If you (or the people you work with) are free on Friday afternoons, we’d love you to join us in our new venue, Burgess Hall, behind the Unitarian Church in Plymouth city centre. Each 90 minute session includes five minutes of guided mindfulness, five minutes of mindful drawing, a simple art project, and the opportunity to chat and relax. These sessions are funded by our Crowdfunder campaign, but if you want to donate, to help us continue delivering our service for longer, you can easily do so online.
Burgess Hall is behind the Unitarian Church accessed from Catherine Street, (next to The Treasury bar and restaurant, on Royal Parade). The first session at the new place is at 1.00pm Friday 12th April 2024.
As a reminder, we also offer these free mindful art groups:
A new mental health support group to help people struggling with, or recovering from, addiction is launching at Leadworks, in Stonehouse, near Plymouth city centre.
People’s Health Trust has invested in Mindful Art Club, using money raised by Health Lottery South West.
This money will be used to run a weekly art group that uses mindfulness, art, peer support and conversation to improve mental health and reduce social isolation. It follows on from a previous successful pilot project.
Emma Sprawson, director of Mindful Art Club, said: “We are very grateful for this funding which will help us to create a space which encourages connection and creativity.”
Starts: Friday October 6th 2023
Time: 10.00am – 11.30am
Location: Leadworks, 170 Rendle Street Stonehouse PL1 1TP
Even if you can’t decide whether you have a problem or not, you are welcome to come along. There is no art experience required! Friendly and informal. Just grab a coffee and join in.
Connect with others and discover new ways of practising self-care through easy art and mindfulness exercises. Practice being here in the present moment, and accept where you are right now, without self-judgement. We will also be inviting some inspiring guest speakers to the groups to talk about their experience of recovery.
To book a free place in this new mindful art group click here: Recovery Art Group.
We’re so happy to announce that we have reached our target on our Crowdfunder; in fact we went over our target. We have raised £10,575 to keep running our mindful art mental health support group at Moments Café in Plymouth city centre.
We had an anonymous donor pledge £5000, and also Plymouth City Council pledged £3,500. This means we can keep offering free mental health support without a waiting list every Friday. Here’s what some of our art group members said about this news on Facebook:
“I really like this group. It means a lot to me. It feels like a safe space. The other people are very welcoming. I love the different art that we do. Emma and Peggy are always coming up with new ideas that can be done in the session.
I also like the format of the group where we have a weekly check in, then do some mindfulness grounding and then maybe some closed eye, mindful drawing, one of my faves. We also have a check out at the end too. I’ve made some good connections from coming to the group and for me it’s a lovely way to end my week. I’ve really missed it when it hasn’t been running.” – Art club member
“It’s given us as a family much needed social interaction, no longer so isolated feeling alone. To know there are others who can empathise, because I thought I must be truly alone in my experiences is very reassuring. Everyone has been so kind. Love the checking in and out, making time for everyone, enjoy the art projects and taking them home to reflect upon or expand, closed eye drawing is very interesting. We had a lovely time at the mindful retreat day too, it’s all been such a positive experience I’m very grateful to have been signposted to such a wonderful resource.” – Art club member
“Mindful Art Club is my anchor in the storms of life. I love everything about it and never regret going, even when I’m feeling rubbish. I always leave feeling better than when I arrived. It feeds my soul. Can’t wait till we start again in September!” – Art club member
Thank You
We just want to give a big shout-out to thank everyone who donated over the last five weeks, it’s been an absolutely amazing response. And with more donations we could continue to run our weekly group for even longer, providing an ongoing safe space for people to access support.
The Jack Leslie Campaign have recently auctioned a piece of artwork and raised £300 to split between their campaign, and Mindful Art Club.
The Jack Leslie Campaign raised funds for a statue to honour the Plymouth Argyle footballer denied an England cap in 1925, just because he was black. The statue was unveiled on Friday 7th October 2022. Campaign founders, Matt Tiller and Greg Foxsmith, continue to promote and share Jack’s story by taking it into schools and organisations. Matt Tiller (pictured with Peggy and Emma) gave an informal talk at Mindful Art Club in December 2022 while the art group created some Jack Leslie themed artwork.
At a recent auction, Guardian cartoonist, David Squires, cartoon raised £300 and the proceeds were split between The Jack Leslie Campaign, and Mindful Art Club.
This generous donation from The Jack Leslie Campaign will help to boost our Crowdfunder, which is raising funds to provide weekly mental health support groups at Moments Cafe in Plymouth City Centre, starting in September this year.
Mindful Art Club was set up to support adults towards emotional, social, physical and mental health and wellbeing. We are immensely grateful for any donation, no matter how big or small that lets us continue our valuable service.
Peggy Melmoth and Kerry Evans were up super-early to appear on the breakfast show at BBC Radio Devon, on Sunday 30th July 2023. Watch and listen now to see pictures of them in the studio.
We need your help to help to raise funds to carry on a weekly support group at Moments Café in Plymouth’s city centre. After three years of experience, we know there are tools to increase emotional resilience, make friends, cope with difficult feelings and live happier lives. We want to share this knowledge with as many people as possible and be a positive force for good in a world that can seem overwhelming. With your support, our service can help anyone who is struggling to recover and thrive. One in four of us experience a mental health problem in any given year, so creating stigma-free spaces which offer community connection, reflection and creativity has never felt so important. – Peggy, Emma and Kerry.
Plymouth mum, Kerry Evans, has had her long hair shaved off to raise £470 towards Mindful Art Club’s Crowdfunding project. We are aiming to raise £7,000 to continue the Friday support group at Moments Cafe in Plymouth. There’s a cool little video too, to explain where the money goes!
A Plymouth mum has ‘braved the shave’ to support her local community art group.
On Friday July 14th July Kerry Evans, had her hair shaved off in front of a live audience at a comedy and music event in Stonehouse. The Storytelling Collective gig was funded by Plymouth Octopus Project.
Mindful Art Club offers free mental health support groups using mindfulness, art and conversation in various venues around Plymouth. Kerry first discovered Mindful Art Club at The Sunflower Women’s Centre, where she found it helped her with her anxiety, depression and social isolation.
Kerry said, “An absolutely fantastic entertaining night. I love my new hair-cut and I am so proud to be able to raise money for Mindful Art Club. I was nervous, but with friends and family around me I had the courage, and felt at ease with the hairdresser, Linda Smith-Wightman. Thank you Linda, you’re amazing. I had an amazing night; thank you for all your support and donations. I’ve raised £470 which is absolutely amazing.”
A recent research study has revealed significant social benefits, and improvements to mental health, can be measured in those attending a community art group. The research was led by Dr Helen Lloyd, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Plymouth, in collaboration with two researchers; Abbie Scott BSc, and Rachel Mullee BSc. The research project was co-designed by a committee which included art club participants, art club volunteers, and the Mindful Art Club directors Peggy Melmoth and Emma Sprawson.
The study found that our creative activities provide a distraction from negative thoughts and social anxiety. Our art encourages ‘flow’- a relaxing empowering experience- and attending Mindful Art Club can boost confidence and self-esteem while reducing social isolation.
Read the full story in the Central & Waterfront edition of The Plymouth Chronicle for August 2023.
We are pleased to have been awarded £500 towards a Mindful Art Club for older people. The funding for this Magic Little Grant has been provided by Localgiving in partnership with the Postcode Local Trust, a grant giving organisation funded by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
This will help us with the cost of running our Thursday group at The London Inn, Church Road, Plympton. This group meets weekly at midday for coffee, creativity and company. Our aim is to improve mental health and reduce social isolation.
We are so excited to announce that we are launching a Crowdfunding campaign for Mindful Art Club on Monday 3rd July 2023. Do you know what that means?
It means that in just four days time we are hosting an exciting online event that will be live-streamed to Facebook, and will include guided mindfulness with Emma, performance poetry by Peggy, and other surprise guests.
Could you ask for sponsorship for a running event, cycling challenge, daily swim or walking challenge? (Remember Captain Tom Moore, who made the headlines in 2020 when he raised money for charity in the run-up to his 100th birthday?)
Want to shave your head to raise funds? Art Club volunteer Kerry Evans is doing that on 14th July!
Top Tip – Tag Mindful Art Club in all your Facebook posts and make the posts public, so that people who do not know you have the opportunity to sponsor you too.
Quit Smoking – Even non-smokers are aware of how challenging it can be to kick a smoking habit, so this challenge will often inspire generous donations. Ask your friends and family to sponsor you in order to motivate you to quit for a month.
Dry July – The perfect way to get healthy and all for a good cause. As well as getting sponsorship for going dry, you can save up the money you would have spent down the pub and donate this at the end of the month too.
Top Tip – Get your friends and family involved in the challenge. This will help to raise even more money and reduce the likelihood of you cheating!
Are you in? Contact us now and we will set you up a fundraising page that links to our Crowdfunder. We can also send you a printable paper sponsorship form.
More Ideas
Charity Dinner Party – Host your own Come Dine with Me event, or themed tea party, charging your guests to taste your culinary delights.
Shave your beard or grow a moustache (Think Movember!)
We would also appreciate it if you would share our crowdfunding campaign page on Facebook and Twitter when it is live, to help us reach more people.
We couldn’t do our vital work in Plymouth without the help of generous charitable donations. So please join us to help us offer more mental health support groups at Moments Café in Plymouth city centre.
Hi, my name’s Kerry and I come to Mindful Art Club on a Friday at Moments Café.
Mindful Art Club help so many people through tough times, they help with isolation issues, mental health of all kinds and loneliness, They have personally helped me through all of these challenges and more.
I was extremely isolated lonely and depressed, I found Mindful Art Club, let’s say by chance, but I call it fate personally. Emma, who is one of the owners of Mindful Art Club, asked me if I wanted to join when I was at The Sunflower Women’s Centre, I declined at first saying I can’t draw. Emma said, “You don’t need to be good!” so I decided to be brave and joined in group. I was welcomed with a big smile and felt welcome right away. I left feeling I wanted more, I was extremely isolated, lonely and depressed, and I now I attend other groups on a Wednesday and Friday at different locations.
After about a year of attending I offered my help for volunteering, I feel passionate about making sure Mindful Art continues on a regular basis and I would feel lost, lonely and depressed again without it in my life. I do volunteer and I now see how much work Emma and Peggy have to put into it to keeping it going, I appreciate Emma and Peggy and all the volunteers who work so hard to help others.
A note from Peggy and Emma
We know that Mindful Art Club improves mental health and reduces social isolation in Plymouth, because of many personal stories like Kerry’s, and because of a recent research study done by the psychology department at Plymouth University.
Now we need your help to raise enough funds to carry on this weekly support group at Moments Café, in the centre of Plymouth. So please, donate what you can and share this with your friends. Thank you.
Want to help, but don’t have any money? No problem. Use EasyFundraising and brands will make donations to us when you shop online. You don’t have to pay a penny, and you get to support our work.
