Month: September 2022

Cllr Charlotte Holloway Supports Art Group

This week we were delighted to receive a community grant from Charlotte Holloway, Labour councillor for Drake ward, (North Hill, Greenbank, Mutley and surrounds.) This funding will help us to continue our weekly mindful art group at Moments Café, in the centre of Plymouth. Plymouth councillors each have an annual grant allocation to assist not for profit groups and organisations in the city.

Moments Café is a social enterprise based in New George Street. It offers a safe environment for people to meet, eat and socialise and all of their profits go towards Memory Matters, supporting local people living with dementia.

Our Friday afternoon group meets upstairs in the Arthur Read room, and offers a place to connect, chat, practice mindfulness and do a simple art project. All art materials are provided and the group has two facilitators. Anyone is welcome to attend, and the session boosts mental health and reduces social isolation.

This is a very popular group so we ask people to book a place here: Mindful Art at Moments (If you find you are no longer able to attend please cancel your booking so that your place can be offered to somebody else.)

We would like to express our warmest wishes and thanks to Charlotte Holloway for her ongoing support of our work in Drake ward. Mindful Art Club cannot survive without charitable donations. Click here if you are in a position to donate.

Supported Art Activities

Mindful Art Supported Activities start Thursday 13th October 2022

Mindful Art Club has been providing peer support groups in the Plymouth community for three years. Prior to this Peggy and Emma have many years of experience supporting vulnerable clients in residential addiction treatments centres.

We are now launching a new weekly group exclusively for clients with learning, physical and sensory disabilities, or mental health difficulties. We invite clients to attend, with their support workers, and enjoy five minutes of simple guided mindfulness, followed by an art activity. Art projects may include drawing, collage making or decorating painted stones. During the group clients and support workers are encouraged to relax and chat while making art. 

Our friendly, relaxed groups boost mental health and reduce social isolation.

Session includes:

  • A check in to say how you are feeling
  • Five minutes guided mindfulness
  • Art activity
  • Coffee or tea
  • All art materials
  • A check out to share how you feel at the end of the group.

Costing and Access

Each session lasts and hour and a half, and includes a coffee or tea, and all art materials.

Cost: £15.00 per session.

Places are limited so we ask participants to book in advance.

Reserve your place now.

We look forward to seeing you at Mindful Art Club!

Thursdays 2.30pm – 4.00pm

Rees Centre Wellbeing Hub

Mudge Way, Plympton, Plymouth, Devon, PL7 2PS

Accessibility

Ramped/Sloped Access, and Manual Doors

Off-Site Parking nearby.

How Volunteering Helped Me Heal

My Story

I’ve been volunteering for Mindful Art Club for about two years. My volunteering includes; attending the Annual General Meetings, brainstorming ideas, participating in creating an eight week mindful art course, driving, being a stall holder at promotional and networking events such as Plympton Midsummer Festival at Plympton Castle, Plympton Health and Wellbeing Event at Rees Centre Wellbeing Hub, and Plympton Royal British Legion Family Open Day. I am now a participant in a stakeholder design group with Plymouth University helping to evaluate activities provided by Mindful Art Club and the benefit to session participants.

I found Mindful Art Club at a really difficult time in my life and being a part of the community for several years has helped me to heal, recover and grow. I’ve chosen to volunteer to give something back and share my belief that practicing mindfulness, being creative and being your true self in a welcoming and safe space can really enrich and improve your life!

By volunteering I’ve gained mindfulness techniques that I now practice regularly to improve and sustain my health and wellbeing; It’s brought creativity into my life; I’ve reclaimed my confidence and it’s given me a sense of belonging and purpose; I’ve made genuine friends, we support each other through the ups and downs and we also have lots of days out and fun!

If you’re thinking you’d like to be part of this great team and have time to spare to volunteer then just go for it!!! 

Joanna Chalmers

How Art Improved my Mental Health

Client Story

I was depressed and generally mentally unwell since before the pandemic.
I first attended Mindful Art Club when the world started opening up again because I wanted to connect with art and with people. I previously had felt very isolated and socially hollow.

I have also had problem after problem as well as stress after stress. Appointments, investigations, tribunals, appeals, eviction, call centres, professional emails, and all the official sounding meetings, all seemingly one after another.

Having Mindful Art Club – this weekly space to just sit and chat with these lovely people whilst doing these mindful creative activities – has made so much of a difference to me. I feel like the art club allows me to take away some of the negativity and toxicity that builds up over the course of a week of stressful activities.

Now I’m moving into a new house, I have a new job and new energy. I’m not cured, but I am progressing, consistently making healthy choices, and actively developing resilience. This art group has helped me to accomplish and maintain these positive impacts on my life and it is also great to see that the group in general is flourishing. I am very grateful that this club exists and I struggle to express my great appreciation for the people that make it what it is.

Chris

Free Mental Health Workshops

Mental Health Connections: Learning from each other and finding what fits’, is taking place on Sunday 9th October 11:00-16:00 at Devonport Guildhall.
This event is part of the Messages from the HeARTlands exhibition in collaboration with Hope in the Heart and The Intersection.

Grassroots mental health organisations from around Plymouth will be gathering to share their knowledge and support through a number of workshops and talks throughout the day. You’ll also have the chance to see the incredible artwork and stories shared about lived experience in the exhibition.

Mindful Art Club will be offering a free session at 1.00pm. Other workshops include sound therapy and Soul Singers.

There’s no need to book for the event, however if you’d like to take part in any of the workshops listed please head to this link  to book because there are limited spaces for each one.

We look forward to seeing you there. Join our mailing list to find out about other free events to boost your mental health.