Home Local News Give yourself a creative boost this January

Give yourself a creative boost this January

0

New Year blues? Give yourself a creative boost this January and reduce stress and depression!

The New Year can often be a difficult time of year when we can all feel down and worried about the year ahead – so St Helens libraries are offering local residents a creative antidote to help people to feel better about themselves, relieve stress and improve wellbeing.

The new programme on offer is called Creative Alternatives and it gives people who experience poor mental health access to a variety of workshops in creative arts, such as drawing, painting, crafts and creative writing, all of which are led by trained artists.

Creative Alternatives is an award-winning ‘Arts on Prescription’ service, which can be offered as an alternative or as an additional treatment for people who experience mild to moderate depression, anxiety or stress. Research shows that the arts can help improve a person’s wellbeing and reduce the symptoms of anxiety or depression and so for this reason Public Health in St Helens Council fund this programme.

Councillor Jeanie Bell, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: “Creativity can give a person something meaningful to do with their time, as well as allowing them to socialise, explore their feelings and take time out to relax and unwind.

“Being part of the programme also means people will become connected with all of the arts and cultural events that are happening throughout St Helens Libraries and in the process will help to reduce their social isolation and give the opportunity to discover more about their local area and form new friendships.”

Throughout January there will be a series of taster sessions happening in St Helens Central Library, both for people who have already expressed an interest in Creative Alternatives and for those who get in touch in the New Year.

Creative Alternatives was established in the borough of Sefton in 2006 and has since then been delivering very similar programmes of expressive arts activities in Sefton. The programme has given many people a new lease of life, enabling them to rebuild their confidence, find renewed purpose and return to education and even employment. In 2011 the service won a North West Public Health Award.

Creative Alternatives has been up and running in St Helens since September 2015 and a participant who recently took part in the programme said: “”Before joining Creative Alternatives I felt like I’d lost sense of who I was and like I was trapped in a dark place. Since taking part I can now see light again and have gained confidence in the person that I used to be. The creative process has helped me do that and I get lost in drawing and painting for hours on end. I now also feel confident that I can join new groups and meet new people. Without Creative Alternatives I honestly think I would still be at home feeling lost and alone in the darkness.”

The programme is part of St Helens Council’s Cultural Hubs, Arts in Libraries Programme, which is funded by Arts Council England. It is free to access and lasts for 12 weeks. A person can be referred on to the scheme by their GP, counsellor or another professional. Alternatively someone can refer themselves if they wish to do so. The programme is available up until spring 2016.

If you would like to find out more about Creative Alternatives please contact Helen Holden, Project Coordinator for St Helens on 07745 590698 or email helen@creativealternatives.org.uk

For more information about Creative Alternatives please visit www.creativealternatives.org.uk

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here