Batley library welcomes a special visitor!

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An 8 ft elephant’s head made out of modrock and newspaper has been put on display in the junior section at Batley Library where it is attracting plenty of attention from visitors. The elephant, named ‘Elle’ was created by people with mental health problems on Ward 18 at Dewsbury and District Hospital.

Ward 18 is run by South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust which provides mental health and learning disability services to people in Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield. Activity sessions are held regularly on the ward to encourage people receiving treatment there to engage in meaningful activity and improve their overall quality of life. ‘Elle’ the elephant was created during art activity sessions and took a week to complete.

Ward 18’s activity worker Kelly Sykes facilitated the art sessions and said, "This is such a great achievement and is a perfect example of how much potential people with mental health problems have, without even realising it! The project was a great way of encouraging people on the ward to get involved in a physical project rather than just sitting around a table doing art. The end result is really striking and is something for those involved in creating it to be really proud of".

Batley librarian Mark Milnes/Tanya Horan said, "We were more than happy to give Elle the elephant a home as she is so impressive. She has been making a huge impact and our younger visitors love the new addition to the library which is great. It’s good to be able to exhibit projects like these that show off the creative talents and potential of local people with mental health problems".

Batley library welcomes a special visitor!

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