Change Minds

Change Minds is a project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund which we are running in collaboration with Norfolk Record Office and The Restoration Trust. It is a unique heritage and creative wellbeing project engaging those living with mental health problems. Participants use historical archives to research and develop creative responses to the lives of asylum patients in the past, developing a deeper understanding of their own experience along the way.

We partnered with Art Angel and Wellbeing Dundee to bring participants to the Archives over a period of twelve weeks to explore our asylum records, find out more about the patients and gain an understanding of care for those with mental health challenges in the past. Using creative writing, clay modelling and zine making the participants began to explore connections with the patients and discuss how this understanding might help approaches to mental health care today.

We are planning an exhibition in the Local History Library and the project participants will be contributing to a time capsule so their voices and experiences of mental health care will be preserved for the future.