Today, October 10th, is World Mental Health Day and Inkwell’s Craft Cafe were holding Craft sessions in the Victoria Quarters in Leeds city centre to help celebrate. We were working alongside Leeds Mind, Touchstone, Time to Change and LYPFT to raise awareness and educate the public about mental health, with a range of interactive activities available promoting health and well being.
The up-market Victoria Quarters was built in the 1900′s and is decorated with colourful mosaics and beautiful marble, it’s magnificence certainly helped create the perfect atmosphere here today. The building never looked so colourful with the addition of our fun and bright Pom Poms which the public really enjoyed learning how to make.
All of the organisations who were here today joined forces and worked together, chatting with the public and shoppers about mental health and our services. Time to Change were continuing their campaign to help stop the stigma against mental health and many more pledges were made, while others offered their invaluable feedback and opinions on how we could improve access to Psychological services in Leeds. Positive messages were written on luggage tags which then adorned the nut tree, which by the end of the day was a myriad of colours and a glorious display of today’s positivity and creativity.
Even more entertainment on the day was provided by talented folk musicians and Foxwood Steel an amazing seven piece steel band which added to the festival and fun atmosphere.
This years World Mental Health day is nearly here. Every year, October 10th is a day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy and is celebrated all around the world. This will be the 20th anniversary since it was started in 1992 by The World Federation of Mental Health.
The theme this year is ‘Depression: A Global Crisis’. The aim of World Mental Health Day is to get us talking about, to raise public awareness of mental health and how it may affect each and everyone of us. It is estimated that around 154 million people around the world suffer from depression so this years theme seems a very appropriate one as it’s likely that you or someone you know will be affected by mental illness during your lifetime.
Inkwell will be hosting an event to celebrate the day in our art space here in Chapel Allerton, as well as taking part in celebrations happening in Leeds City Centre that day. The Victoria Quarter in Leeds will be the venue for activities with Craft sessions and performances while here at Inkwell we have put on a fun selection of activities for you to take part in. Other organisations from around Leeds will be here too: Time to Change, Swarthmore, Healthy Living Network and Carers Leeds.
Hope you can come along and join us on Wednesday 10th October.
