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Big Draw Workshop and Pendered Centre Exhibition

Fri 24 Oct 2008

12:30 - 4:30pm

The Pendered Centre is a local in-patient mental health unit in Duston, for people who are experiencing acute mental illness or distress. As many as 1 in 4 of us experience mental health difficulties at some point in our lives, and the unit is part of a wide range of mental health services within the County, providing intensive treatment for individuals to allow them to return back to their day to day lives. An important part of treatment interventions provided by the occupational therapists and nurses within the unit focus around meaningful activity and occupation, based on the foundation that what you do affects how you feel and visa versa.

The unit uses the skills and experience of staff to facilitate activity based sessions, but is also involving local creative artists to bring their skills and talent into the hospital environment to provide a more interesting and enriching experience. As part of the national 'Big Draw' month Clive Francis, a cartoonist, will be providing 3 days of cartooning for a laugh sessions at the Pendered centre (14th, 24th and 29th October). His approach is that everyone can draw, and by the end of a session with Clive you will be able to create simple doodles and cartoons, and importantly have fun in the process.

For the afternoon of 24th October, the Fishmarket gallery will become the venue to continue Clives' sessions, as a means of bringing what we have achieved at the Pendered Centre back into the local community. Staff, service users and members of the public are invited to attend for informal cartooning and doodling fun from 1.30 - 4.30pm. Not only will this be a forum for encouraging more people to have a go at doodling and drawing, it will provide the opportunity to break down the stigma about who uses mental health services, and bring us all together through the humorous side of art.

1.30 - 2.30 Clive will host a step by step master class.

2.30 - 4.30 there will be the opportunity to doodle and cartoon whatever takes your fancy, with the expert guidance of Clive. Drawings and doodles will be displayed within the gallery space for the afternoon.

The Big Draw is a nationwide campaign that shows that drawing is the perfect medium for observation, self-expression and fun. Wide-ranging events and themes for all ages span art and science.

This event is open to everyone - for more information about The Big Draw visit www.campaignfordrawing.org