Support Plymouths Mindful Art Club

“Dear person behind me. The world is a better place with you in it. Love the person in front of you.”- Kerry’s message to the world. 

Kerry, our Mindful Art Club volunteer often wears this sweatshirt to group to show other people that they matter. She says about Mindful Art Club; “I feel passionate about making sure Mindful Art Club works and would feel lost, lonely and depressed again without it”.

Mindful Art Club is a grass-roots organisation that was set up to tackle social isolation and mental health problems in Plymouth in 2019. Our aim is to empower people to manage their mental health and improve their quality of life. Our groups give people the opportunity to share their feelings, practice mindfulness, create art, relax, and chat. Peggy and Emma met when they were both working at Broadreach; an addiction rehab centre. When it closed, they still wanted to carry on supporting people, so they set up Mindful Art Club. 

Mindful Art Club:

. Improves mental health.

. Improves social connection.

. Teaches new skills (mindfulness and art for self-care)

We know it works because of the many personal stories we hear every day, and because of a recent research study done by the psychology department at Plymouth University.

Working towards addressing climate change: We use Moments Cafe as a venue because it is on all major bus routes and our clients tend to travel by bus or on foot to access the group. Our group facilitators travel by bus and by bicycle to work. We use recycled paper and source art materials from Plymouth Scrapstore. 

The mission of our organisation is to offer mental health support that is accessible without a waiting list, therefore easing pressure on local health services and social services. 

We need your help to help to raise funds to carry on a weekly support group at Moments Café in Plymouth’s city centre. After three years of experience, we know there are tools to increase emotional resilience, make friends, cope with difficult feelings and live happier lives. We want to share this knowledge with as many people as possible and be a positive force for good in a world that can seem overwhelming. With your support, our service can help anyone who is struggling to recover and thrive. One in four of us experience a mental health problem in any given year, so creating stigma-free spaces which offer community connection, reflection and creativity has never felt so important. 

How We Will Use the Funds Raised

The costs of running the Friday group include room hire, planning projects, sourcing materials, marketing and admin, group facilitators fees, travel expenses, printer ink, volunteer expenses, public liability insurance, external supervision with a counselling supervisor, art materials and time spent evaluating our impact.

Your donations will go directly towards the cost of running the Friday art group. We have also applied to Plymouth City Council’s City Change Fund which means that if we reach 50% of our target, Plymouth City Council may match fund the remaining 50%.