You can donate to Connors fundraiser here: https://www.peoplesfundraising.com/fundraising/balmoral-5k-charity-run-

💬 Why are you taking on this challenge?

“I have been a male victim of domestic abuse & been in a toxic relationship for 2 years while myself as a victim & also my son being exposed to domestic violence witnessed weapons, knifes being used to attack his father from his own mother. If I didn’t have my son to keep me motivated I don’t believe I would be here today. Thinking there is only one escape is a scary place to be in alone. I can’t say it enough please speak up.”

💬 What impact do you hope to achieve?

“I want to raise awareness of domestic abuse & show the relief in speaking up & managing to get out of situation. The moment I got out the situation & the police charged her with domestic abuse & knife modifier…became a relief”

💬 What message do you want to share with potential donors?

“I would like to thank everyone who can donate to a cause which can save someone’s life with support while being a victim in domestic abuse feeling like there is no escape & no help! Till we speak up & get the support is the biggest relief off our shoulders. Anyone going through any domestic abuse please speak up. I will be very open & happily speak with anyone if it can be any benefit to them to help.”

🙏 Please donate, share, and help Connor support us in our mission to give men experiencing or recovering from domestic abuse the help and hope they deserve 💙

If you would like to take part in a fundraiser for AMIS please get in touch, we are happy to help anyone who wants to take on a challenge! You can also sign up to run the Balmoral race 2025 here: RUN BALMORAL 2025 | Sat 26 Apr | Book @ Findarace

If you identify as a man and are experiencing or recovering from domestic abuse please don’t hesitate to reach out to us for support. We also take calls from family, friends and working professionals to support them in supporting men and their children.

You can donate to Connors fundraiser here: https://www.peoplesfundraising.com/fundraising/balmoral-5k-charity-run-

In the campaign, Brodie and Fergus shed light on the unique challenges that men encounter regarding their mental health. They addressed the high rates of male suicide, the impact of societal views on masculinity, the risk of homelessness, the lack of tailored support services, and the insufficient understanding from the criminal justice system and professionals.

Concluding their presentation, they emphasized the positive changes in supporting men dealing with abuse and mental health issues. They highlighted the increase in mental health media campaigns focusing on men’s support, as well as the growing number of men’s support groups in Scotland and worldwide, with communities showing strong support for these initiatives. Additionally, they noted that organizations like AMIS are increasingly invited to speak at schools, aiming to raise awareness and provide support for the mental health of younger generations.

The talk was live streamed to the Church of Scotland Network on YouTube, you can listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmjoVVSfpsg

Callander is a small rural community located within the Stirlingshire council area. It serves as a gateway to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. A local community group has initiated a campaign to raise awareness and funds to support positive mental health and wellness in local area and schools. Mental health and wellbeing services are mainly concentrated in urban areas, and services in rural areas, such as Callander, are very limited. There is a need for more funding and service support in smaller rural communities, especially in rural schools for younger generations. This is part of the wider national #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek in Scotland.

There were several events taking place within the community throughout the week, such as free exercise classes and local pub quizzes! All funds raised during the week went to the Canmore Trust and initiatives that promote positive mental health support in the local schools (McLaren High School and Callander Primary School) and the Community Centre (McLaren Leisure Centre).

The influence and impact of these small rural communities are significant. As a result of our discussion, our AMIS leaflets were distributed extensively. Currently, the leaflets can be found across Callander in local schools, pub toilets, pharmacies, and barber shops. With the generous help of locals in the community our leaflets have also been distributed to community notice boards in the surrounding areas of Strathyre, Balquidder, Killin, and Tyndrum.

This was an excellent event for our team to attend. We look forward to further collaboration with rural communities across Scotland in the future.

Michelle decided to do something and has set up a JustGiving page to raise awareness and money for AMIS. She states “Whether male or female people need help”. Despite have some health issues and no cartridge in her right hip she is walking a mile per day in December.

Please do consider helping Michelle achieve her goal. We at AMIS, and of course Michelle, would really appreciate this.

Thank you.

Summer is here even if the weather has not quite made up its mind. This July you could win this amazing getaway with Edinburgh Community Lottery – a summer break with Airbnb. What’s not to like.

If you are not already signed up to play the Edinburgh Community Lottery then now is the time with these great prizes.

We urgently need to match £14,000, pledged by The Robertson Trust to continue our Support Officer post for the helpline – but only if we can match it by the end of the year. We have launched a Crowdfunder, which you can donate any amount to.

• Make a donation
• Share our Crowdfunder on Twitter

AMIS gets no public funding for our services, even in a pandemic when our caseload has increased by 25%. It’s been a hard year for our clients, the 450 or so that we’ve been working with. COVID-19 restrictions and all the associated stresses have exacerbated partner abuse, with victims having few opportunities for respite. It is harder for us to help them during a pandemic. Refuge or any safe accommodation for male victims, hard to come by at the best of times, is well-nigh impossible to find now. 

Writing funding applications to Trusts, Foundations, and Lotteries is time-consuming and time has been limited this year. We did spend many hours composing a few, but little was achieved. We are now having a concerted effort but fear sufficient funding will not arrive soon enough. 

We have been fortunate to receive a steady stream of donations from our supporters, some of whom are men who have had help from AMIS in the past, or from families who have witnessed the abuse of a male relative. Others recognise that this is a much-needed but politically unpopular cause. Society and policymakers still find it hard to recognise men can be victims. We owe a debt of gratitude to all our donors.

If we have a funding gap, we plan to run the charity with volunteers only, until we can employ staff again. That is not ideal, and could only be sustained for three months or so, but we can not allow this vital charity to close. There is no adequate, appropriate alternative to AMIS. 

If abuse is not addressed the effects on the individual – and the costs to society – can be severe. One contact told us, after nearly two decades of abuse:

 ‘I only ever asked one psychiatrist what was wrong with me. Right away, he said: “Post-traumatic stress at the extreme end of the spectrum”.’

It’s always worth-while to know when we made a difference. A client responded to a survey about AMIS:

‘Called them (AMIS) several times    Initially about helping me contextualise the relationship – “was this normal”     To what I needed to consider and plan     To finally helping me finding a counsellor to I pick the aftermath    They have saved my life’

Every little helps and all donations are very much appreciated.

Alison has raised £392 so far, which will have a 50% boost on behalf of Tom Hunter. You can still see updates and make a donation on the Kitwalk website.

Are you interested in fundraising for AMIS? Check out our fundraising page with sponsorship forms, ideas and contact details for our team.

The National Funding Scheme provides the platform. It will form a crucial part of our long-term fundraising plans, which will be utilised on our social media and local campaigns across Scotland.

How does it work?

The concept is straightforward for donors. All you need to do is send an SMS text to a number with the word ‘AMIS’. This will then deduct the donation amount (and a standard network text) from your account. The National Funding Scheme will then process and later distribute the funds to AMIS.

To make a text donation, you can text AMIS to the following numbers:

• To donate £1, text AMIS to 70201
• To donate £3, text AMIS to 70331
• To donate £5, text AMIS to 70970
• To donate £10, text AMIS to 70191

Donations can still be made online with VirginMoneyGiving or DONATE. You can also support us by volunteering and raising awareness through social media.

* Fundraising, payments and donations will be processed and administered by the National Funding Scheme, operating as DONATE, a charity registered in England and Wales (1149800) and Scotland (SC045106). In addition to any text donation, you will incur your standard network message charge (based on your service provider rates). For Terms & Conditions, see www.easydonate.org

They have already raised over £1800 that will be split between the two charities. The eight friends – Connor, Ewan, Gregor, Jack, Mitchel, Murray, Ross and Brandon – have made fantastic progress throughout the month.

Murray Collie, a student at the University of Stirling, is one of the eight fundraisers. Collie said “we are aware that home isn’t always a safe place and that many people will be finding these times challenging domestically. Lockdown has given us a bit more free time and we wanted to use that time productively. As a group, we’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity and support that people in the North East have shown us.”

AMIS’ helpline remains open, and we are encouraging people in abusive relationships to contact support services during lockdown. The Pushers to Prague’s fundraising will help to make a lasting difference to men in Aberdeen and beyond.

Donations can be made on the VirginMoneyGiving page until the end of June.