The National Lottery Awards for All fund has supported Mindful Art Club to deliver two years of peer support groups at The Harbour Centre, Plymouth. Harbour is Plymouth’s largest independent drug and alcohol charity and offers advice, information and treatment for addiction.
The weekly groups at The Harbour Centre, hosted by mental health professionals Peggy Melmoth and Emma Sprawson, were free to attend, and were not limited to Harbour clients, but instead were open to anyone who was struggling with unhealthy habits or coping strategies.
Addiction is not always about using a substance; it could be compulsively engaging in an activity such as sex, video gaming, shopping, gambling, over-eating, over-working, or using social media and the internet.
Jocella Peck, Harbour Operations Manager, said, “It has been a real privilege hosting mindful art for the last two years. We will certainly continue to market this to people using our services. Stay in touch. If there is anything else in the future we can support or work with you on please feel free to contact us. “
Peggy and Emma met while working in a Plymouth residential addiction treatment centre and set up their social enterprise in 2019 to encourage connection with others, teaching new ways of practising self-care through easy art and mindfulness exercises. They also invited some inspiring guest speakers to the groups to talk about their personal experiences of recovery.
“Emma and Peggy delivered mindful art peer support sessions for Harbour for the last two years, bringing warmth, creativity and genuine compassion to the people we support. Their sessions have been about so much more than art. They created a safe, welcoming and non-judgemental space where people could express themselves, build confidence, connect with others and simply enjoy being creative. For many, the sessions became something to look forward to, a place to feel valued, accepted and part of something.
We are incredibly grateful for the care, passion and energy Emma and Peggy have brought to Harbour. They have made a real difference to the lives of the people who took part, and their contribution will be truly missed. Thank you, Emma and Peggy, for creating a space where creativity, connection and hope could flourish.”
– Julie Howes, CEO of Harbour.
Although this project is now completed Mindful Art Club also offer other supportive, weekly, community groups, and paint and sip evenings, in the Plymouth area. Each session starts with a brief chat about how everyone is feeling, then a short guided mindful meditation, followed by a simple art activity that anyone can do. Rather than teaching art techniques, the focus is on social connection and peer support.
They are now launching three new, weekly art groups in the city centre, supported by The National Lottery Reaching Communities Fund. Book a free session here: Mindful Art Club Eventbrite
