The star of an Oscar-winning film will be among those addressing the annual Hope, Healing and Growth event when it returns in the New Year.

James Martin, who starred in the Oscar-winning film, ‘An Irish Goodbye’, is the first actor person with Down’s syndrome to win an Academy Award and will address the event hosted by the Aisling Centre on Saturday, January 6.

Looking forward to the event, Alison Annan, Chair of the Board of Aisling Centre, said: “Hope is vital when people feel the multiple pressures from the cost-of-living crisis, climate change, health issues, general uncertainty and the stresses of daily living.

“This is why the Aisling Centre provides such a vital service supporting people to cope positively and keep well.

“The Hope, Healing and Growth event is designed to support positive mental health and wellbeing and helps us to reach out to many more people and support them in their life journey, building on the vital work we do in the community. “

She detailed some of the work the Aisling Centre have carried out in the community: “Last year demand for our services was unprecedented, with 97 per cent of our service users saying they felt more positive about the future.

“In 2023, we provided over 5,500 counselling sessions and associated wellbeing services.”

The event will be opened by another well-known actor, Adrian Dunbar, who is a Patron of the Aisling Centre. He will introduce this year’s theme of ‘Ripples of Hope’.

The first part of the day is focusing on Resilience and opening speaker Catherine Murnin, author of ‘The Wisdom of Well-being’, will be drawing on her experience of working with people with Parkinson’s disease and cancer.

She is followed by Shannon Hollywood, a social worker with Action for Children, who is actively supporting children and young people and their families.

She will highlight how the world we now live in can be overwhelming and shares her four secrets of being a happier parent.

Local couple, Ciara and Billy Nicholl tragically lost their beloved 8-year-old daughter Ellie in 2016 after a long battle with H-ABC syndrome. They will share how they are determined to keep her memory alive through Ellie’s Retreat.

The final speaker for the Resilience part of the day will be Niamh Brownlee, whose book, ‘Struggling to Breathe’, shares her journey and experience of psychiatric in-patient care in Northern Ireland.

The afternoon session will focus on ‘Realising our Potential’ and will be opened by James Martin. He has long been a champion committed to encouraging people with learning disabilities to follow their dreams and shares his story of how he never let his disability hold him back in any way.

Following this, Maeve Monaghan, CEO of the award-winning Now Group, will address the event.

Now Group is a thriving social enterprise which helps support hundreds of young people with learning disabilities and autism find jobs for the future.

A mother and daughter duo, Margaret and Victoria Geelan, will explore their journey of creativity and compassion in a time of conflict in a conversation with Noelle McAlinden.

Margaret, having lived through the worst of The Troubles, harnessed culture and creativity to empower women and young people.

Her daughter, Victoria says she has been inspired by her mother’s work, she has also been involved in Theatre of Witness work which uses storytelling for peace building and reconciliation and is a Jazz and Blues vocalist.

The final speaker will be Frank Liddy, a mental health worker and mindfulness teacher. Mr. Liddy builds on his own story of recovery to support individuals with long-term and chronic addiction and shares his own unique insights into the transformative power of mindfulness on our mental health.

Hope, Healing and Growth will take place on Saturday, January 6,.

The day runs from 9.30 am to 3.30pm in the South West College, Crest Centre, Lough Yoan Road, Enniskillen, and registration for the event is via Eventbrite, at https://bit.ly/HHG2024.