Every year, Limelight selects a charity to support and donate to, in 2006, we supported Eczema Scotland, Prostate Cancer Research and Cardiomyopathy Research. For 2007, we have decided to support the National Schizophrenia Fellowship (Scotland) (NSF (Scotland)).

Given the serious subject matter of our 2007 production, Jekyll & Hyde the musical, we have decided that it was important to address the issue of mental illness and how it affects peoples lives. We were keen to highlight that while mental illness can affect anyone at anytime it is often an issue that tends is ignored until it affects your own live or the live of someone you know. To tackle this we have teamed up with NSF (Scotland).

NSF (Scotland) is a charity working to improve the wellbeing and quality of life of those affected by schizophrenia and other mental illness.

It is a little known fact that 1 in 4 people will suffer some form of mental health problem in their lifetime and over 1 in 100 will experience a more serious mental illness. NSF (Scotland) aims to help people to take the next step forward on a journey to recovery.

As with so many crucial projects, it is becoming more and more challenging for care organisations to fund their services. Therefore, we will be supporting the work of NSF (Scotland) in anyway we can both through raising awareness about mental illness and raising funds to support their work.

NSF (Scotland) has centres across Scotland which provide essential and valuable services. People can drop in, make friends in congenial surroundings, take part in leisure activities and sometimes in supported employment. This means a lot to those who are so often marginalised and excluded from society.

In Fife, NSF (Scotland) provides the following in valuable services:

• Hearing Voices Network (based in Kirkcaldy-working Fife-wide). Hearing voices is a type of hallucination which can occur with people experiencing mental illness. The voices are very real to these people. Fife Hearing Voices Network is a project led by voice hearers who work together to find ways of coping with their voices. It provides the opportunity for people to talk freely about hearing voices as well as offering practical help and support. This support is offered on a 1:1 basis as well as through mutual support groups.
• Fife Families Support (based in Kirkcaldy, working Fife-wide). Fife Families Support provides essential support for those who care for friends and family members affected by mental illness. These services provide support and practical help from people who understand exactly what the carer is experiencing.
• The Cottage (Cupar). The Cottage is a resource centre for anyone with mental health problems who wishes support. It is a place where people can develop and feel valued and ensures a safe, supportive environment with a range of activities and information.

In the near future, some members of the Limelight committee will be visiting some of the services provided by NSF (Scotland) in Fife. There will also be information available on NSF (Scotland) in the foyer of the Carnegie Hall during show week and throughout the run up to the show we will be fund raising for both Limelight and NSF (Scotland).

For more information about NSF (Scotland) please visit www.nsfscot.org.uk