North Belfast Mum Finds Hope After Tragedy Thanks to Charity Glow NI

A North Belfast mother has bravely shared her deeply personal journey, crediting a local charity with helping her rebuild her life after an unimaginable loss. Mandy Crawford, a resident of North Belfast, revealed that her life “spiralled out of control” following the death of her 22-year-old daughter to suicide four years ago.

Mandy admitted she struggled immensely to accept the tragedy, leading to dependence on alcohol and severe isolation, making it difficult for her to even leave the house. After a hospital stay, she was initially connected with a suicide awareness group, but it was reaching out to Glow NI just over a year ago that truly marked the beginning of her recovery.

Glow NI is a vital community-based mental health and wellbeing organisation dedicated to empowering women locally, focusing on building positive mental health, resilience, and self-worth through trauma-informed programmes and peer support.

Speaking about the transformation, Mandy explained that the support she received showed her a path forward. “When you come to Glow, you take a closer look at yourself. I realised I could communicate with people again without the use of alcohol,” she said. “I only drank in the house and didn’t go out—where now I’m happy to go out of the house. It’s like stepping stones, and the first step is to come here.”

Having worked in the civil service for 37 years, Mandy found that retirement, combined with her grief, left her vulnerable. “I didn't need to be anywhere so alcohol took over, but I couldn't accept the death of my daughter. I once thought my life was over,” she reflected. “But I actually found I could laugh, really belly laugh again, and I enjoyed participating with other people. It really brought me out of my shell and I realised there's a life that can go on.”

Her experience has now motivated her to encourage others. “I would urge anyone else to get involved. I just want to move on and find other things about me that I can still give at this point in life, and there’s more of me to give.”

Glow NI Expands Local Support

This week, Glow NI launched its new strategic plan for 2026 to 2029, focusing on advancing prevention, early intervention, and community-based mental health support for women and girls across the area.

The charity runs tailored programmes for women of all ages, including their Real Me programme (for women aged 18 and over), the Lily programme (supporting girls aged 10 to 13), and the Fearless & Female programme (for teenagers aged 14 to 17).

Treasa Rice, CEO of Glow NI, highlighted the growing need for their services. “Over the past decade we have seen the very real pressures facing women and girls from anxiety, to low self-worth, to trauma, to violence and social isolation,” she said. “These challenges are complex, but they are not inevitable.”

In 2025 alone, Glow NI supported over 200 women and more than 100 girls, including pupils from St Gerard’s. These numbers included referrals from GPs, CAMHS teams, and community partners.

Treasa confirmed the life-changing impact of their approach: “What they consistently tell us is that early trauma informed support in a safe environment can be life changing. Our programmes focus on confidence, emotional well-being, and connection. Teachers tell us school attendance improves. Parents tell us their daughters are more confident, and women tell us they finally feel like themselves again.”

Over the next three years, the charity aims to widen access, deepen its impact through collaboration with schools and community groups, and create a resilient workforce dedicated to delivering crucial mental health support.