Photography Sessions on Lancaster Market!

Unfortunately and to the dismay of Lancaster's Residents and stall holders, the local market is due to close in March. It has long been, as in many towns, the hub of activity where all generations and cultures group together to promote and sell goods that may not be as easy to find in large chains.
 Memories of the market and it's history have beeen a hot topic here at The Helm lately and this has sparked discussions surrounding Lancaster's roots and Maritime history. We decided it would a wonderful opportunity to take it apon ourselves to document it all through the medium of photography and capture it before it disappears!
We'll be holding an exhibition in a few months once the photographs have been framed up at a gallery in Lancaster. We are hoping to have a little film show also at the opening event including 20 years of lancaster market footage filmed by a local man!
Following are a few examples of the photographs taken during the sessions!

Christmas Craft Fair

The Christmas Craft Fair was an exciting event enjoyed by everyone who was involved. We had a couple of homemade soups on the go , our famous Spicy Parsnip and also Leek & Potato for sale as well as a selection of cakes, mince pies and toasties in the cafe and of course not forgetting an enourmous display of homemade crafts for sale made by the talented people who access our centre. We had a bric a brac room full of donated items and a childrens room where there were regular christmassy puppet shows, badge making, card making and a lucky dip! This proved to be very popular and everyone got involved. A special thank you to Laurie and Alan for running the activities in this room all day!





Beautiful Hearts made at the centre on the sewing machine
to be used for Christmas wall decorations.






Badge making was kindly run by Alan with a
badge making kit
 kindly
donated to us earlier in the year by Asda!

 
We raised around two hundred pounds at our Christmas Craft Fair thanks to all the help and contributions made by service users and staff towards the event!

Our next project will be working towards a Photography exhibition on Lancaster Indoor Market which is due to close in June this year. We will be documenting it's history in verbal and visual form through photography and recordings over a period of six weeks!

So watch this space!

A massive thank you to Dawn for being a one woman wonder! She created lots of beautiful crafts to sell at The Adult College Craft Fair and The Helm Craft Fair within the space of a few weeks of each other! She is an inspiration to all of us!

The Helm's Christmas Craft Fair

After the previous successes of our Easter Craft Fair and Art Exhibition we held to celebrate World Mental Health Week, we have been working towards our Christmas Craft Fair which is taking place Tuesday 20th December from 11am to 3pm. Free Admission to all! 

There will be beautiful handmade Arts and Crafts for sale including textiles, paintings, jewellery and christmas decorations! There will also be bric a brac and childrens activities as well as hot homemade food and beverages, a selection of cakes and mince pies served from our cafe!   

Everybody has been busily creating all sorts of magical christmassy items to sell to raise money for The Helm. They will be affordable prices for very high quality artistry and worth a look so come along! 

We have taken the pictures with our new camera that we bought with the proceeds of the last Easter Craft fair earlier this year which was very successful!                             





Christmas Card designed during Art Session

 

Mixed Media Collage by Alex






Decorative Heart by Rosie

 


Oversized Shopping bag by Dawn





Fabric Heart Decorations by Dawn

  

Strawberry Pincushions Made by Dawn




Mixed media piece made by everyone at The Helm

Morecambe by Alan

Explosion by Dave

Cards made during art session

  

The Dukes Theatre Art Exhibition to celebrate World Mental Health Week

 

Zebra by Alan Crawshaw

Sold for £20

The Exhibition that we had spent weeks planning towards was a great success and ran from the 26th September till 4th October was also incorporated in the "Wired in"monthly event that is run at the Dukes at their request.

 Artwork from other local projects including the Hearing Voices group, the Adult College and Peer Support were included in the exhibition as well as work by local artists linked to The Helm.
We had live music spanish gypsy folk style and drinks to create a wonderful lively atmostphere and sold our artwork through a silent bidding system which worked very well and meant that people were free to bid on pictures to the value of what they thought they were worth!
This was the first exhibition we have held and it gave service users a massive boost as to our possibilites for future exhibitions and events.

Blue Guitar by Louis Barthein
sold for £40




Cupcake purse by Vicky Shepherd
Sold for £6



African Lady by Alan Crawshaw
Sold for £35

Vincent Van Gogh
Still for Sale

The Exhibition opening on 26th September at The Dukes Gallery
was a great event enjoyed by everyone who attended!
We raised around £300 through silent bidding over the week.





Mixed Media piece created by service users and staff at The Helm



New Sessions running from The Helm as from 22nd August

Monday

Advice and Guidance all day @ The Helm
10.00am to 4.00pm
Baking Session @ The Helm 
Gentle cooking session baking pies or cakes 
Also making homemade lemonade and soft drinks to eat here or take home.
2.00pm till 3.00pm

Tuesday

Art for Relaxation all day @ The Helm
11.00am till 3.30pm
A good opportunity to unleash creative talent through any medium you like, including painting, crafts or mixed media.
We are working towards an exhibition displaying at The Dukes Theatre for World Mental Health Week. We are also working towards other small projects for other local services.

Wednesday

Advice and Guidance Drop in @ York House
1.00pm till 3.00pm
A open session for people to access in Morecambe offering Advocacy, advice and guidance and a chance to talk.

Local Photography/Walk @ The Helm
11.00am till 2.00pm
Local walks taking photographs of places of interest with a small group combined with light exercise and a drink in a cafe.
Moving Forward Skills for life @ The Helm
1.30pm till 3.00pm
Ways to look at your skills and experiences and how to use them to have more options and make better choices. Discussions offering ways to deal with everyday situations and raising your self esteem. 

Thursday

IT Support/ Board Games @ The Helm
11.00am till 12.30 pm
Computer support available as well as an opportunity to work through some basic computing skills through
 Myguide (Recognized Nationwide Computing Programme)
Service User Meeting @ The Helm
2.00pm till 2.30pm
A chance to come along and be involved in decisions made as to the running of the service and present ideas as to future progressions. Also an opportunity to be up to date on current plans on the weekly schedule!
Quiz @ The Helm
2.30 till 3.30 pm
The weekly quiz always stirs a lot of excitement at The Helm.
Teams compete for the prize which is a free snack and drink from the cafe for the winning team.

Friday

Advice and Guidance @ York House
1.00pm till 3.00pm
An open session for people to access in Morecambe offering Advocacy, Advice and guidance and a chance to talk
Sports/Gentle Exercise Class @ The Helm
2.00pm till 4.00pm
Trips to local sports venues to do various leisure activities to aid relaxation. Also an opportunity to enjoy yourself and have fun
Creative Writing @ The Helm
1.30pm till 3.00pm
Inspired creative thoughts in poetry, verse and short written pieces, discussion around ideas from penning memories to writing a book!

World Mental Health Week Exhibition at Local Gallery

Over the past couple of months we have been working towards an Art Exhibition showcasing the work that has been made during the Art For Relaxation Sessions at The Helm on Tuesdays.
Due to the previous success of our Easter Craft Fair we thought it would be nice to have something new to get our teeth into!
Paintings and Craftwork including rag rugs, jewellery, bags, quilting and collage all make up the exhibition that will run for a week at The Dukes Gallery in Lancaster from 27th September to the 4th October. There will be an opening on the first evening where everyone involved will have the opportunity to speak about new projects and plans.

We want to use this as an opportunity to promote awareness and break down the stigma surrounding mental health, to collaborate with other local services such as Help Direct, Creative Minds and Signposts at The Dukes Theatre, where people can display and talk about their work and the service that we all provide made up of trained staff and volunteers.
I have also contacted many local  artists who are donating a piece of art towards the exhibition to help us.
The outcome of the money we'll raise will be put back in to the service to buy an overhead projector for our up and coming film group.This will be an opportunity to make short films and presentations of other projects like photography, slide shows and film and perhaps involve input from local artists and film makers who could provide us with help on this new venture.

 An evening event held by The Dukes Theatre to promote World Mental Health Week will be a ticketed performance of Poetry Reading, Music, Art, Dance and Drama involving lots of other local services and a representation of the personal journey. Watch this space for more details!
We will be having a stall also a few of the evenings during the week will enable us also to talk about what we offer at The Helm and an opportunity for the public to talk to some of our artists about their work.
It is quite an exciting time if you'd like to be involved please contact us!

Here are some reviews of people who use The Helm Drop In Centre

Tracy Dobbie

What do you like about The Helm?

I like to come into The Helm to chat, meet my friends and relax. I take part in many different sessions and activities, but love trips out and would like more of these.
The food made in the cafe is very good and there is a nice atmostphere here and surroundings
The staff members are  friendly and supportive. I enjoy doing the arts and crafts.

What would you like us to do more of here at The Helm?

I'm really happy with the sessions that run and the different activities we do but would like more trips out every two weeks if possible.
I'd also like a few new things to add to the menu like a roast dinner with roasted vegetables, different pies on the pie day and an occassional treat of salmon which we could pay more for!

What way has The Helm helped you?

The Helm helps me to relax, forget some of my worries and helps me to socialize with other people who access the service.

What could be improved about The Helm?

Nothing!

James Willett

What do you like about The Helm?

It's the best place i've ever seen and used in my experience of mental health services, better than anywhere else i've been sent to. Works better for me than other volunteering placements i've been sent on. It doesn't stress me out and isn't repetitive , there's a nice variety of people here and a good change.This place definately answers a need, is non judgemental and lets you go at your own pace from a good distance.

What would you like to see more of?

More baking.

How do you feel The Helm has helped you?

The Helm has got me out of a rut,  gives me a routine on a bad day and helps me get out of myself.

What could be improved on?

Access.

Brian Hodgson

What do you like about The Helm?

I think it's a great drop in and very nice atmostphere.

I would like to volunteer here and lead Art sessions and pass on my skills.

What would you like to see more of?

More workrooms to do projects in.

How has The Helm helped you?

It has give me a place to come to  other than work

What can be improved on at The Helm?

I can see so many possibilities for developing new ideas in the future and would like to volunteer more