Peace of mind at Sudley House

Here is the Senior Education Manager for all our art galleries, Nicky Fawcett, to tell us about some of the important community work that goes on at Sudley House...

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Sudley House has been providing a safe and welcoming setting for a range of people dealing with mental health issues for a while now. We have developed an ongoing partnership with Mersey Care NHS Trust and every year they use our Learning Suite to deliver a series of art projects for those who use their services. Two of the facilitators of the group are Sue Williams and Steve Rooney - from TAG (The Artists Group). We also worked with them on an exhibition called 'unfolding' in 2008. This featured amazing paper sculptures inspired by their work with former patients of the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Centre at Mossley Hill Hospital.

Our Visitor Services staff at Sudley House do a great job in supporting the group and we always aim to exhibit the work produced. Last week we held an event to celebrate a mini costume display that you can see in the picture above. Ralph Killey was part of this group and spoke passionately about how much the project had helped him. He wrote a fantastic poem, which I'd like to share with you, below. Ralph also has a slot reading his work on the Linda Mac show on Radio Merseyside every month. 
 
Our Painting Session. Where’s my Depression?

There’s a palace that’s called Sudley House , A monument really supreme.
It was built by, The Holts. Who had hundreds of boats.
And this family created a dream.

The, art-work is really sublime. All of this beauty was theirs.
Then on the first floor, there’s a little white door,
behind which, some magic occurs. 

An Art Course is run for disabled. We are people with mental ills.
We’ve been anxious, depressed and by devils possessed,
and we’ve taken the potions and pills.

Sue and Steve, manage the project, their techniques and skill they impart.
They find out what you, have an aptitude to.
Then they help you, express this as Art.

The patients in there are all loving.. We’ve all suffered similar pain.
And Stephen and Sue, know just what to do.
To help people whose brain’s ‘Down the Drain’.

But joking aside, it’s fantastic, feels so natural when we’re all together.
And when the Course ends. We will all be good friends.
But I wish it could go on forever.

By Ralph (The Writer) Killey.