The Arts & Minds Network brings together people in Leeds who believe creativity can promote mental wellbeing. We support creative people who have had mental health issues, but we also encourage everyone to be more creative, whether they are using mental health services or not. The network is open to anyone living, working or volunteering in the Leeds area who wants to see the growth of arts and health – including service users, carers, mental health workers, artists, arts organisations and mental health organisations, anyone with an interest in the issues!

Arts & Minds is funded by Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT) and works with a wide range of partners. We work in NHS services and in the community to develop projects with partnerships at their heart. For example we founded the Love Arts Festival, a celebration of creativity and mental wellbeing, held every October in Leeds. The festival features exhibitions, performances, workshops, and conferences all programmed with our partners. We were also instrumental in setting up Beyond, a bi-annual festival of learning disability and the arts.

Arts & Minds is a membership organisation – please join us. It’s free and it’s easy to join! The benefits to joining include:

• regular updates on groups, workshops and events around creativity and mental health in Leeds

• discounts in arts shops

• exhibition opportunities

• membership of our arts support groups

• invitations to events and training.

Arts & Minds is run by Linda Boyles, Jane Mullins and Toby Thomas alongside some amazing volunteers. Please contact us if you’d like to know more.