Focussing on the strong link between health & performance in the workplace; news, information and feature interviews. SAMARITANS ISLE OF MAN TACKLES SUICIDE HEAD-ON The Island’s local Samaritans branch has been given a funding boost as it works to tackle suicide prevention on the Isle of Man. A grant of £11,000 has been awarded to the charity by Manx Lottery Trust, which will be used to reach out to local people who are struggling emotionally and to let them know its volunteers are there for them should they need support, before they reach crisis point. Samaritans provides support for anyone who is stressed, in emotional distress, struggling to cope, or at risk of suicide. The service is run by volunteers who offer a lifeline for people when they need it the most. Every six seconds the charity receives a call for help, and listening volunteers are essential in answering these calls and are contactable 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Lesley Moughtin from Samaritans Isle of Man said: ‘When a person on the Isle of Man makes the choice to end their life, it has a huge impact on our community and that pain is felt Island- wide. We believe that there are few local people who have not been touched by suicide in some way and we want to do what we can to stop people reaching a point where they feel it is their only option. ‘Samaritans is a charity in demand for people in need of emotional help, and many organisations within the Isle of Man health service, emergency services and other third parties directly refer their service users to us, as the only service offering support 24/7. ‘This funding will allow us to launch a local promotional campaign to directly reach out to the people who need our help, a campaign which will centre around early intervention - something that has been shown to save lives. Before now, we simply haven’t had the funds available to us, so I’d like to offer my sincere thanks to Manx Lottery Trust for providing this opportunity. It really could save lives.’ Sarah Kelly, Chairman of Manx Lottery Trust, said: ‘Samaritans offers around-the-clock non- judgemental support and is a lifeline to so many people in the Isle of Man and across the UK. We’re pleased to offer this grant to the Island’s branch so it can reach out to local people who need someone to talk to.’   MICROGAMING PLAYITFORWARD DONATES OVER £13K TO MANNIN CANCERS SUPPORT GROUP Leading software supplier Microgaming has raised over £13,000 in aid of Mannin Cancers Support Group as a result of its 2019 Microgaming PlayItForward Charity Golf Day. Hosted at Castletown Golf Links, the fifth annual Microgaming PlayItForward Charity Golf Day saw 18 teams from local businesses, including Microgaming, Apricot, MAC Financial, KPMG and Sure, come together to take their best shots across the 18-hole championship golf course to raise funds for a fantastic cause. Since launching in 2014, Microgaming PlayItForward has had a hugely positive impact on both local and international communities. Since its inception, it has provided significant financial and practical help to support health, education, charity, community and sports initiatives every year. Mannin Cancers Support Group, a new sibling charity of the Manx Breast Cancer Support Group, promote the relief of persons in the Isle of Man whose lives are affected by cancer. The donation received from the event will go towards helping the charity to continue to raise funds for much needed equipment for the diagnosis and staging of prostate cancer. Carole Male, Vice Chairman at Mannin Cancers Support Group, said: “With Microgaming backing event costs, over £13,000 was raised for Mannin Cancers Support Group at this year’s event. Thank you Microgaming PlayItForward for organising a fantastic Charity Golf Day and raising an incredible amount of funds, which will go towards specialised equipment for Noble’s Hospital to reduce the need for cancer patients to travel to the UK.” Overall, this year’s Charity Golf Day was a huge success, receiving a phenomenal level of support and participation from the community. Highlights on the day included a first place finish from ‘The Fore Must Get Beers’, closely followed by ‘Lads Lads Lads’, who took second place, and ‘SMP’ in third. A number of exciting prizes were up for grabs throughout the day, including a brand new Mini One, as well as a Porsche ‘Car for the Weekend’, courtesy of Jacksons Isle of Man. A squad of Microgaming PlayItForward volunteers also provided assistance and support throughout the day to ensure the event was an all-round success.  28 | Kate Moughtin, Senior CSR Manager at Microgaming, added: “Marking its fifth year running, this year’s Microgaming PlayItForward Charity Golf Day was once again another successful event, with £13,000 plus being raised for a great local charity. A special thanks to everyone’s support and participation on the day, including all the teams who took part, the local companies that donated prizes and sponsored holes, and to our wonderful volunteers.”