A Ballinamallard man has raised a substantial amount of money for a Northern Ireland-based mental health charity after taking on a fundraising challenge of playing bowls for 12 hours straight.

On Saturday, December 4, Jamie Morrow played a total of 15 bowls matches against players from across Fermanagh and Tyrone, from 7am to 7pm at the Archdale Hall, Ballinamallard.

“I wanted to do something a wee bit different to what anyone else has done, and I played bowls for 12 hours solid, playing against different people,” Jamie told The Impartial Reporter.

“That itself was a bad idea,” he said, with a laugh, adding: “My legs were hanging out of me, so they were.

“It wasn’t even the tiredness, my legs were just killing me afterwards. Noon – that’s when the pain started hitting me bad.”

Despite the pain, Jamie persevered, completing 15 matches over the 12 hours. When asked how many of the matches he won, Jamie responded jokingly: “I wouldn’t answer that question!

“I won two out of the 15 matches,” he admitted eventually, with a hearty laugh, adding: “It was the psychological effect; I let people beat me so they’d give more money because they felt sorry for me.”

From the fundraising bowls marathon, and two raffles which were supported by local businesses, Jamie has so far raised £5,700 for mental health charity AWARE. Of the funds, he said:”There’s £2,000 on GoFundMe, about £2,000 in cash, and about £1,000 in Paypal from raffles. Christopher Beatty from CB Fuels, he sponsored a raffle to win prizes from him.

“There was also a large charity raffle where you could win various prizes, and various local businesses donated to it,” he said, grateful for the local support.

Jamie went on to explain why he chose to undertake the challenge and fundraise for this particular charity.

He said: “I lost my father nine years ago due to mental health.

“I always wanted to do something, so I bit the bullet and thought, ‘Once it’s on Facebook, I can’t not do it’. I had to do something.

“AWARE is a mental health charity located in Northern Ireland that helps provide vital services for adults and young people who are suffering with mental health and depression.

“They help educate young people about mental health, and show them that it is okay to not be okay,” said Jamie.

Margaret McCrossan, Community and Events Fundraising Officer for AWARE, said: “We are so grateful for Jamie’s support.

“At AWARE, our mission is to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness and to promote open conversations about mental health.

“Advocates like Jamie help us to continue taking steps towards this goal, not only by raising vital funds to ensure we can continue to support more local people affected by mental illness, but also by encouraging people to talk about their mental health without fear of judgement.”

AWARE’s free-to-attend support groups welcome people living with depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder.

The groups provide a safe space to meet with others on a similar journey who can understand, encourage and suggest helpful ways of coping.

AWARE also deliver mental health awareness courses to schools, workplaces, community groups, and hospitals to equip people with the tools they need to best look after their minds.

For further information on AWARE’s programmes and support, see www.aware-ni.org.