Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, the provider of community and inpatient mental health services in Hull and East Yorkshire teamed up with Trust charity, Heath Stars, to invite staff, patients and local school children to design bunting, creating a unique piece of artwork for public display and to mark World Mental Health Day.
The engagement provided a non-stigmatising activity for participants to discuss their thoughts on mental health, resilience, and their own general wellbeing, aimed to encourage this taking part to talk about what good mental health looks like.
World Mental Health Day was created by the World Federation of Mental Health and is marked on October 10 every year. It’s a day to unite in our efforts to improve the mental health of people around the world through health education, awareness, and advocacy against social stigma.
As a provider of mental health services, the Trust actively participates in the annual awareness event and continues the conversation throughout the year. The health benefits of participatory arts are widely recognised, with a growing evidence base. Research shows that engagement with arts and crafts may reduce anxiety and stress reactions and can be used directly to improve clinical outcomes.
Local schools including Beverley High School, Sirius Academy and Frederick Holmes took part in the activity, creating designs inspired by what mental health means to them, how it impacts their life, self-care ideas or an expression of how they are feeling right now.
Trust charity Health Stars funded craft packs and worked in partnership with ScrapStore Hull, a registered charity and shop providing creative art and craft resources for children and young people, to make the event activity possible. Packs were delivered to 14 inpatient mental health and learning disability units on World Mental Health Day to provide the resources for people to take part.
Bunting designs provided an inspiring decorative feature at the Trust’s Annual Members Meeting on Wednesday 18 October. A public and staff winner was chosen and received vouchers as their prize.
Michele Moran, Chief Executive at Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, said: “It was inspiring to see the range of designs from all participants. We hope that this activity had a positive effect on everyone who took part and that it created an extra opportunity to talk about mental health.”