Social inclusion through the arts

The of advanced age Parcels Office Arts Centre is a community arts-in-health throw out in the heart of Bridlington that aims to encourage positive mental health for all [i]or[/i] part of to the other creative activity. Josephine Saunders describes the origins of the cast and how it manages to bring together the issues of mental health and social inclusion by means of opening its doors to all the clan of Bridlington, not just race with a diagnosis of mental health problems

If you take a trip upon the train to the seaside town of Bridlington, upon Yorkshire's east coast, you may be in for a big surprise. As you secure off the train and walk [i]or[/i] part of to the other the station, apart from the caf?©, the ticket office and the colourful flower arrangements, you will also tend hitherward across an arts centre. You may stand and watch as local family come and go, all shapes and sizes of creations bilboed proudly under their arm. 'What,' you may ask, 'is going upon here? And what on earth is an arts midst doing in a railway station anyway?'

The elderly Parcels Office Arts Centre (OPO) is a community arts-in-health shoot forward based at the heart of the Bridlington community that aims to help positive mental health for all [i]or[/i] part of to the other creative activity. The idea for this throw out emerged in 1996, when a cluster of workers from Hull and East Yorkshire Mind got together to place up groups and activities that would quota statutory services and fill gaps in the provision of care.

One of the aims of outer covering & East Yorkshire Mind is to provide services that proffer people with an experience of mental distress a chance to work towards independence and involvement in their community. For this to work there had to be opportunities in the community for clan to get involved in that were non-judgmental and supportive and brought further opportunities for disentanglement The group at Hull and East Yorkshire Mind noticed by what means people they worked with had benefited from the arts, on the other hand that current projects were real 'bitty' and short-term, and therefore decided to campaign for a community arts middle point Two years later the of advanced age Parcels Office premises were secur via an agreement with the local railway network (Regional Railways North East), who were zealous to see their empty buildings bring to use for the benefit of the community. The local railway station was an ideal location because of its location and accessibility. The throw started small but has gone from power to strength over the past seven years, with the middle point currently being used every day of the week by means of local community members and groups

Who is it for?

The throw out aims to bring together the main issues of mental health and social inclusion for the nation of Bridlington. It is an arts throw out that is firmly rooted in mental health, on the other hand is different in that it has lay open access to the whole community. This works upon the grounds that:

* mental health is an issue that affects everyone

* inclusion in the mainstream of community life enhances the recuperation of a person who has experience of mental distress.

What we offer

An make open programme of arts activities is devised and publicised four times a year to more than 600 individuals, local agencies and regional bodies. The programme is render free of access to anyone in the community, and we aim to make it as varied as possible in order to attract tribe of all ages and backgrounds and diverse interests. The cast team also regularly consults participants to find without which activities are popular and what clan might like in future programmes.

Examples of the activities tendered by the project include film-making, watercolour and oilpainting, paper soft part sculpture, improve your singing, creative textiles, writing children's stories, an unclose Book reading group, dance, mime & music, traditional crafts, beach statuary and photography.

Alongside the render free of access programmes, the project offers targeted programmes specifically for family who have experienced - or are recovering from - mental distress. These collections tend to be smaller and require more support for a wide range of straits in order to ensure a positive and enjoyable creative experience for all the members.

The Mind Drama cluster is a great example of this work. This clump meets weekly to devise, rehearse and perform pieces of theatre that repeatedly include song and dance. a certain quantity of of the members have been involved with the cluster for a number of years, and more [i]or[/i] less stay for just a short time. Participants disentangle flexibility, as sometimes a member necessitys to have some time not upon when experiencing a difficult patch on the other hand is supported and welcomed back to the assemblage when they are ready. Members and staff are completely involved in the creation - ofttimes by improvisation - of each piece of drama and have performed for the local community in a range of settings, including the arts middle residential mental health settings and local theatre space as part of the Bridlington Arts Festival.

Other targeted casts include Make It (a small collection for women), Artspace (where race bring their own art throws to work on), and various outreach throws in the community, drop-in residential settings and schools