Mental health in spotlight in Stirling festival

STIRLING plays host to the 3rd Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival throughout October as part of Forth Valley’s contribution to this national festival promoting positive mental health.

On Friday, October 9, there is a chance to enjoy some live music at the Tolbooth when Artlink Central and Stirling Council present “Notes from the Edge” with a line-up featuring local groups including Gaelic folk group Gleusda, Closer to the Edge and the Riverside Music Project Ceilidh Band.

John Oswald, one of the council’s local area coordinators, said the aim of the festival is to build personal and community capacity for well-being, and bring together music from across times, language and genres to reflect the value of music for everyone.

The Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival aims to transform social attitudes towards mental health. Now in its third year the festival has grown to become one of Scotland’s most significant cultural events. The programme forms part of the wider Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival and has been developed by a new partnership of arts, voluntary sector and statutory agencies across the Forth Valley region.

Stirling Council’s Adult Learning Team will be holding a free card making class for adults on Monday, October 5, from 10am-3pm.

Some of the work of Adult Learning Team learners will be exhibited in the Connections Gallery at Falkirk Royal Infirmary.

Other events include a visual arts exhibition at the Macrobert Centre which invites the audience to challenge society’s perceptions and the stigma surrounding mental health, using art to promote social action, knowledge and change.

The Cowane Centre is the venue on October 22 for “Words are Never Wasted”, a performance that features short pieces looking at issues affecting people living with a mental health problem on a daily basis.

For more information on Forth Valley events go to www.mhfestival.com or local information contact Artlink Central 01786 450971email [email protected], www.artlinkcentral.org