There are a lots of community arts groups and courses in Leeds that are welcoming to people who have had mental health issues. Many people find that getting involved in a creative activity really helps improve their well-being. Arts & Minds has links with lots of creative groups, courses and organisations across the city. Please click on the pictures below for more information on each group, course or organisation. Or you could use the search tool to find a group that suits you. You could search for a particular activity (eg visual arts, music, drama) a location that is convenient to you (eg Bramley, Chapletown, Middleton) or a time that suits you (eg Wednesday morning, Sunday afternoon).
“Try something you haven’t tried before…experiment and learn new skills so you’ve something to learn…learning’s good for you and it can make you feel better about yourself.”
If you are part of a creative group or run a course that you would like to feature on these pages, please contact us.
Search for something creative below. Type in “keywords” that apply to what you might like to do (eg. Choir, Sunday afternoons, city centre).
The following groups appear in a random order:
Studio 3Studio 3 Open to adult mental health service users, this weekly arts workshop is for all artistic abilities. Led by artist, Jill Johnson, members are free to experiment and explore a whole range of artistic media as well as visiting cultural venues. When? Every other Wednesday afternoon Where? Artlink West Yorkshrie, 191 Belle Vue Road, Leeds, LS3 1HG Costs? Session fees are £2 – £4 and include all art materials and refreshments.
Culture ClubThe Culture Club is for people who want to see shows, plays, exhibitions, art events and more – with a friendly group. The group meets every month to decide what to see and book tickets. And there are lots of things to see and do. We get cheap Opera tickets, reduced price theatre tickets and lots more special offers. When: Meeting 2nd Monday of every month, 5pm – 7pm Where: West Yorkshire Playhouse cafe bar, Playhouse Square, Quarry Hill, Leeds LS2 7UP Cost: Free for meetings, plays, shows cost as necessary. Telephone: 0113 2623128 Email: [email protected]
Ukulele (Beginner) CourseFrom Cloth Cat, this course is an introduction to playing the ukulele. This is a fun light-hearted course designed to get complete beginners to music playing familiar songs in a variety of styles. No previous experience needed. The tutor is Jess Bowie. When: Tuesdays, 7 – 8pm Where: Bramley Lawn Social Centre, Rossefield Lawn, Bramley, Leeds, LS13 3RU Costs: £60 / free if you receive means tested benefits Contact: Ring Mike on 0113 2442773 or email [email protected] to reserve your place. More info online.
Leeds Survivors PoetryWe’ve been meeting for workshops and performances since 1994. We are completely survivor run, and provide a safe space where people can explore their creativity through poetry and other creative writing. We don’t have regular workshops at the moment but please get in touch for more information about future events. Email: [email protected] to join our mailing list.
Summer Special at Leeds Central LibraryArts & Minds’ big summer event is on Tuesday July 10th, 1 – 4pm at Leeds Central Library. We’ve teamed up with Room 700, the Drawing Room, NS70 and the BEYOND Festival to bring you an event packed with creativity and good cheer. You are welcome to join us to take part in arty workshops, or simply just have a chat to like-minded, creative people. Collective Joy Workshop Artist Samra Mayanja will lead this workshop between 2 and 3.30pm Samra says: “We’ll be focusing on body image and mind. I’ll be using poetry and performance, sound, words and movement in ways that spread
Adult Art therapy Groups & 1:1 Sessions – The Art Room @ The Digital LoungeThe Art Room offers a range of art therapeutic support including adult groups and 1:1 sessions with client and therapist and also parent and child therapy. This is a free service for Leeds-based adults, however priority will be given to residents who live locally (i.e within a three mile radius of The Digital Lounge). Please contact The Digital Lounge to find out about dates and availability. What is Art Therapy? Art Therapy can help people to express their inner feelings when words alone are either just too difficult or hard to find. It Can help people to understand why
Swarthmore Education Centre Creative CoursesDue to the nature and environment at Swarthmore people feel safe and welcome. We have a wide selection of classes including pottery, jewellery, watercolours, drama and creative writing. When? Classes take place morning, afternoon and evening. Please check out our latest brochure online. Where? Swarthmore Education Centre 2-7 Woodhouse Square Leeds LS3 1AD Costs: Variable Contact: Reception, Swarthmore Education Centre, 2-7 Woodhouse Square, Leeds LS3 1AD, [email protected], 0113 243 2210 “It’s absolutely fantastic.” “The course and college has helped my emotional
Craft CafeWe welcome people of all ages, abilities and background providing a fully inclusive craft session. Here at Inkwell we have a warm, friendly and welcoming environment, in fact, everything you need to feel and be inspired! Crafts available to try range from Jewellery Making, Pottery, Sewing, Felting, Card Making, Glass Painting, Batik and much more. Whatever you want to create, we will do our utmost to help. When: Every Thursday afternoon 2-4pm Where: Inkwell, 31 Potternewton Lane, Chapel Allerton, Leeds, LS7 3LW Costs: Your entrance fee of just £3.50 will buy you all your materials for the- MADE – Dance Group – Yorkshire DanceYorkshire Dance would like to introduce their new mixed ability dance class: This new class is called MADE (Mixed Ability Dance for Everyone) and is a beginners level, fun, social dance class that includes gentle exercises to improve mobility, flexibility and balance. The class is open to any adults with or without a disability that is interested in dance. The aim of the class is to provide people that may have barriers to engaging with physical activity with an opportunity to express themselves and be physical in an open, friendly and fun group that promotes independence.
Inkwell ArtsWe are a creative mental health service based in Leeds 7 offering a range of classes and activities for the community, users of mental health services and their families. We offer classes on a referral only basis and also open classes available for anyone to join: art and crafts, ceramics, dance and music, and a weekly Craft Cafe session. See our website for current groups Inkwell is a safe, creative and accessible space where passion and skills entwine, challenging the stigma of mental health and celebrating the diversity of its participants. It seeks to engage, stimulate and absorb all
East St Arts Adult Learning ProgrammeWe offer a yearly rolling programme of informal learning by providing short ( 10 Week ) course in a variety of community and city-centre venues. Work work with experienced and qualified artist/tutors, who are used to working across lots of different art and design disciplines with small diverse groups of participants. Courses include: drawing, sculpture, painting, jewellery, ceramics. See Courses Starting Jan 2017-2 When? Term One 26th September to 9th December Term Two 16th Jan to 31st March Term Three 18th April to 30th June We deliver weekdays and daytime, with one late afternoon to early
BEYOND Festival 20185 – 22 JULY 2018 BEYOND is an arts festival that celebrates the fantastic work of creative people with learning disabilities in Leeds. There are lots of organisations in Leeds supporting artists, performers and musicians with learning disabilities. BEYOND brings them together to celebrate and highlight the great work being produced. 2018 is the second BEYOND festival and this year the team is putting the spotlight on several individuals. BEYOND was able to award 12 grants to artists and groups to produce work for this year’s festival. The funding helped film-makers, choreographers,
Connect & CreateWe’ve started a new monthly meet up! Connect & Create meets on the first Monday afternoon of every month at the Tetley. The aim is to get together with other like-minded, creative people. We want you to share ideas, be artistic, and find out about all the great things going on in Leeds. Every month we’ll have: Sharing – a chance for you to bring along a piece of artwork or some writing – or a song or a dance and share it with an enthusiastic group of Arts & Minds members Discussion – we’ll choose an important topic and gather a group to talk about
Digital Craft CafeDIGITAL CRAFT CAFE The Digital Craft Cafe is a friendly and relaxed session where you can learn new media skills and chat and discover more about digital. Come along and meet our media team and improve your skills in photography (using DSLR cameras or mobile devices), learn how to use editing software and have a go at music production. There will be refreshments available from our Cafe Bar. Everyone and all abilities are welcome. When: 4th Wednesday of the month 10am til 4pm Where: Inkwell 31 Potternewton Lane Chapel Allerton Leeds LS7 3LW Telephone: 0113 3070108
Cloth CatWe are a charity based in inner-city Leeds that uses music training to help local people improve the quality of their lives. We help people to gain control over their lives and find avenues into employment by providing the opportunity to learn a variety of skills and to develop their musical talent. By doing this, we also provide a basis for empowerment, confidence building and making music contacts that will become ever more useful as their abilities continue to grow towards their future. We offer a wide range of 11 week music courses in subject such as beginners guitar, ukelele, music
Arts and Crafts Group – OblongOblong hosts a free weekly arts & crafts group every Monday between 1 and 2.30 pm. More details can be found by clicking on the link below. https://www.woodhousecommunitycentre.com/whatson Where: Oblong – Woodhouse Community Centre 197 Woodhouse Street Leeds LS6 2NY When: Mondays 1 – 2.30 pm Cost : Free and materials are provided Contact: 0113 245 9610 [email protected] https://www.woodhousecommunitycentre.com/findus
Inkwell Open ClassesInkwell run a range of classes that are open for anyone to join which do not require a referral. Classes and workshops in various visual arts and performance arts are available throughout the week. When/ What? Tuesday mornings: Art & Design/ Sewing Group Tuesday evening: Drumming Class Wednesday evening: Sewing Circle/ Salsa Thursday evening: Ceramics Friday morning: Felting Saturday: Ceramics/ Visual Arts Where: Inkwell, 31 Potternewton Lane, LS7 3LW Costs: Vary Contact: See Inkwell’s Website for more details