Emmerdale star to hold special drama workshop in Mirfield

Actress Ursula Holden-Gill, who played Alice Dingle in Emmerdale, is to hold a special drama workshop at Pathways day service in Mirfield on Friday 12th November.

Pathways, which is jointly run by South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Kirklees Council Adult Services, helps people with mental health problems develop skills and boost their mental wellbeing through activities such as computer skills, art and music.

The special workshop will be open to existing members of the Pathways drama group and the former Emmerdale actress will put them through their paces with acting exercises designed to boost their confidence and self esteem.

Day centre officer Jenny Strickland, who works at Pathways, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for our acting enthusiasts to take advantage of some professional tutorial. The range of meaningful activities that are on offer to people who attend Pathways are instrumental in boosting confidence and self esteem and developing existing or new skills. This workshop will be another opportunity to boost mental wellbeing at the same time as getting top tips from a professional actress."

Creative approaches can achieve high quality outcomes for people who use Trust services and there are many inspiring examples of innovative creative work going on across the Trust – from drama and photography to football and gardening. By using creative approaches, the importance of engagement and involvement is highlighted and barriers between staff and services users can be broken down, levelling relationships.

Creative activity underpins the search for different ways of doing things and different ways of thinking. The arts and sport can bring people together and build a sense of community and as a result creativity is embedded in the care and treatment of many Trust services, producing fantastic results for individuals who suffer from mental health problems.