The second North Ayrshire Mental Health Arts Festival was a huge success, with 15 well-attended events taking place throughout the month of October.
This national festival – which had a theme this year of In/Visible – was established in 2007 by the Mental Health Foundation and is one of the world’s leading arts events dedicated to mental health, with the annual programme featuring hundreds of events across a variety of artforms.
The festival events have all been about challenging the stigma around mental health.
As part of the celebrations, a wide range of events for all ages took place across North Ayrshire throughout the month, including arts and crafts sessions, exhibitions, poetry workshops and a community drumming circle, as well as a Sunrise Walk at Irvine beach that was enjoyed by all – despite the typically blustery Scottish weather.
The official launch event was held at the Harbour Arts Centre in Irvine on Wednesday 9 October, hosted by award-winning Ayrshire comedian Billy Kirkwood.
“Once again, the event offered a fantastic opportunity for collaboration across mental health supports and services, including North Ayrshire Council’s Arts and Culture team, NHS Ayrshire and Arran’s Health Improvement Team, TSI North Ayrshire, North Ayrshire Wellbeing and Recovery College and our team of fantastic volunteers, alongside organisations who attended the events to provide information and all of our guest speakers and performers.NAHCP Engagement Officer Sam Hodkinson (event co-ordinator)
See our round-up of helpful health and wellbeing resources below…
- The LiveWell webpage – part of our Healthy Working Lives programme – on Connects also has a host of informative articles, hints and tips for colleagues across the Council.
- The Men’s Health Forum have brought together a lot of info on common complaints and practical suggestions to improve your health in their ‘Man Manual’.
- Council employees also have access to an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) called PAM Assist. This is a free employee benefit offering a 24/7 confidential helpline to support with personal problems that can affect your home life, work life and general wellbeing. More info in the Latest News article.
- The NHS website has a helpful article – 5 steps to improve mental wellbeing.
- The SAMH – Scottish Action for Mental Health website provides a wealth of information on support available. The organisation believes that suicide is everyone’s business and the team has created a series of helpful guides if you are worried about someone or living with suicidal thoughts.
If you are struggling or are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please seek help and talk to someone as soon as you can. See a list of help available below:
- Samaritans: Visit samaritans.org or call 116 123
- Breathing Space (Scotland): Visit the Breathing Space website or call 0800 83 85 87, Mon-Thurs, 6pm-2am, and Sat-Sun 6pm-6am
- Childline: For those under age 19. Visit childline.org.uk or call 0800 1111
- Papyrus: For people under 35 and those supporting them. Call the Papyrus HOPEline on 0800 068 4141 (Mon-Fri 10am-10pm, Sat-Sun 2pm-10pm and public holidays 2pm–5pm) or text 88247
Be kind to yourself this winter and consider getting in touch with your GP who will be able to give you practical advice and help if you are struggling with your mental health.
The audience enjoyed hearing from guest speakers from a wide range of organisations and businesses on the theme of mental health and wellbeing, as well as being treated to previews of upcoming festival events and performances ranging from poetry to music and dance.
In addition, a number of local mental health and wellbeing supports were on hand to signpost and give out information to those who attended.
Other highlights from the festival included ‘To Tell or Not toTell’, an evening at the Harbour Arts Centre with special guest author, musician and social commentator Darren McGarvey, which explored the values and challenges of sharing a lived experience.
‘Unvelied Voices’ provided a platform for individuals in mental health recovery to share their poetry and recently-recorded unique songs, with guest poets and performers also taking part.
And ‘Invisible’ – a heart-warming and humorous piece of musical theatre – was performed by members of The Sunshine Club – a social club based in Paisley for people with an acquired brain injury.
NAHCP Engagement Officer Sam Hodkinson, who co-ordinated the event in North Ayrshire, said: “This was our second year of holding a Mental Health Arts Festival in North Ayrshire, and we were one of the biggest local branches of the festival in Scotland this year.
“It yet again offered a fantastic opportunity for collaboration across mental health supports and services.
“Those involved included North Ayrshire Council’s Arts and Culture team, NHS Ayrshire and Arran’s Health Improvement Team, TSI North Ayrshire, North Ayrshire Wellbeing and Recovery College and our team of fantastic volunteers, as well as other organisations who attended the events to provide information and all of our guest speakers and performers.
“There were some fantastic events this year that really challenged the stigma around mental health…
“These included the experiences of those who are sometimes overlooked when we think about mental health, such as minority groups including the gypsy traveller community, those with learning disabilities, and people living with brain injuries.
“NAHSCP would like to thank everyone who worked so hard to bring this event together again this year, as well as everyone who took part in or came along to any of our events.
“We’d also like to say a special thank you to Irvine Camera Club, who came along to take some fantastic photographs at our launch event and also participated in our Sunrise Walk.”
Remember, if you are struggling with your mental health, the Council has a dedicated team of Wellbeing Warriors – you can contact them by email in the first instance where they will arrange to meet up with you in a council building or if that is not possible a phone or Teams call can be put in place.
Your chat with the Warrior will be confidential unless you or others are at risk of harm. After your initial meeting there will be a further follow-up meeting to check-in. A problem shared is a problem halved. Find out more info on Connects.
Are you working on initiatives or events in your team to improve mental health and wellbeing?
Or, perhaps you have a news to share about how you are raising awareness of the stigma surrounding mental health… if so, share your story with us for your chance to be included next time. Email: communications@north-ayrshire.gov.uk