Mental Health Awareness Week 2020 – Kindness & Celf-Able

by Julia Wilson, Celf-Able art group

When my colleague Jen Hawkins (PAVO Health & Care Information Officer) and I started planning how we would commemorate this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week - 18 – 24 May - a few months ago, the theme was Sleep.

Never in our worst nightmares did we imagine the unfolding scenario which is the Covid-19 pandemic.

So much has changed in such a short time over the past few weeks. One of the most inspiring outcomes, however, is the willingness people across Powys have shown to help others, to show love and compassion through the smallest acts of kindness in their local communities. This has shone through particularly through the work of the local Covid-19 support groups which have sprung up across Powys.

Fittingly, the charity which has hosted the annual Mental Health Awareness Week since 2000, the Mental Health Foundation, decided to change its theme this year to Kindness. The reason for the change is explained in more detail:

“We have chosen kindness because of its singular ability to unlock our shared humanity. Kindness strengthens relationships, develops community and deepens solidarity. It is a cornerstone of our individual and collective mental health. Wisdom from every culture across history recognises that kindness is something that all human beings need to experience and practise to be fully alive.

We also want to shine a light on the ways that kindness is already flowering at this time. We have seen it in the dancing eyes of 100-year-old Captain Tom Moore as he walked his garden to raise money for the NHS and in the mutual aid groups responding to local needs. We want that kindness to spread further in every community in the UK.

Finally, we want to use the week to explore the sort of society we would like to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic.” 

by Ann Jeeves, Celf-Able art group

Ann: "For family, friends and neighbours - asking if anything is needed, 

doing shopping, and giving CAKES. I am grateful."

We asked the North Powys arts and disability charity Celf-Able if its members, who are meeting through Zoom video conferences to continue activities, would like to celebrate the Kindness theme by creating artwork for the blog based on their own recent experiences of kindness.

Amanda Wells, one of the group’s volunteer co-ordinators, told us more about Celf-Able’s work and recent activity:

“Celf-Able is an art group in Montgomeryshire. We are run by disabled volunteers but the group is open to all ages and abilities. We normally hold meetings in Newtown, Welshpool, Machynlleth, Llanfair Caereinion and Caersws, one meeting per month in each. We hire meeting rooms and turn up with a car full of art materials and people can create whatever they like! We are not an art class, but we share skills with each other and learn and have fun creating together.

During lockdown we have been having weekly meetings on Zoom. Going online has been a steep learning curve but we are starting to get used to it now. One member volunteers to run an activity, based on things that people might have at home. 

by Amanda Wells, Celf-Able art group

Amanda: "My dog Alfie is very kind and affectionate and has always been there with a doggy cuddle when he has sensed that I'm distressed. I wouldn't be coping with lockdown without him." 

So far we have done zentangles, drawing faces, pencil drawing and creative writing, amongst others. It’s a chance to see other people while chatting and being creative. The Zoom meetings are open to anyone, just email us first at admin@celf-able.org to introduce yourself and get the joining instructions. Not all our members can attend on Zoom, so we are looking forward to life out of lockdown when we can get together and meet face-to-face again.” 

Celf-Able’s members are also considering a new initiative called Ffrindiau Celf / Art Friends – which by its very nature is intrinsically kind! They are currently circulating a survey to find out if people would be interested in having a befriender through art. The survey considers some of the benefits such as reducing isolation and loneliness, increasing confidence and improving mental and physical wellbeing, as well as learning new art skills.

You can read more about what members of Celf-Able have been doing in lockdown on the group’s own blog. 

Ann Conway, Celf-Able art group

Ann: "A phone call: 'Come to the door.' 

My god-daughter, with beautiful tulips for me. Such an act of kindness."

The Mental Health Foundation again 

“We think it could be the most important week we’ve hosted, not least because our own research shows that protecting our mental health is going to be central to us coping with and recovering from the coronavirus pandemic - with the psychological and social impacts likely to outlast the physical symptoms of the virus.

We know that one act of kindness can lead to many more. This is the type of community action that we need to inspire others as we discover our connection to each other and extend kindness to ourselves”. 

Sue Patch, Celf-Able art group

Sue: "During this lockdown I have been astounded at the kindness of people.
My lovely Mum died on 29 April and I have been overwhelmed by the messages
 I have received from people offering me support in words and virtual hugs.
People are kind all over the world."

We would love to hear about your own experiences of kindness, and how being the recipient of kindness has helped improved your mental wellbeing during Covid-19. Let us know in the comments box below, or on our Facebook or Twitter pages. Or you can email us at mentalhealth@pavo.org.uk

#KindnessMatters

Celf-Able - peer support in a creative environment in North Powys

Andrew Logan (Celf-Able's patron) donated this artwork for the Secret Art Sales

Two and a half years ago we introduced our readers to a new group by and for disabled artists in Powys called Celf-Able. This week's guest author Amanda Wells - one of the founder members of the group - gives us an update on Celf-Able's recent and planned activities, and ongoing development.

Hello, I’m Amanda, voluntary co-ordinator for Celf-Able, a disabled-led inclusive art group in Montgomeryshire. We have been having a busy time at our meetings in Machynlleth, Caersws, Llanfair Caereinion, Welshpool and Newtown. We meet once a month in each venue and get together to do art in a social and peer-supportive atmosphere. We provide materials and people can have a go at different types of art, and when funding allows we invite artists to do workshops with us on different art materials and techniques. We have done pottery, mosaics, linoprinting, portrait painting, abstract painting and a host of other activities.

We believe in the role of art in wellbeing and social inclusion. Members benefit from exploring their creativity and doing art in a relaxed and supportive atmosphere. We share skills and help each other achieve our artistic aims. We hold regular exhibitions at Newtown library and Centre Celf in Llandrindod Wells. We are disabled-led but we are open to all.

We have recently changed our logo to a dragon who’s a wheelchair user, this has sparked us into doing a series of dragon paintings. These will be on display and for sale at our fundraising event on July 20th at Oriel Davies, Newtown. There will also be a ‘secret art sale’ of decorated postcards in sealed envelopes. The postcards have been decorated by Celf-Able members and also artists Andrew Logan, Mary Lloyd-Jones, Linda Jane James, David Bannister and Steffan Jones-Hughes. We also have a ‘Lucky Squares’ raffle for original artworks and limited edition reproductions by Brian Jones, Linda Jane James, Steffan Jones-Hughes and others. We are very lucky that Andrew Logan recently agreed to be our first patron.

Artist Linda Jane James has made a temporary dragon mascot for us and s/he needs a name, so we have a ‘name the dragon’ raffle too. We hope to get funding to make a permanent mascot soon.

We have been hand-decorating mugs to sell to raise funds, members have decorated them with lots of different designs. This was my idea, I donated some plain white mugs to the group and we have been using Posca paint pens to decorate them. When baked in the oven the paint becomes permanent (although not dishwasher-proof). Members have enjoyed decorating the mugs with their designs.

Recently we had a stall at Llanfair Carnival, we sold donated items and brought the dragon mascot for its first outing, we also had original art for sale. With grants ever harder to get we have been increasing our activity to raise our own funds.

I was one of the founding members of Celf-Able back in 2014, we developed out of a group on Celf o Gwmpas’s Artist Training and Mentoring scheme. We wanted to carry on meeting when that project ended so we set up on our own. Celf-Able has grown a lot since then and we have had many activities as well as our regular meetings. We had a trip on Welshpool canal and also a horse-drawn canal boat trip in Llangollen. We hope to get funding to go on some day trips to galleries in Aberystywth, Machynlleth, Birmingham and Walsall, we will then produce artwork inspired by the trips.

I fell into the role of voluntary co-ordinator and have had to learn how to make grant applications and do various admin and co-ordinating tasks. This has been very demanding at times but I have gained a lot of project management skills. I would quite like to study a course on project management to get a qualification. I have also grown in confidence, personally and as an artist, so although it can be hard work and stressful at times I still get a lot out of Celf-Able, and have made lots of new valued friends. I enjoy the meetings as it’s a time I set aside to do art, mixing with like-minded people. I have been encouraged to study for the MA Fine Art at Wolverhampton, this is nearing completion now, I would never have had the confidence to do this without Celf-Able. I’m even looking into going on to do a PhD, on disability arts and society.

I really enjoy seeing other people grow in confidence too. Sometimes people are very apprehensive when they first come to the group but after a few sessions they start to relax and enjoy their creativity. It’s also good for Celf-Able to connect with other organisations. We attend a variety of networking events locally and further afield, such as Aberystwyth and Chester. We are going to be a case study group for ArtWorks Cymru’s Quality Principles, this work starts in July.

We are holding two ‘Beth Am Gael Tro/Have A Go’ workshops at Llanfair Caereinion Institute, Upcycling on July 27th and Creative Writing on August 17th, these will be led by members who have gained the confidence to run workshops through the group. So a busy time ahead, but we do it for the love of art!

Many thanks to Amanda for the latest news on this thriving disability-led arts group. 

Celf-Able now has a Powys Lotto page - you can support local causes and have a chance of winning prizes with the local lottery. You can find out more about the organisation by phoning 01938 810058 or emailing: admin@celf-able.org

Celf Able - disability and the arts in Powys

This week's guest author is Amanda Wells - one of the founder members of the group Celf Able in Powys.

Celf-Able is a new group by and for disabled and disability artists in Powys. We provide opportunities for people to meet and create art, supporting and learning from each other. Our aim is to reduce isolation and raise awareness of disability arts and disability issues. We meet at Oriel Davies, Newtown one month and at Centre Celf, Llandrindod Wells the other. We are very grateful to have Arts Council of Wales ‘Sharing Together’ funding to meet until the end of March 2017. So the search for further funding to carry on beyond that has begun! 

The four initial members of the group had met on the Celf o Gwmpas Artist Training and Mentoring project, which ran from 2009 to 2014. As well as meeting regularly to develop our arts practice, we’d had some adventures including trips to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Finland. When the project came to an end we wanted to carry on meeting as a group as we all found working together and supporting each other very valuable with our various disabilities and the exclusion that disabled and disability artists often experience. We were lucky enough to secure funding from ArtWorks Cymru to meet bi-monthly, and meetings started in May 2015. 

We are pleased that some new members have joined the group since then. We have enjoyed sharing art skills and techniques, peer support, and we have even had a go at performance art, preparing and performing a short piece for ArtWorks Cymru conference in November 2016. For the performance we all chose a barrier that we face personally to engaging in opportunities, and between us we wrote a script about how the barriers affect us and how they might be overcome. The message we were trying to get across was serious but we used a lot of humour in the performance. 

We have just completed the process of becoming a not-for-profit company. This will open up the possibility of more grants for us. We would like to carry on getting together and are currently having discussions as to how the different members of the group would like to see Celf-Able develop. Some members just want to come along to do art in a supportive atmosphere, other members are more ambitious for the group, but there’s room for everyone to take part in whatever way they wish.

For our performance piece it somehow came about that we all took on the characters of birds (don’t ask, I really can’t remember how the idea came up but we decided to work with it), and we are now working on a group installation piece called ‘Bird House’. Celf o Gwmpas are kindly giving us a space to work in over several weeks, we have no funding but are meeting the costs involved ourselves, just because the idea came up and we all want to do it and we enjoy working together.

We are open to any new people who would like to come along, maybe just to meet us and find out what we’re up to. 

Our upcoming meetings are at Centre Celf, Llandrindod Wells, January 24th 11.00am - 3.00pm, and at Oriel Davies, Newtown, February 28th 10.30am - 3.00pm.

To mark the end of the Arts Council funding we are running a training day on arts and disability, and how the arts can be used for inclusion and wellbeing. The sessions are open to disabled people, arts workers, community workers, health and social workers and others. The days are taking place on March 21st in Newtown and March 28th in Llandrindod. The sessions are free and lunch is provided. To book a place call 01938 810058 or email admin@celf-able.org

Amanda

Voluntary (Un!)-co-ordinator, Celf-Able

Many thanks to Amanda for telling us about this innovative arts and disability group. You can read more on the Celf Able website, including a blog post by the Chair Sue Patch who writes "What Celf Able has done for me".  And you can learn about the development of Disability Art in the 1970s and 80s as a result of the new political activism of the disabled peoples' movement.