Back in June we awarded funding to Sage Sheffield, a small local mental health charity based in a deprived area of Sheffield. Their main activities are to provide staffed support through a weekly singing group and twice weekly horticultural therapy based on Grimesthorpe allotments. They aim to give stability to fractured isolated lives by offering regular sessions and support and activities tailored to individual needs.
Our funding was to provide first aid cover for an outdoor theatre event. MIKRON Theatre presented “Common Ground”, a play about the right to roam, at their allotment site at Grimesthorpe. The event was well attended by about 100 people of all ages on a (surprisingly) fairly warm sunny evening. They enjoyed a wander through the history of access to the countryside in Britain, accompanied by songs performed by the cast.
SAGE provided tea and cakes, a plant stall, with tours of their allotments where they hosted groups for people with mental health issues. They welcomed 9 of their group members to the event, many of whom, experience physical health issues as well as mental health problems. There were several audience members who were also disabled. The site can be uneven in places and it was reassuring to them to have a qualified first aider on duty and the event was a complete success.