Carlin Creative

20/07/2025

Just an incredible week for my Portstewart based Hummingbird clients who were lucky enough to get a tent space at this week’s 153rd .

It’s just like the end of a wedding when you want to go back, relive and enjoy every minute of it.

Such a privilege to have been able to support this wonderful community based mental health, lived experience organisation over the last four years and especially this week.

These are just some of the many images taken to show what an absolute joy and privilege it has been to be up on the North Coast.

Hummingbirds, Royal Portrush, Causeway Coast and Glens, you have done NI proud.

A world class event delivered by the The R&A.

20/07/2025

https://www.newsletter.co.uk/health/hummingbird-causeway-brings-mental-health-support-to-280000-fans-at-the-open-in-portrush-5227996

As draws to a close today, I’m pretty happy with the coverage achieved for my lovely clients The Hummingbird Project (Leigh Carey F.R.S.A) for their presence at the 153rd Open Championship.

We’ve been at Royal Portrush all week engaging with some of the 280,000 fans talking all things mental health and emotional wellbeing. A great start for its new charity, Hummingbird Causeway’s first debut and major awareness and fundraising campaign .

Coverage ran in a double page spread in Friday’s Newsletter. Additional coverage in Sunday Life, Belfast Telegraph, BBC Radio Ulster, the Frank Mitchell Show on U105 and Downtown Radio and Cool FM. Wow. What a week.

It’s all hands on deck this week for the Portstewart-based Hummingbird Project and its new charitable arm, Hummingbird Causeway, as they bring their unique blend of mental health services to some 280,000 golf fans attending this week’s Open at Royal Portrush.

17/07/2025

😊

17/07/2025

Sometimes working in communications has its moments and sometimes it’s just more than brilliant. I’ve spent this week living and working in an other world golfing bubble with all the energy and excitement a major golfing tournament like this brings. Once you get through the airport style security gates, this is where the fun and games begin. There are nationalities from all over the world, 280,000 fans anticipated this week, with the good weather and mix of people and cultures giving Portrush more of an exotic feel than it’s normally used to. Then there’s the champagne bars and Rory spending over half an hour signing autographs for a rake of young fans. He really is a class act. Of course it wouldn’t be NI without a drama, so there’s the whole Ramore restaurant scandal and memes going on in the background. I love what I do and supporting my clients (in this case the Portstewart based Hummingbird Project) in all the shenanigans (and there are plenty) they get up to. This week, it’s definitely .

17/07/2025

Bit late posting this but better than never. Have been flat out at . What a privilege to have a week long pass.

I’ve been working up at Royal Portrush since Monday providing my Hummingbird clients with media relations and social media support.

Earlier this week, I’d said to my clients, I was going to judge my whole The R&A experience by the cleanliness of the Gate 2 public toilets. This can make or break a great event in my opinion.

They have been, five star; absolutely immaculate thanks to cleaners Gwen Cousin from Coleraine and Irene Jones from Derry pictured below.

It takes a village to raise a child and staff like these to make an exceptional experience.

While thanking them for their work, I discovered their team leader, Nikki Hamilton is, in fact, a Weight Lifting Olympian who’ll be heading to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 2026.

I love my job and the stories that unfold when you just take the time behind the scenes to stop and say hello to people.

www.carlincreative.co.uk

17/07/2025

Been busy on the media relations, PR and social media front for my Hummingbird, Portstewart based mental health clients over the last few days at .

Coverage across, news, sport and features in Sunday Life, Belfast Telegraph, Belfast Newsletter, including a double page spread for Friday.

In the video is Hummingbird CEO, Leigh Carey being interviewed by Good Morning Ulster’s Joel Taggart for the BBC, followed soon after by an interview with Downtown Radio and Cool FM.

Up today at approximately 10.10am was Hummingbird’s Dr Jimmy McAleese on the Frank Mitchell Show for U105 and no doubt there will be more to come.

Traditional media being supported by sustained activity across all Hummingbird’s social media channels.

What makes Hummingbird unique, is that it is run and staffed by a team of mental health experts; all of whom have had significant lived experience of mental ill health themselves.

They use that personal and professional combination to help and support others by offering a new and different type of intervention built on empathy and trust.

A fantastic, very newsworthy organisation, I am proud to support.

24/06/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1A9Ddg9127/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Anyone looking for an outstanding photographer look no further. Contact details in the post below. I use Jonathan Jones Photography NI in all my consultancy work and clients love the quality and creativity in the images. Five star rating from me.

Never work with children and animals they say, but as a photographer, I love doing both. You never quite know what you are going to get and it’s always unpredictable so it’s camera at the ready to get the best shots.

The wildlife images were taken on a Camera Club day out on Friday last week at Dublin Zoo but it was too hot to handle for many of the animals and some went into hiding.

Me also out and about taking some sunshine shots with my own two cheeky monkeys, Olivia (top right) and Violet (bottom left). I really hope you like them.

Specialising in portraits (animals and human), press, PR, sport and special event and occasion photography.

Please DM me or reach out on email here at [email protected]

15/05/2025

https://www.newsletter.co.uk/health/hummingbird-causeway-a-new-north-coast-mental-health-charity-with-unique-service-offer-launches-5129114

Dr Jimmy McAleese, Chair of the new Hummingbird Charity (launched at Stormont on Monday to Health Minister Mike Nesbitt, politicians, press and invited guests) speaking to the News Letter. Click on the link to read more.

“Mental ill-health costs the economy in the Causeway Coast and Glens Council Area £255m per year according to recently published statistics from the London School of Economics and the Mental Health Foundation.

“Living in rural areas can bring unique challenges such as social isolation and economic deprivation which contribute to stress, anxiety and depression with detrimental effect on mental health and wellbeing.”

“Our charitable status gives us new income generating capacity to support locally tailored, innovative and collaborative mental fitness projects. We’ll also be launching a persuasive case for more investment into mental health services in areas outside NI’s major towns and cities and will bring together and give voice to other wellness service providers in the North Coast area making us more impactful together than apart.”

Thanks to Features Editor, Helen McGurk for the coverage with potential of more in-depth coverage to come.

Press and PR by carlincreative.co.uk

​A new north coast mental health charity launched this week with details of its first campaign.

14/05/2025

Some more great news for my North Coast Hummingbird clients. Leigh Carey F.R.S.A.

Following the launch of its new Hummingbird Causeway charity on Monday to politicians and invited guests including the NI Health Minister Mike Nesbitt at Stormont, it has just announced another exciting development.

With the support of The R&A, its next major outing will be at July’s 153rd Open being staged at Portrush where its mental health services will be available to some 280,000 golf fans due to attend during the week of the Championship.

The run up to this major sporting event will provide Hummingbird Causeway with a platform to launch , its first major community fund and awareness raising campaign.

More about that in the days and weeks ahead to include news of a ‘mental fitness through sport’ art and multimedia project involving Primary and Special Schools in the Causeway Coast and Glens area. The art will feature in an exhibit in the Hummingbird tent at The Open.

Dr Jimmy McAleese, Chair of the new charity said: “The launch of Hummingbird Causeway is a giant leap in our development. It will allow us to increase our service provision and support even more people at their point of need using our unique therapeutic blend of lived experience and professional training in mental health.

“Our deepest gratitude to the R&A for allowing us to be present at Royal Portrush during this year’s Open.”

Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, pictured top right is Executive Director - Championships at the R&A.

He said: “We want fans to have a safe, enjoyable and memorable experience of attending The Open and so have a range of services and facilities onsite to ensure the venue is both accessible and caters for a range of different needs.

“Hummingbird provides important mental health services to individuals and communities in NI and we are grateful its staff will be at Royal Portrush to offer advice and support to fans.”

Exciting times ahead for everyone involved.

13/05/2025

Young dancer Lily Pyne was only 16-years old when this film was shot on Portstewart Strand. We got up before the crack of dawn to drive from Belfast to our stunning North Coast location to be met by Speed Motion Films just as the sun was rising.

To produce a special screening of a contemporary dance ‘Resilience’ for my Portstewart based clients The Hummingbird Project Leigh Carey F.R.S.A.

For those unfamiliar with its work; the Social Enterprise is led by a team of mental health experts all of whom have lived experience of mental ill health. They combine their professional skills with the personal to make a real and lasting difference and beneficial impact on other people’s lives.

Resilience, defined by the dictionary as the human capacity to face difficulties and overcome adversity with fortitude, is at the heart of everything Hummingbird does. They believe in equipping people with the skills and tools needed to take charge of their own mental health.

The dance, filmed in one take, was an exploration of what it is like to face and adapt to an unexpected life crisis, process emotions and build the skills and mental toughness required to recover and walk towards a new and potentially brighter life.

It was a proud moment to see it played on a huge screen yesterday to the NI Health Minister Mike Nesbitt, MLAs and invited guests at the launch of The Hummingbird Project’s new charity Hummingbird Causeway at Stormont.

A ‘Giant’ development in Hummingbird’s unique blend of mental health service provision that will help countless other people.

I love the creative side of what I do and working alongside some incredibly talented people.

11/05/2025

Exciting day tomorrow for my North Coast clients, the wonderful The Hummingbird Project. They are mental health experts all of whom have lived experience of mental ill health themselves. They use this unique combination to help others. It is an award winning formula which has impact. There will be more from the Hummingbirds from Stormont tomorrow when they announce a whole new exciting chapter.

11/05/2025

Early morning pick up at Peake Blooms Wholesale this morning for a major client event tomorrow. I love the creative side of what I do and helping to make corporate occasions special. The tulips match the brand colours of the The Hummingbird Project perfectly.