THIS week, May 10-16 is Mental Health Awareness Week and next week, May 17-23, is Creativity and Wellbeing Week.

As highlighted by Prof Jehannine Austin in a BBC documentary last year, there is a model of mental health that shows that we increase our resilience and capacity for wellbeing by engaging in “protective” activities - like creativity, engaging with nature, and connecting with others.

Award winning social enterprise Significant Seams, which is based in Crediton, is releasing creative prompts for wellbeing daily on social media.

The Community Interest Company (CIC) is also releasing a FREE downloadable PDF at: www.significantseams.org.uk on May 17. The download features prompts that people can use to make their own jar of creativity for wellness activities. 

Participants in previous Significant Seams initiatives, courses and activities have said:

“Crafting from nature has reconnected me with my creativity which is essential to my wellbeing.”

“There is a genuine positive point to going for a walk every day. I love coming home with my discoveries and being creative from these.”

“Crafting keeps me safe and sane.”

“Being creative anchored a sense of possibility, of happiness - a relishing in my own capacity and process of making, inventing , actualising. It gave me time to focus away from anxious thoughts - and just BE in the focus of absorption”

“Creating helps me stave off depression.”

Significant Seams became a CIC in September 2011 to carry out activities to benefit the vulnerable and disadvantaged, particularly those affected by anxiety or depression through textile and craft.

It has been delivering arts courses for Devon NHS Partnership Trust’s recovery college since 2019 and measure their impact using the CHIME model which emerges from recovery medicine and nursing and the five ways to wellbeing.

It evaluates impact via Connectedness, Hope, Identity, Meaning and Empowerment changes in individuals and communities.