The Recovery Pathways service, part of Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH), supported over 16,000 people struggling with their mental health in 2022.
Recovery Pathways supports individuals to build futures through art, people and places. It offers a range of unique and creative opportunities to build confidence and skills, and enable personal mental health recovery.
The 'Wellbeing through Creativity' arm of the service offers a variety of practical projects and courses, ranging from Textiles, Photography, Ceramics, Painting and Drawing, and Creative Writing, to Green Wellbeing, Woodwork and Sleep DIY.
The courses are run across a number of trusted community locations in Greater Manchester, including: Studio One, Benchmark, START, Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester Art Gallery, Platt Fields, and Crumpsall Park.
A number of these courses are designed for people with complex needs, experiencing severe and enduring mental health difficulties. Delivered in small groups, service users attend regular sessions, and receive regular support from Wellbeing Arts Tutors to achieve their goals.
Alongside this, the service offers a range of shorter courses, which are available to anyone living in Manchester over the age of 18 who can benefit from creative wellbeing support.
Recovery Pathways also provides an Individual Placement Support service; as well as support via the No. 93 Wellbeing Centre, a community hub at the heart of Harpurhey, which offers a further range of wellbeing activities and sessions.
Figures show that, in 2022, over 16,000 people benefitted from this wide-ranging support.
Reworx is just one of the newest creative textiles courses offered by the 'Wellbeing through Creativity' arm of the service. It teaches service users to utilise surplus second-hand clothes provided by the homelessness charity, Emmaus, to upcycle and redesign into fashion products, which are then donated back to Emmaus to sell in their charity shop to help raise funds for homelessness. So far, following completion of the first two courses, sales of Reworx bags have raised £86.
Kai, 28, was initially introduced to the textiles courses at Recovery Pathways as a service user under START. They are now using their lived experience to give back to the community, as a Volunteer at Reworx.
They said:
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"I first attended a textiles course at Recovery Pathways around four months ago. At the time, I was in a really dark place with my mental health. Anxiety and depression meant I couldn't leave the house, I was struggling with day-to-day activities, I had lots of panic attacks, and I lacked confidence.
"My Care Coordinator recognised I was a creative person, and so made a referral to Recovery Pathways. Beforehand, I was anxious it wouldn't be right for me, but the second I stepped into the building, I felt at home. The textiles room particularly jumped out to me. There were so many different textures and colours, materials and artworks – it's a very inspiring room.
"My love for textiles just grew from there, and so did my confidence. Coming to the studio was such a safe space for me to escape. It's amazing to seeing the progress I've made – it saved my life. I poured myself into the courses, absorbed all the sessions and knowledge, and it's filtered through into my day-to-day life. There isn't a day that goes by where I don't do something creative now.
"I'm a completely different person now to the one who walked into this building four months ago. I've become more confident to be out and about, wear the clothes I want to wear, and do the things I want to do. I've also been able to exit an abusive relationship, which I never thought I'd be able to do.
"I've got lots of exciting things coming up - I'm applying to do an art foundation course, and hope to go on to do a BA. I'm also going to return to Recovery Pathways as a Volunteer on the next Reworx course, and I can't wait. I will be there to support others - those who may enter on their first day and feel as anxious as I did."
Peter Smith, Service Manager for Wellbeing and Recovery Pathways at GMMH said:
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"Recovery Pathways' courses are delivered in spaces at the heart of communities across Greater Manchester. They provide our service users with the chance to expand their horizons in a relaxed environment, meet new people, learn new skills, and enjoy the present moment. This type of social support is such an important part of mental health recovery.
"It's amazing to have reached so many people in 2022, and we will continue to grow and provide this vital support in 2023 and beyond."
Mia Nisbet, Wellbeing Arts Tutor at GMMH's Recovery Pathways service said:
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"Within our textiles sessions, service users are given the chance to self-direct their creative projects, tailoring them to fit what they specifically want to learn and create. This approach allows them to develop a creative identity and autonomous style, enabling them to feel in control of their experience and, in turn, build confidence, a sense self-worth and achievement.
"Peer support and volunteering brings so much value to this process. It provides an opportunity for our service users to continue to progress in their own recovery journey, whilst acting as trusted sources of support, using both their unique lived experience of mental health recovery and the practical skills they have gained on our creative courses to help others."
For enquiries regarding attending a 'Wellbeing through Creativity' course, please contact Recovery Pathways via email referrals.recoverypathways@gmmh.nhs.uk or telephone 07436 560917.
For more information about Recovery Pathways, visit: https://gmmh.nhs.uk/recovery-pathways.
Photo ©: Kai & Wellbeing Arts Tutor, Mia Nisbet
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