Autumn/Winter 2008

equilibrium
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Autumn/ Winter 2008/Issue31
R
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Haringey magazine for mental health
full
colour
b
edition!
Health activities
Cycling into fitness
ArtSpecial
+
Charlie Tyack Photos:
Estonia to South Korea
Sing Your Heart Out!
The Therapeutic Power Of Singing
Other Side Gallery Focus
Therapeutic Value of Art
Dreams Exhibition
Carers Week
Pets As Therapy
WMH Day Bed Push
afts
Cr
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Ar
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ibit s
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wo
ms
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We are now on the web!
Find us at www.haringey.gov.uk/equilibrium
Font cover
image:
Charlie Tyack
8-9
19
4
Coming up
in the next issue:
Angela on Hysteria at
Jackson’s Lane, Pumla
on Alastair Campbell,
forbidden fruit and
12-13
fanaticism, a report on
the Black History Month
celebrations at the
Clarendon (including
Gavin in costume at the
fashion show!), a review
of a Tom Stoppard at
19
10-11
5
the National, news of
the merger of Mental
Health Media with Mind
and the results of the
MHM awards, Clarendon poetry and lots
13
17
18-19
Copyright
remains with all
individual artists
and Anthony
Parke. All rights
reserved. 2008
equilibrium 2
more...
Equilibrium issue 31
contents
4-5 World Mental Health Day
St Ann’s protest and Mad
Hatters Tea Party
6-7 Pets as Therapy
Dogs and cats used for
recovery
8-9 Other Side Gallery
Story of award winning service
users art organisation
10-11 More Pets and
Turning Grey
A Swimming dog and The
perils of getting older
12-13 Dreams Exhibition
at St Ann’s
Artworks, painting, jewellery
and pottery
14-15 Bits and Bobs
Singing, stress cards, music
tech concert and Harington
Scheme
16-17 Interview with Jan Winkle
and Charlie’s Travel Pix
IT course and some amazing
world photos
18-19 Activities Page
Biking and Table Tennis
Angela interviews Ruth on
bicycling and Simon Atkinson
talks about running the table
tennis group @ 684
editorial
The credit crunch won’t stop Christmas from coming! In
this edition, we look at poems written by Clarendon users,
and fabulous photos by group worker Charlie who visited
Estonia, Russia, Mongolia , China and South Korea. Britain
is a nation of pet lovers, so the pets as therapy article will
be loved by all. Our occupational therapist called Ruth is
interviewed by Angela about cycling. The theme is access
to art for all and the demonstrable benefits, as illustrated by
the Other Side Gallery and Dreams at St. Ann’s.
contributions
Wanted: contributions to Equilibrium! Please email us with
your news, views, poems, photos, plus articles. Anonymity
guaranteed if required.
contact us:
Equilibrium, Clarendon Centre, Clarendon Road, London, N8
ODJ. 02084894856, email: [email protected] We
are in the office on Wednesday mornings, but you can leave
a message at other times and we’ll get back to you.
the team
Facilitator: Polly Mortimer. Editorial team: Pumla Kisosonkole,
Angela, Gattuso, Siham Beleh. Graphic designer: Anthony
Parké (www.parkegraphics.co.uk). The views expressed in
Equilibrium are those of the individual authors and do not
necessarily reflect the opinions of the editorial team.
advertisement
If you wish to advertise in Equilibrium email us using the
contact details above.
equilibrium 3
World Mental Health Day: Bedpush and Mad Hatters Tea Party
Sister’s Road I gave them our spiel. People
seemed quite willing to listen—this surprised
me so I always said, “thanks for listening”. My
mantra was Professor Jo Moncrieff’s: ‘Medication creates an abnormal mental state.
Beneath this abnormal state, individuals are still
suffering, they are just controlled, their feelings
wiped out.’ There was a guy with a megaphone –’Psychiatry is off its trolley’. A smaller
guy in pyjamas looked zonked out (purposely)
Police talked to him for quite a time and said
we couldn’t push the bed in the street, but
we could on the pavement. It was a beautiful day. Some people were dressed in pyjamas and comical variations – cowboy boots,
skydiving gear, children’s pyjamas. There were
around 20 people. I leafletted and buttonholed people. As cars stopped on Seven
with a large heavy papier-mâché hypodermic
which he carried the whole way.
There was a Mad Hatters Tea Party at Parliament Hill. I walked as far as Tufnell Park (4 miles)
but had to collect my son. There were survivors
(including Mad Hatters of Bath – see Youtube),
the organiser Ana Silvera, David Harper - a
UEL professor and critical psychologist, Carer
Involvement Lead Jen Kilyon from the D o H
among others. The real reason was to get the
media interested. I believe in changing things
from within. The Clarendon is about alternatives to the medical model, working within the
bounds of the system. Reporter Lesliann Jat
This Great Escape Bed Push
aimed to honour the life of Daniel Galvin 1979 - 2008
(Brother of Ana Silvera who organized and attended this event)
Daniel was a bright, gentle young man whose life changed irrevocably when he was given
powerful psychiatric drugs at the age of 15 after experiencing ‘unusual thoughts‘ and sleep
problems. Reacting severely to the medication - in Daniel’s own words he was left feeling ‘totally
deadened and zombified’ - he was hospitalised in St Ann’s at the age of 16, never recovering
from the devastating fallout of his treatment.
In August this year, aged just 29, Daniel died of a heart attack, a problem known to be
associated with the drug Olanzapine (Zyprexa) that he was given, at times on a compulsory
basis, for the last 5 years. We want the Daniels of the future to get real choices about their
treatments so that the chemical cosh approach to mental health becomes a thing of the past.
For further information contact APRIL Adverse Psychiatric Reactions Information Link.
www.april.org.uk
equilibrium 4
event
When I arrived I didn’t see anybody I knew.
There was a police officer and a man in a suit
at the front gate of St Ann’s and two security
guards. I thought ‘Ah! they’re there because
of the protest.’ They weren’t allowed on St
Ann’s property, but Chestnut’s Café kindly
allowed Rufus May and the other protestors to
convene there.
article
Carers Week
As the Clarendon Centre’s carers support worker,
I had the pleasure in coordinating and organising various events for carer’s week. Our events
commenced on the 9th June and ended on the
13th June. Carers were treated to complementary
therapy and pampering which included manicure, facials, and back massage.
We were honoured to have Mr Neil Spencer the
community pharmacist, who gave an indepth
talk on medication together with a question
and answer session which was enlightening and
educational. The carers also had a day trip to the
seaside at Southend-on-Sea, which was
thoroughly enjoyed by all.
We also visited Studio 306 at The Chocolate Factory. Studio 306 is a
project for service users who have gained valuable skills and experience in print making, textiles, ceramics, and jewellery making at The
Clarendon Centre and then given an opportunity to run their own
cooperative. We were shown around the Studio by the manager
Mrs Pamela Anomneze; the items on display were of exceptional
standard, and a few items were purchased. Carers who had never
visited Studio 306 before were very impressed to see the remarkable
progression of the service users.
At the end of the week, carers had a scrumptious buffet, prepared by our cook Sharon
Carers were treated to complementary
O’Brien and Support Worker Theresa Hayes,
therapy and pampering which included and they also went to Clarendon’s inhouse
cinema,”Clarendon Box Office” and watched
manicure, facials, and back massage.
an enjoyable film - a musical. I would like to take this opportunity to say a special thank you on
behalf of myself and the carers to Jan Bryant for coordinating the
publicity, Mr Neil Spencer, Mrs Pamela Anomneze, Sharon O’Brien,
Theresa Hayes, and all staff at the Clarendon, for making Carers
Week such a success. Trevor Rock Clarendon Centre
No experience necessary
Invitation for all mental health carers in Haringey,
and Clarendon service users and staff.
December Open Choir tasters at Clarendon Day Centre,
Clarendon Road, N8. For details call 0208 249 4856
Sing Together!
equilibrium 5
Maureen Hennis from the
charity - Q and A session
with Gattusso
Pets As Therapy
Where do you go?
Pets As Therapy provide
registered PAT Dogs and PAT
Cats to work in hospitals,
hospices, residential
homes, day care centres,
special needs schools.
Often working alongside
clinical psychologists with
patients suffering from
debilitating animal phobias
or patients suffering from
clinical depression or with
occupational therapists in the
field of stroke rehabilitation.
sent to the Pets As Therapy
registration office where they are
taken into consideration along
with two provided references by
a panel of experts.
Which pets are suitable to
become Pets As Therapy
animals?
www.petsastherapy.org
01844-345445
Pets As Therapy supply
both dogs and cats - both
having to undertake stringent
temperament assessments
before they can be
registered. The breed doesn’t
matter, large or small; it’s the
temperament of the dog/cat
that is extremely important.
Is there any subscription?
All PAT dogs and PAT cats are
expected to be fully house
trained, socialised and have
basic obedience. During
the assessment the volunteer
must demonstrate that they
have full control of their
animal at all times.
My Cat Polly
I used to have a lovely cat
called Polly. It was a grey
stripy cat with white paws,
and beautiful green eyes. I
remember when she came
to our house and the first
television program she
watched with us was Love
Thy Neighbour.
Who decides on what pets
are suitable etc?
She had a good life. She
used to like lying on my
parents’ bed whenever she
got the chance. If anybody
disturbed her she would tut
at them. She caught an eye
infection, so I had to take
her to the vet who gave an
injection in her neck and I
had to give her eye drops on
a daily basis, which she did
not mind.
Pets As Therapy train their
own registered temperament
assessors who undertake the
assessments. These are then
My cat had four kittens, my
sister saw them first and she
thought it was a rat. I got a
cardboard box, put a cushion
It costs Pets As Therapy £75
p.a. per volunteer to find,
assess, register, insure and
support our volunteers. Of
this amount the volunteers
themselves very kindly
subscribe £19, leaving the
charity with a shortfall of £56
per volunteer to find.
equilibrium 6
Our training process:
article
inside, and put one of the
kittens inside it. Surprisingly Polly
picked up all the other kittens
and put them in the box.
My cat was also quite clever.
When she wanted to come
into the house she used to
jump through the kitchen
window . Then that window
was closed, so she learned
how to open the kitchen
door. I worshipped my cat
and I kept pictures of my cat
after she died at the age of
sixteen. Angela
image: Gattuso
Barney
Barney is my neighbour’s
dog. Barney is a mixture of
a great Dane and a border
collie who
is eighteen
months old.
I take him
for a walk
seven times
a week.
If I am
unable to
take Barney for his walk for
whatever reason I inform Dan
and Ellie. Dan and Ellie are
Barney’s owners.
It is strange how I came
about walking Barney. In
the month of February in the
early hours of the morning I
heard a horrendous noise like
the sound of a bomb going
off. At early light I went to
investigate and found that
my neighbours aerial had
fallen on our roof. I went to
inform my neighbour. When I
informed my neighbour I also
asked, as I noticed they own
a dog, could it be possible to
take the dog for a walk as I
love dogs and I love walking
so why not incorporate the
two? And they agreed.
When I take Barney for his
walk I do the most important
thing before I leave my
neighbour’s house and that
is to attach Barney’s lead to
his collar. When the weather
is hot I will take water with me
and Barney will have his rest
stops and consume his water.
Barney to me is a godsend. I
have always wanted a dog
but my father being the man
he is wouldn’t allow us to
have a dog so we had to
settle for a cat. We go for
walks, which we both enjoy.
It may seem strange but I
have a bond with Barney that
no one can break. When
we are out and about on our
walks the majority of people
are afraid of Barney because
of his size and that they think
that he is dangerous. I just
let them think that Barney
is dangerous and that way
people do not come near
us. It would be so tedious to
say Barney is not dangerous
but to say Barney is as soft
as candy floss, and to also
say to them there is more of
a possibility of the human
race getting along with each
other than Barney attacking
anyone, which is never going
to happen. Barney is as big,
soft and cuddly as Barney
the dinosaur who Barney was
named after. Barney the
dinosaur is Maddie’s favourite
animation character.
Maddie is Dan and Ellie’s
3 year old daughter who is
Barney’s playmate. Barney
has bought for me a nice
lease on life and I love him
with all my heart. Barney’s
owners Dan and Ellie are a
godsend for allowing me to
be a part of Barney’s life.
Gattuso
Bella Italia
A friend of a friend who does
not know me at all but senses
that I am a decent human
being decided to purchase a
rabbit for me. The rabbit who
is all grey, medium sized and
female and a few months old
was given to me on Tuesday
5th August 2008. She is a
sweetheart and lives outside
in her hutch in our garden.
Each night I have to cover her
hutch to throw the blasted
foxes that wander around our
neighbourhood off her scent.
It is nice to have something
to call my own that teaches
me a lot about responsibility.
I used to have rabbits as a
child but they were not my
responsibility. Now having
Bella Italia she is detested by
my father but adored by my
mother . Not knowing about
the upkeep of a rabbit I have
gone on the Internet to get
as much information as I can
about rabbits.
Gattuso
continues on p.10
equilibrium 7
Other Side Gallery
“They may not be hanging in
the Tate Gallery but as Claire
Hack discovered the works of
art on display at the Our Space
Gallery on Old Street show
a sensitivity and depth sadly
lacking in established art”.
The Guardian 26th Oct, 2008
‘Outsider art from the other side’
About us:
In 2003 Karin Charlesworth,
project manager, began
working with artists from the
creativity centre. They came
up with the idea to create
a gallery to promote the
artwork that they and other
North London artists from
different organisations had
created.
By 2004 the Other Side
Gallery was born as a charity
and website and it went on
to hold exhibitions in London. It quickly became clear that
the demand for TOSG services would outweigh their
resources; they had to limit
the amount of artists they
could help and only draw
them from organizations in
Islington and the neighbouring boroughs.
We now have over 200 artists
exhibiting on the website
equilibrium 8
FIFTH ANNIVERSARY YEAR!
who work at 20 different
organizations providing arts
activities for disabled or
disadvantaged adults. These
range from Skylight with
extensive arts facilities to a
St. Mungo’s hostel where 6
members have a weekly art
class in a cramped room with
few resources. (Yet they still
create great work!)
Karin visits all these organizations, photographs the
artist’s works, creates their
web page and gives them
individual business cards
and a cdrom of their photographed works. She gets
to see the most amazing
art that would normally
be ignored and meet the
incredible people. Telling
someone you want to exhibit
their work, and calling them
an artist is such a simple, but
profound, action that it is
invaluable.
TOSG have created a
diverse community, where
people are only defined
by their creativity and
where they can feel they
can belong and a place
where their input is valued. They choose what to exhibit,
what to sell, what price and
the charity is run by the artists
and three trustees all working
together. This is a member
led organization.
The exhibitions are always exciting, never knowing what is
going to be shown until it arrives
at the venue. Then volunteer
artists and Karin have fun hanging the show, To Karin this art
form has an honesty and pure
creativity about it. It does not
conform to any trends within
the mainstream art world.
Image copyright: Photos: MrsVedder, Top right: Joseph De Haan, Bottom right: Pauline St. Marie
arts
What is contemporary
outsider art?
We use the term contemporary outsider art to incorporate the work created by
present day artists from the
different socially excluded
groups we support. Since
the 1970s interest in outsider
art has expanded globally,
but Britain is sadly lacking in
art galleries dedicated to
contemporary outsider artists. John Maizels the editor of
“Raw Vision” magazine says:
“Let us hope things will
change in the future and
that outsider art in Britain will
genuinely be granted equal
rights to creativity”.
Meet the Dragons:
The Other Side Gallery were
finalists at the Meet the
Dragons Innovation in Social
Care competition set up
by Ann James OBE and the
Social Care Leaders Learning Set in Partnership with
the Society Guardian and
the Royal Society of Arts. We
were awarded a substantial grant to run the career
development programme. Owen Smith, gallery
co-founder, director of the
gallery and chair of its board
of trustees and Pauline St.
Marie, artist exhibiting with
TOSG, co-founder and
member of the management group, worked hard in
structuring and presenting to
the Dragons and all the artists
who had work in the slide
show “blew them away”!
Career Development Course:
This has been developed
to support artists’ transition into the mainstream art
market. 12 member artists
were chosen. It consists of
10 daylong workshops, held
weekly. It includes creation
of a professional presentation
pack with a portfolio, cd portfolio, Cv, artist’s statement,
business cards and brochure,
as well as presentation skills,
and motivation training and
creating an individually
tailored action plan.
Website residencies:
The residencies have continued with the previous years
grant from the Mrs. Smith
and Mount Trust and grants
from Islington Community
Chest and Trust for London. The Other Side Gallery has
run further residencies and
supported artists to join
The Other Side Gallery and
exhibit their work on the
website…
www.theothersidegallery.org.
Exhibitions 2008:
In 2008 we organized two
exhibitions with Manor
Gardens Cafe Holloway and
our ‘Space Dog’ photography and sculpture exhibition
at Our Space Gallery, 12 Old
Street Shoreditch, working
with ‘Together - working for
well being’ organization.
See Angela’s review on p.16.
Christmas fair:
Our popular annual Christmas fair will take place at
Novas gallery, Parkway,
Camden, opening night 4th.
December, until the 21st.
www novasscarman.org.uk
Had there been The Other
Side Gallery to care for and
support the work and creativity of artists like Vincent van
Gogh and Richard Dadd,
their lives (and the outcome)
would probably have been
very different.
When an artist sells their work
this gives them a sense of
achievement, self-worth,
promotes self-esteem and
overall recognition and
sense of value. The correlation between these feelings
and emotional and physical
health are well documented. The therapeutic affect of
arts-based activity and its
benefit to rehabilitation is
also increasingly recognised.
Joan Podel, Press officer,
TOSG. Joan Podel thanks
Karin Charlesworth, project
manager for The Other side
Gallery, Owen Smith and
Pauline St. Marie for their help.
equilibrium 9
P.A.T
(....pets as therapy continues from p.7)
I decided to join PAT because it seemed to
be something I could do that combined two
things I care deeply about, namely therapy
and dogs. I found PET website and emailed
them asking if they needed people in London
and they said absolutely yes.
I filled in an application form and managed to
get two people to give me references - one of
them being my much loved dog walker. Then
my little dog, Alfie, had to be assessed as to
being suitable as a PAT dog by my vet. Alfie is
a Bichon Frise/Miniature Schnauzer cross and
he’s very gentle and friendly, but can be a
bit shy. The vet prodded and poked him and
dropped things on the floor and Alfie didn’t
flinch and passed the test!
ing from other mental health issues.
So I put on my yellow PAT T-shirt and Alfie
flashed his PAT identity disc and off we went.
The woman who ran the place was very
welcoming and took us round to meet the residents. They all seemed very pleased to meet
Alfie and he behaved beautifully apart from
being petrified by the sight of the seemingly
harmless resident cat! We went into some of
the bedrooms and Alfie sat on the beds and
allowed himself to be stroked and patted.
One man who had been so depressed he
hadn’t spoken for weeks did actually mutter
“Nice little dog” and the staff were thrilled
and said it was a great step forward. I go to
this place every week and Alfie and I
Once Alfie and I had been accepted I paid
my £19 subscription fee and met my local PAT
coordinator who gave me a list of people in
London who had requested PAT visits. The list
was eight pages long! A great many of the
organizations were Retirement Homes, some
NHS and some private, and quite a few had
Alzheimer’s Units. There were hospitals and
schools and I decided to go for somewhere
local and eventually settled on visiting a
purpose built house for the homeless run by a
well known charity. This has places for about
60 men - all of them homeless, some
alcoholics, some severely depressed or suffer-
both enjoy it. Most of these men are cut off
from their families and seem genuinely pleased
to have a visit from someone who is not judgmental and simply wants a bit of affection
and, if he’s lucky, a biscuit or a stick thrown in
the garden.
After the school holidays I’m going to offer
visits to a local Special Needs school as well.
Alfie and I both enjoy what we’re doing and
although we haven’t been doing it for long
I hope that it’s something that we’ll carry on
doing for some time to come.
Carrie Bennett
Barney Swimming
Barney: as he is a cross between a border collie and a great Dane he
suffers with his hips so Ellie will take him to the boarding kennels where
he boards when Barney’s owners go away. There is a great bath
where Barney swims and he absolutely loves it. Barney gets to put a
life jacket on before he enters the bath and then a squeaky toy gets
thrown in and Barney like the sweetheart that he is, swims for the toy
like there is no tomorrow. After his swim Barney looks like a new dog
and it is wonderful to see. In his later years there is a strong possibility
that Barney will suffer from arthritis. I was ever so proud to see Barney
swimming; I felt like a new mum taking her child to school for the first
day. Text and image: Gattuso
equilibrium 10
feature
One man who had been so depressed he hadn’t spoken for weeks did actually
mutter “Nice little dog” and the staff were thrilled and said it was a great step forward.
TurningGrey
We all turn grey, some turn grey
gracefully, but when you are in the
mental health system you just turn
grey, and you are not a part of the
wider society and community.
One day I was looking for something in a
cupboard in the art room in the Clarendon
Day Centre, and a black and white
photograph fell on the floor. I couldn’t believe
that there were people in the photograph
who were attending the centre from the sixties.
Their hairstyles were from the Sixties, the clothes
were from the sixties, and so was the furniture.
When I became part of the mental health
system I had a full head of black hair. Eventually
I started turning grey, and I’ve lost my figure
and some teeth, but I still get wolf whistles. The
medication made me gain weight.
Thalidomide
I’ve noticed that the majority of the users
don’t go on to normal things like hold down a
job, buy a house, and bring up their children
themselves. I would like to see people from
the mental health system have more fulfilling
lives. We always seemed to be left behind. This
maybe because of discrimination and stigma.
I think mental health has the most stigma.
I would like to see people from the mental
health system live more happy and rewarding
lives no matter what colour hair they have.
What can be done about this? Angela
Babies
50 Years On
An Asian woman born in Uganda, E Africa in the 50s was one of those whose mothers were
given Thalidomide in the 50s. (probably it was specialist treatment not necessarily destined for
the natives of any third world country). It was privileged!
Because of natural philosophical outlooks and natural technological ignorance in the third world
about general world affairs, it appears, from what this lady was saying, the thalidomide pills,
among others, were being handed out willy nilly by medicals to those who could afford them
regardless of what was being treated or the condition of the patient.
Medicine in those days was revered, never questioned, so mothers would willingly take any
medicine given especially as it was destined for the privileged few!
That child, now in her 50s, is very visibly a thalidomide handicapped (both arms and legs)
woman, handsome looking, cheerful, full of ideas and has been gainfully employed.
She could have gone through life resentfully but, because she knows what went wrong, she can
get on with what life has given her. Positive mental outlooks can be ever so crucial in life! Pumla
equilibrium 11
Dreams
Arts
Artworks
A private view organised by Artworks took
place on the 15th of September in St Ann’s
Hospital. An amazing painting of a tree and
birds, giving the tree a coloured life of its
own…! What an inspiration!
Some lovely pottery work was also exhibited.
Another event took place to announce the
winners of the competition. Service users and
patients from Haringey entered the D.R.E.A.M.S
artworks competition and all their artwork were
exhibited. A fantastic acrobatic trio of women
were impressive and very expressive…
The eye was drawn to an artistic chocolate
fountain. I was surprised and delighted when I
was pronounced to be a winner. I designed a
silver tree (left) with a heart in the middle that
was inspired by a dream I had as a teenager
about a green family tree with my dad and I
standing under it. Siham Beleh
Dreams
Competition
I first heard about the `Dreams art competition
when Jackie from the Therapy Centre at St. Ann’s
came to the Clarendon Centre in July. I had
joined the centre as ceramics tutor in May and at
this stage, most of my clients were beginners.
I spoke about it with the clients who were in
that day and could tell straight away there
was a lot of enthusiasm for the project. I
worked along side the four clients from
ceramics who decided to take part and was
constantly impressed by their ideas and the
execution of them. Alongside the ceramists,
4 from printmaking and 1 from jewellery took
part and it became a big part of all the
artworks tutors’ daily focus.
CONTACT Carolyn Tripp
Ceramics Tutor Clarendon Centre
equilibrium 12
Photos: Siham
When I delivered the work to St. Ann’s it was
a proud moment and the staff there were
very pleased that we had brought along so
many entries.
A selection from St Ann’s
Older people from the Victoria
Day Unit collaborated on (top
right) a colourful ceramic collage.
Bottom left and one up from
bottom right: St Ann’s corridor group collages.
Photos: Polly Mortimer
On the day of judging we were extremely successful
gaining second prize for Siham’s tree pendant and
third for Paul Mercer’s bowl. Both clients attended
the announcement ceremony and received their
prizes. I would like to extend my congratulations and
thanks to them and to everyone who took part, they
all contributed to a very successful event! Carolyn.
equilibrium 13
Movie: Lars and the Real Girl
Mind conference
This quirky movie (starring the excellent Ryan
This year it covered DEBT. More research
findings: respondents had borrowed an
average of £3257, 70% of people had been
unable to pay a bill, 50% were living on a
weekly household income of £200 or less, over
50% had gone without food or heating due
to lack of money and 71% ran out of money
every week or most weeks.
isolated and socially inept by (probably)
a distant, grief stricken and abusive father,
he orders a ‘real doll’ from the internet (an
anatomically correct lifesize fake woman).
He keeps her in a wheelchair, calls her Bianca
and takes her everywhere as his girlfriend. It’s
a fascinating study of how the community
accepts her, supports her, elects her to the
school board, and eventually mourns for her,
as well as being a study of childishness, grief
and anxiety. The psychologist GP (mesmerising
Patricia Clarkson) is inspired, and ‘treats’
Bianca while really treating Lars.
Definitely worth seeing.
Sing Your Heart Out!
More on the therapeutic power of singing...
The government invested £40m in the National
Singing Programme to get primary school kids
singing, Last Choir Standing was a huge hit,
and there is increasing interest in the physical,
psychological and emotional benefits of singing. Singing is an aerobic activity, linked to stress
reduction, longevity and overall better health.
Professor Grenville Hancox of Canterbury Christ
Church University from the Sidney De Haan
Centre for Arts and Health says: ‘If people are
content they are less likely to encounter
Drug Bust, From Christopher Manthorp
Society Guardian (on past drugs – still used)
‘The range of anti psychotic drugs was,
arguably, nastiest of all. The crudest and
most widely used at the time had side effects
duplicating the violent tremors associated with
Parkinson’s disease helpfully adding possible
constipation, obesity, an uncontrollable
sideways rolling of the eyes, and so on. I used
to work with a psychiatric consultant who
insisted (illegally) that nurses working with him
tried the standard dosage of the antipsychotic
used with older people. It was like being hit
over the head with a sock full of wet sand. You
lolled around in helpless apathy, feeling like
equilibrium 14
BBC Headroom campaign
What tracks help you unwind and feel better?
Mr Brightside – The Killers
Viva la Vida – Coldplay
Dancing in the Moonlight – Toploader
Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol
Mr Blue Sky – ELO
www.bbc.co.uk/headroom
physical problems. There is evidence to
suggest that in their infirmaries, monks used
to sing to each other as part of the healing process. And other cultures use singing
constantly as a means to live.’ Helen Astrid,
singing coach: There’s nothing like singing for
that feelgood factor: ‘It’s almost indescribable. It’s an incredible endorphin rush. You
feel like you’re being totally true to yourself. It
is like making love in a way. You’re using you r
whole body, everything is involved.’ And Prof
Graham Welch, University of London: ‘… Music
in various forms can support a sense of being
part of society and increase your self-esteem…
Music can ameliorate pain.’
death but unable to do anything constructive
about it. It controlled behaviour alright – but
you realise the price people paid. The drugs
– which was originally designed for treating
schizophrenia, and worked for a lot of people
whose unmedicated lives were so grim that
they bore the side-effects as best they could –
were never intended for use with people with
dementia, but they crept into the range of
treatments anyway…..’
Join the debate at www.alzheimers.org.uk.
Why should those without Alzheimers be at risk
too of nasty side-effects of these drugs and
low quality of life –without an outcry?
Bits
in brief
Gosling) is definitely worth a look. Rendered
Bits
in brief
Stress Cards
Barnet Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust has produced a handy credit card- size stress
card which tests stress levels. The exercise takes just 10 seconds to complete by holding your
finger down on the black square. If, after holding your finder for 10 seconds on the black square,
it turns blue, you are feeling relaxed. If it turns green, you are calm. If however it turns red
(indicating you are tense) or remains black, (indicating you are stressed) you may need to think
about ways to improve yours tress levels.
Everybody has short term pressures as part of everyday life, but when this is sustained over a long
period, it can become harmful to you mental health and wellbeing. The Trust is giving a free
stress card to anyone who signs up to become a member of the proposed Foundation Trust. By
becoming a member you will be supporting positive mental health and help to stamp out the
stigma and discrimination that face people with a mental health problem. Gattuso
Music Technology
The assignment was a concert arranged by 4 students on a BTEC course
in music technology. The 4 students are Dean Hinds, Abdul Koroma,
Mathew Dring, and John Levy who are also users of the Clarendon. There
were various artists performing in the concert. There was Emmanuel
Acheampong who was rapping. I liked the poem called The Mighty God
is Amazing. He finds reciting these poems as a form of personal expression.
Unfortunately he kept forgetting his lines.
There was a lady performing called Nerys Joseph who sang 4 reggae songs.
She did the lyrics herself and has been writing her own music for 18 years.
Her music sounds like reggae music from the 70s , which I like. I bought one
of her CDs for 2 pounds There was a group performing with a lady singing
with 2 men on percussion. Chris, Luke and Christie. One drumming on an African drum and one
with a straw instrument on his foot. Noel Williams who is registered with CONEL marks the grades
and filmed the whole concert. All the material was original and a lot of effort has gone in to it.
Angela
More on the Harington scheme…
My local farmer’s market (Ally Pally) has a brilliant stall out of the back of a little van run by Gary
Sycamore (great name). It’s in aid of the Harington scheme and sells fabulous seasonal produce
like whitecurrants, sweet peas, green beans, salad, fresh bunches of mixed flowers and other
goodies. The scheme is going from strength to strength with an excellent rate of progression to
employment and further education. The number of adult learners accessing day care provision
has increased and so has the amount of young people participating in part-time training. New
things in the pipeline include the launch of a new retail training programme.
Lots of certificates and two diplomas were won for horticultural excellence at the Highgate
Horticultural Society’s shows.There is a new gardener’s van as a result of a Ham and High
appeal, and a major consultancy process on the future took place around funding, marketing,
delivery, increasing numbers and the future of the project. Polly
Equilibrium Invite... Come and meet the Equilibrium team and our patron Liz Miller
on Wednesday the 10th December between 11am and 1pm, have a chat, share some
mince pies and cakes and join in to sing a song or carol in the training room at the Clarendon
Centre.
equilibrium 15
Bits
in brief
Interview...
Interview with Jan Winkle
Clarendon IT tutor
Q: What do you think you have
achieved working in a day centre?
A: Job satisfaction.
Q: What skills do members gain and
how can it benefit them?
A: It builds people’s confidence and
may help them get into employment.
Q: What insight have you gained in
teaching people who have mental
health issues?
A: I do not see any difference.
Q: How do people feel when they
start the course?
A: Some feel intimidated or scared that
they will do something wrong.
Q: When you are working, knowing
that you are teaching, do you get selfsatisfaction knowing that you are helping people?
A: I enjoy seeing people learn new
things and I am glad I can help them
do that.
Q: Do people get certificates when
they finish the course? Are the certificates recognised by a prospective
employer?
A: Employers do recognise the RSA
Clait 2006 Level 1 qualification.
Siham Beleh
Photographic Exhibition
The Other Side Gallery and Together presented Space Dog An Exhibition of
Photographs and Sculptures by Contemporary Outsider Artists
At Our Space Gallery, 12 Old Street, London, ECIV 9BE. www.theothersidegallery.
org.uk. The exhibition was divided on 2 floors. The top floor had only black and white
photographs. They weren’t very special to me because they were not giving out
any kind of message. They were nice but too simple.
The exhibition downstairs was, more to my liking. They were colourful unusual photographs. You could see that a lot of work had been done with image editing software to alter the photographs. I found the image of a satellite interesting because it
was unusual.
NHS art therapy for schizophrenia:
NICE will promote music, art and dance therapy for the first time.
Activities include playing instruments and making collages.
An expert panel found that the therapy works!
Anglia Ruskin and Uni of Central Lancs and South Essex NHS found improvements
to mental health, as well as more social inclusion and empowerment after
people had taken part in arts activities.
Books alert - The myth of the chemical cure – Joanna Moncrieff
Ground breaking book of huge importance – busting the myths that surround the use
of pharmaceuticals in ‘treating’ those in distress. She highlights the damaging side
effects of antipsychotics, as well as charting revealing relapse rates on and off drugs,
and suggests a radical rethink of the whole field towards the short term, individually
crafted…
equilibrium 16
Gallery 23
Charlie Tyack, a
support worker at the
Clarendon Centre,
recently travelled from
Estonia to South Korea
solely by surface transport. Dodging frosty
train provodnistas,
wild Mongolian horses,
aggressive Pekingese
hawkers and North
Korean border guards,
he somehow made it
through in one piece
and brought back
these photos.
Photos copyright 2008
Charlie Tyack
equilibrium 17
ACTIVITIES
feature
The Joys Of
Bicycling
Interview with Ruth Prudden
Why do you ride your bike?
It is a secondary benefit, I do not have a car
and so I do not have to pay a fare. I don’t
have to use the overground service (dog eat
dog in the carriage)? Cycling is a good start
to the day for health reasons. I enjoy cycling
along the canal because it is pretty and
peaceful. I find it is a pleasant time to think
and I feel free. No hassle of other people only
other cars. Cars think bicycles are secondary.
I feel pleased about my day; what ever
happens I’ve had a nice bike ride.
Is cycling good for your well being?
It is good exercise; I feel pleased that I’ve
done it. It takes away the stress of London
transport. I like observing more of the world.
Do you like the fresh air?
Yes I feel less keen when it when it is raining. I
have to be careful because it is slippery.
How has it improved your health?
I have lost weight, I am fitter and releasing
endorphins makes me feel happy.
Do you wear a mask and a helmet?
I wear a helmet.
Do you encourage people to ride a bike as
well?
Absolutely, I encourage colleagues and
friends.
Did you start riding your bike because of
terrorism attacks?
No, I cycled for two years. I have been going
to work by bike for a year. I don’t like public
transport. I have had some scary moments
because cars don’t respect cyclists.
You can get free lessons run by Hackney
council for two hours. It increased my
confidence. I learned about the suitability of
the bike; the seat has to be the right height.
I practised turning at junctions, and learned
techniques to keep me safe. By Angela
equilibrium 18
Running the Table Tennis Group
At the Six8Four Centre
by Simon Atkinson
I first started attending the Six8Four Centre in
September 2007 and took part in the activities on a Monday. The activities were board
games, karaoke and table tennis, which were
the options to choose from in the Six8Four
afternoon schedule. The activity that I did most
was table tennis.
After four months of playing table tennis as
a normal service user, the Six8Four Centre
decided to give me the responsibility of
running the table tennis as a group with me as
facilitator. I was a bit surprised with being given
the role as facilitator of table tennis because
I had never thought about running groups
before. I took the role willingly because it gave
me a bit of authority. It also gave me a bit of
self-confidence and I was doing something I
enjoyed doing. There was also the incentive of
getting paid £5 every week.
As the weeks went on, with a bit of help from
staff member, Stuart, we made the table tennis
group more organised. We started to write the
matches down on the board for people to play
so that everyone got to play and there wasn’t
anyone sitting around doing nothing for long
periods of time. There was one week where we
had prizes on offer for the winners who won the
most games in table tennis. The incentive of
prizes made the games more competitive.
From my personal point of view I found that
playing Six8Four members of staff extra
competitive. When I’m playing Stuart, Vincent
or especially Matthias there is a lot of banter
between us.
My table tennis group aims are to have fun,
compete and to exercise. I find that table
tennis is very helpful for people’s health
because the people who join my group are
getting the chance to exercise while playing
table tennis. I think that my table tennis group
exercises people’s stamina, arm movement
and a bit of leg movement. As a facilitator I try
to take on more responsibility in keeping the
scores and making sure that anyone playing
has the right amount of serves during the game.
I would say that my group is an open group
and I welcome and encourage any newcomers. When I observe the table tennis players in
my group we all have different styles, which
make for good matches. The regulars that
participate in my group teach themselves how
to play whether they had learned in the past
or practice each week to get better.
As extra duties I have also started to teach
some beginners how to play. When I’m not
playing matches I practice with the beginners and show them how to hold the bat,
how to do forehand and backhand shots and
to serve. I think I’m a very patient teacher
because I don’t get annoyed if my beginners get things wrong. I just say more practice
makes perfect.
We play table tennis either in the reception
area or outside in the garden. The reception
area can have its disadvantages because
there can be a lot of people moving about,
coming in or out of the centre. The disadvantages with playing outside are that you’re
open to the weather. My experience in playing
table tennis outside is that the wind can make
it tricky because the table tennis ball moves
unpredictably.
equilibrium 19