Rutherglen is set to host a series of creative events as part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival. The festival, led by the Mental Health Foundation, will run from Thursday, October 10 until Sunday, October 27, with various activities planned across Lanarkshire. This year’s festival theme, ‘In/Visible’, aims to delve into the visibility and invisibility surrounding mental health.
The festival will encompass a mix of live and online events, including workshops and performances. In Rutherglen, highlights include workshops such as ‘Hear Me!’ led by mindfulness teacher Martin Stepek to tackle anxiety and stigma, and ‘Young at Heart Dance’ sessions to boost confidence and self-expression. Events like ‘In/Visible Women: Changing Rutherglen’ and ‘Spotlights and Shadows’ at Rutherglen Town Hall aim to explore different aspects of mental health creatively.
The festival is supported by various organisations including Creative Scotland, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and Screen Scotland, among others. Gail Aldam, Arts and Events Manager Scotland for the Mental Health Foundation, expressed excitement about this year’s theme, ‘Invisibility’, as a means to address the challenges and stigma surrounding mental health.
The festival aims to encourage discussions on mental health, visibility, and inequality through various events happening not only in Rutherglen but across Scotland. For more information on the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival and to secure tickets for the events, visit their website at www.mhfestival.com.