare into the tanks with wonder. Sea world was mind blowing and she would laugh about wanting to be a mermaid. She was a dream.

The mermaid photograph of Ellen was taken at the Lost Carnival. Ellen was a mermaid again - her dream job!

Around my birthday last year I saw on the internet that the Newfoundland and Labrador Beard and Moustache club had made a Merbys calendar. If only Ellen had waited to see this. She would have laughed so much. It’s a silly thing but with a very important message – mental health needs help sometimes. My dear Friend Claire bought me the calendar and through the tears we laughed.

There was our inspiration! – Mermen for Mind! For Ellen. NLBMC were happy for us to echo their 2018 calendar, and the Mermen For Mind journey begun.

We had already raised over £6000 for mind after Ellen’s death, not just through our own efforts but the efforts of other people gathering donations for us. Our calendar was the perfect way of portraying Ellen’s wonderful memory in a display of mythical madness and a load of glitter, along with carrying on her work of helping others struggling with mental health issues in aid of Mind charity.

Our calendar is a walk through Ellen's life featuring the places and people most dear to her.

Her kind nature and strong will inspired many, and our ambition is to carry on her legacy in the most magnificent way we can; this is where the Mermen come in…

We are a ragtag team of Mermen, dreamers, and glitter arrangers and we hope you enjoy the show.

More info: mermenformind.co.uk