Beautiful glass creations from Action Mental Health clients

Our New Horizons group in Newtownards have marked this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week by creating an incredible collection of fused and Tiffany glass pieces.

The 26-piece collection includes kiln-fused glass layered pieces, some accentuated with paint and frit, the latter, a kiln-safe ground glass compound and Tiffany glass, where glass is cut, ground then soldered together. The work has been submitted to ‘Pause’, Northern Ireland’s Mental Health Arts Festival.

With significant scientific evidence attributed to the benefits of the arts to help lessen anxiety and stress and increase wellbeing, our Newtownards facility offers a welcoming and calming space, where clients can share stories and create beautiful artwork, worthy of any gallery.

“Our clients leave their troubles at the door for a few hours and become part of a small group, learning all about communication through creativity. The sessions are great for mental health, because they bring the opportunity to explore feelings and emotions artistically. It can also enable people to have conversations about mental health in a way that other experiences and activities may not always deliver. The artwork is a celebration of the work created by clients over the last year and I feel tremendously privileged to be part of this empowering and positive process.”

Marcus Sprott, Creative Arts Skills Coach at Action Mental Health

Action Mental Health’s New Horizons supports the recovery of adults experiencing mental ill health who are interested in progressing towards further education and training or, with the provision of a comprehensive programme of specialist training in the areas of personal development, vocational skills and employability. For further information on this service please contact Selwyn Johnston, AMH New Horizons Service Manager on 028 9182 2410.