To correspond with World Mental Health Day, the teams at HOME are pleased to be sharing news about two upcoming exhibitions in our building and to showcase short films from local filmmakers, all of which respond to mental health issues. We’re also sharing links and information about some of the groups HOME works with as part of our Inspire Scheme.
Mental Health On Film
The first film we have made available for you to watch online is The Invisible Pain. This short was originally screened in our cinemas last year and this year we’re pleased to be able to share it on the web so you can watch it at home. The Invisible Pain tells the story of local man Jonathan Hayward’s journey to understand his upbringing in Manchester, his family background and his experience of mental illness. Click here to watch.
We’re also pleased to share My Toughest Battle, written by and starring Liam Collins. Their aim with this film was to tackle the issues of mental illness in everyday life and in particular sport and young males. Click here to watch.
Manchester-based creative studio and multidisciplinary arts collective, We Are Willow, have released a new short film, Paris, which you can watch online via their website here.
Creative Responses To Mental Health Issues In HOME’s Exhibition Spaces
We have two upcoming exhibitions coming to HOME’s Inspire and Granada galleries in the next few weeks.
What Stops Us From Being Well is the work of creative participants at The Men’s Room, an arts, health and social care charity working with male and trans people who have experience of homelessness, sex work or both. Coming to HOME’s Inspire Gallery by the ground floor bar, the issues shown in the art works were developed through story telling workshops with People’s Voice Media and then curated into key themes. These issues were brought to life through a series of art workshops with Len Grant and Ian McKay.
This exhibition will be launching on Tue 20 October with a virtual event on Zoom, 2-5pm. Find out more and book your Zoom place via The Men’s Room website.
Opening up in our Granada Foundation Gallery, on level one this November is Let’s Figure it Out. This project has been an opportunity for service users from Recovery Pathways, a citywide service at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust to explore what mental wellbeing means to them through the subject of the figure. The work on show is a powerful testimony from those who have lived experience of mental ill health and recovery.
Find out more about this exhibition here.
Mental Health and Wellbeing Support Groups
At HOME we are fortunate to work with some of Greater Manchester’s most essential, inspiring and creative groups, charities and organisations through our Inspire Scheme, Talent Development and wider programme. As part of World Mental Health Day we wanted to highlight some of the groups who work to support people with their mental health and wellbeing. Support within these groups can be specific or broad and covers a variety of contexts and care but always begins when you reach out and get in touch. If you need support in anyway make that contact, they are there to help you.
Man about a Dog
Website: manaboutadog.org
We are a project that works with people who have survived a suicide attempt or have been affected by someone else’s attempt. The project is run by survivors, for survivors. We are all ordinary people. 1 in 15 people attempt suicide at some point in their lives. If you have attempted, you are not on your own. Our contact details are on our website and you can read more about what we do, how we do it and why we do it. Our phone is on 24/7.
Instagram: @manaboutadog2
Facebook: ThatManAboutaDog
TLC St Luke’s
Website: www.tlcstlukes.co.uk
TLC St Luke’s is a mental health charity based in Ardwick. We operate a Drop-in project which offers various activities, advocacy and friendship; and an Art Project. At present due to Covid we have moved our services to telephone Befriending, Advocacy and Activity.
To speak to Diane the Drop-in Project Manager please telephone 07593147369, email tlcvolunteering@gmail.com
To speak To Alison the Art Project Manager please telephone 07767356302, email stlukedmanchester@gmail.com.
Instagram: @tlcartanddropin
Survivors Manchester
Website: www.survivorsmanchester.org.uk
Survivors Manchester are a survivor focused voluntary sector organisation that aims to create and facilitate safe spaces for male (including trans and non-binary individuals) survivors of sexual abuse, rape and sexual exploitation across Greater Manchester providing to access quality assured support.
Our mission statement is “To break the silence of the sexual abuse rape and sexual exploitation of boys and men in order to empower those affected to defeat the legacy of abuse and move towards positive futures”
Instagram: @SurvivorsMcr
Facebook: Survivors Manchester
Twitter: @SurvivorsMcr
Office Number 0161 236 2182 for further help/support
Rethink Rebuild Society
Website:https://www.rrsoc.org/
Rethink Rebuild Society is a Manchester-based charity that works towards improving the lives of refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants, in particular but not exclusively Syrians in the UK, helping them become positively established within British society. We support refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants in general in their wellbeing
Facebook: RethinkRebuildSociety
Instagram: @rethinkrebuildsociety
Café Diognosis
Cafe Diagnosis is a community mental health group who meet up for coffee and a chill in the city. We also deliver workshops in creative writing, filmmaking and performance, leading to immersive installation performance’s in Cafe’s across Greater Manchester. The project is ran by service users for service users challenging stigma around mental health whilst working alongside creative professionals throughout the projects design
Contact: terry corbett terryjcorbett@hotmail.co.uk
42nd Street Creative Agents
THE CREATIVE AGENTS
42nd Street is an innovative Greater Manchester young people’s mental health charity with 40 years’ experience of providing free and confidential services to young people who are experiencing difficulties with their mental health and emotional wellbeing.
The Creative Agents are a group of young people who are interested in being involved in The Horsfall and its creative projects at 42nd Street.
The group is relaxed, sociable and open to everyone aged under 25 years old. There are regular Monday sessions featuring different creative workshops as well as additional sessions and trips.
Manchester Mind
Supporting better mental health for all in Manchester for thirty years.
Telephone: 0161 769 5732
Email: info@manchestermind.org
Website: www.manchestermind.org
The Owl and The Coconut
Website: theowlandthecoconut.com/
We help people to reduce stress and increase levels of health and happiness in our meditation and art making workshops, live, online in small groups.
Main image credit: Jeff Pond