Jun 22, 2015 - Keiran Walsh from award-winning Leicester charity Soft Touch Arts and his colleagues are working with sta
MEDIA RELEASE __________________________________________________________________ 22 June 2015 AMHLD_ 19_15
Harnessing art to boost mental health of young offenders A partnership between the NHS, prison service and Leicester artists is harnessing art to boost the mental wellbeing of young men at Glen Parva Young Offenders Institute. Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT) Glen Parva and Soft Touch Arts from Leicester, have joined forces to launch an innovative year-long programme of creative arts workshops. LPT provides a wide range of physical and primary mental health care services at Glen Parva aimed at maintaining the prisoners’ mental wellbeing, and the project will also inform research into the value of arts projects in the rehabilitation of offenders. The work features in a short film published by LPT on its YouTube channel. A total of 40 workshops have been organised for prisoners to help improve their sense of wellbeing and brighten their surroundings. To date, around 80 young men have participated in the workshops, which continue until October 2015. Keiran Walsh from award-winning Leicester charity Soft Touch Arts and his colleagues are working with staff and prisoners at Glen Parva, particularly young men who have a diagnosis of mental health needs combined with alcohol and substance misuse. The £10,000 project is supported by the Big Lottery Fund, charitable donations and contributions from LPT and Glen Parva. Said Keiran: 'The workshops are now well under way. We’re working with young prisoners to create artwork that will be displayed on the wall of the visitors' centre which is a very large area with bare walls where friends and family come to visit.
'There are no fixed ideas about what the work should look like but we have all agreed it should have positive themes and that everyone in each group will have input into the final design. ' 'The prisoners came up with the idea of producing life-sized silhouettes of themselves which they decorate with images and phrases that tie in with the theme. They have all spoken really positively about what they have done”. Natasha Garraway-Charles, LPT’s head of healthcare at Glen Parva, said: “The art project provides a unique opportunity for healthcare staff to engage with the young men and offer education and support in a non-traditional setting. The project offers an opportunity to improve the mental wellbeing, self-esteem and sense of achievement of the participants through positive engagement." Alison Clarke, Governor of Glen Parva said: "The partnership between LPT, Glen Parva and Leicester artists is an excellent initiative that is helping to increase the health and wellbeing of some of the vulnerable young men in our care. “Art is an excellent way of reaching out to offenders with mental health or substance misuse issues and it is great that we will have their artwork on display around the prison." Following completion of the project in October, a launch event is planned for World Mental Health Day. The work will also feature in LPT and Bright Sparks' annual open art exhibition at Leicester’s West End Gallery from Tuesday 29 September to Thursday 8 October. To find out more about LPT’s prison healthcare services visit www.leicspart.nhs.uk (A-Z of services).
-ends________________________________________________________________________ NOTES TO EDITORS 1. Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT) provides a range of health and wellbeing services mainly for people living Leicester, Leicestershire and. Trust serves a population of one million, has a budget in excess of £267 million and employs approximately 5,400 staff. More details at www.leicspart.nhs.uk 2. Glen Parva is a busy young offender prison catering for more than 800 young males aged from 18 to 21, from all over the country. LPT provides a wide range of physical and mental health care to all prisoners, based on their individual needs. 3.Soft Touch Arts creates brighter futures for disadvantaged young people. Established in 1986, the Leicester-based charity uses the arts, media and music activities to inspire and engage young people, helping them to develop creative, social and employability skills.
4. The Big Lottery Fund supports the aspirations of people who want to make life better for their communities across the UK. It is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by the National Lottery for good causes and invests over £650 million a year in projects big and small in health, education, environment and charitable purposes. For further information contact: Sheila Ashton, communications manager, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, Tel: 0116 295 0042, E:
[email protected] 