Blanchardstown Centre welcomes Sports and Television star Brent Pope to launch their Elephant in the Room initiative

Blanchardstown Centre launches another initiative to support Mental Health Ireland

Blanchardstown Centre welcomed Sports and Television star Brent Pope to officially launch their “Elephant in the Room” mental health awareness campaign. Blanchardstown Centre is the first shopping Centre in Ireland to join the “Elephant in the Room” movement, commissioning an iconic art sculpture that promotes positive well-being and mental health awareness as part of their overall commitment to support Mental Health Ireland. Brent Pope, former Rugby player and a long standing advocate for Mental Health Awareness, joined the team to officially welcome “Blanche” to Blanchardstown Centre.

Blanchardstown Centre recently raised over €30,000 for Mental Health Ireland.

The Elephant in the Room movement has a track record of delivering incredible sculptures that raise significant funds for charities and other worthy causes. A host of ambassadors for this movement include PJ Gallagher, Marian Keys and Adam Clayton.

“We can’t speak highly enough about the impact of our Elephant in the Room art sculpture. As we continue our mission to support Mental Health Ireland, this initiative is a creative, eye catching and a powerful talking point for our customers and staff, opening the conversation and challenging the stigma around mental health. “Blanche” is located right in the heart of the Centre on level 2 in our Central Mall and we thoroughly enjoy watching customers engage and admire her. We would like to thank Pat Nash, CEO Falcon AM and everyone involved in this project especially Shirley Copperwhite, an incredibly talented artist who was commissioned to design “Blanche” .
Ciara Curtis, Marketing Manager, Blanchardstown Centre

“Painting “Blanche” was more than just another art project. It had personal meaning for me. Mental health issues are becoming much more common these days and everyone is impacted in one way or another. Mental health is the elephant in the room! The message here is that we need to talk about our mental health in the same way that we discuss our physical health with respect and understanding. Blanche was created using symbols of love & hope including elements from nature to make up a striking design with colours that are bright and positive. If she makes people stop, smile and think for even a minute I will be happy that I’ve done my job” Shirley Copperwhite, Artist

Photo credit: Paul Sherwood Photography – pictured left to right:

Ciara Curtis, Marketing Manager, Blanchardstown Centre
Pat Nash, CEO Falcon AM
Shirley Copperwhite, Artist commissioned to design “Blanche”
Brent Pope, Sports & TV Star
Dave Southern CEO, Elephant in the Room
Kim McNulty, Head of Marketing & Communications