Sampad have been working with Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation (BSMHFT) for the last 6 years as part of the BEDLAM Arts & Wellbeing partnership.
BEDLAM 2023 has been commissioned by BSMHFT to provide arts and wellbeing sessions for participants aged 18 and over who have been referred by the Primary Care Coordinators based at local GP surgeries.
We are running two hubs in the city – the first one is in Sparkhill every Friday morning, where participants have been taking part in weaving and craft activities with artist Nilupa Yasmin. The group are now using embroidery skills to create an artwork linked to their personal interests and positive motifs.
A second hub is currently running at Chelmsley Wood where every Tuesday morning, participants are offered an opportunity to take part in a variety of arts activities. They have designed and decorated ceramic ‘Mugs for Well-Being’ and will be taking part in photography, creative writing and painting workshops over the coming weeks.
Feedback from the sessions has been overwhelmingly positive, with one participant saying ‘I’ve had a difficult week and this was just what I needed, I’m very glad I came.’
The art works from both were displayed as part of the wider BEDLAM Exhibition during May-June 2023 which celebrated all the creative work happening across the city as part of this project.
The Exhibition, which is to be displayed in the Community Gallery at the Midlands Arts Centre, opens on Saturday 29th April and runs until June.
Would you like to join us? We believe that the arts benefit everyone and welcome new participants to the hubs.
You can self-refer to these sessions by contacting gillian@sampad.org.uk. This project is subject to funding and is currently scheduled to run to the the beginning of July 2023.
Please explore our gallery below for images from our initial sessions.
The BEDLAM Arts & Wellbeing partnership is led by BSMHFT and includes Sampad, The Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Midlands Arts Centre and Red Earth Collective.
