Warning: This story includes references to suicide and mental health and may be distressing.

A small, family-run Tauranga tattoo studio is hosting a fundraiser for mental health to make sure people feel heard, supported and not alone.

Co-owner of UnderTongue Tattoo, Alysia Greaney, said the loss of her brother to suicide in 2019 shaped the way she views the world.

That was why she decided to organise a family-friendly fundraiser on Sunday, August 24, at Mount Social Club for a charity helping those struggling with their mental health.

All proceeds would go directly to Spark That Chat (STC). “They do amazing work around suicide prevention and mental health awareness, especially among youth,” said Greaney.

She said she has dealt with her own struggles with depression and anxiety caused by the grief of losing her brother.

Co-owner of UnderTongue Tattoo, Alysia Greaney, with a photo of her brother Dylan Greaney who she lost to suicide when he was 19 on December 1, 2019. Photo / supplied

“At the time I lived in Ohakune, which is a really small rural community so there was not a whole lot of help there at all.”

She struggled to get into the system to get a counsellor and some support and with the long waiting times and the expenses involved, she found accessibility was lacking.

UnderTongue Tattoo studio owners Alysia Greaney and Cheyne Tweeddale. Photo / Brydie Thompson

The event would include live tattooing by four local artists, a DJ, bar snacks, a silent auction and fake tattoos for the kids.

Each tattoo artist would bring their own set designs, and the price would be $70 for smaller and $100 for bigger designs by UnderTongue Tattoo co-owner and Greaney’s partner Cheyne Tweeddale, Rotorua’s Trinity Ropiha, Mount Maunganui’s Jane Martin Tattoos and Tauranga’s Harmony Inc.

She said at UnderTongue Tattoo studio, a lot of people come in and finding they feel safe in the chair, they share stories of their struggles and open up while they get inked.

“They want to get a tattoo to recognise what they have been through. I guess getting a tattoo is a healthy pain release.”

UnderTongue Tattoo co-owner, artist and Greaney’s partner Cheyne Tweeddale. Photo / supplied

Greaney hopes to raise a few thousand dollars to support STC through the fundraiser and its silent auction, with items such as gym memberships, Mount Maunganui Caci Clinic memberships, Hell’s Gate Rotorua entries and night stays at local accommodation up for grabs. The items were donated by local businesses in support of the fundraiser.

STC is a charity that travels around New Zealand, offering support at schools, farms, festivals, skifields, golf clubs, running tracks, gyms and the like.

Founder Jack Jensen said on the charity’s website that on November 24, 2020, his crew, MSFT Productions, lost one of their own to suicide. “Like so many others who sadly can relate, this loss came as a shock.”

He and his crew reached out to the community and were devastated to hear how many lives had been affected by suicide and mental health issues, so they decided to help and created their charity STC.