Emmerdale star returning to Pathways day service
Following on from the huge success of her last visit actress Ursula Holden-Gill, who played Alice Dingle in Emmerdale, is set to return to Pathways day service in Mirfield to hold a follow-up drama workshop on Friday 4th March.
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 second workshop is once again 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.
Ursula last visited Pathways in November last year and the drama session proved to be so popular staff asked if she would be able to come back and offer even more of her expert knowledge to service users. The session has been arranged by Julie Walker, the bibliotherapist for Kirklees Libraries and Sarah Taylor an activity co-ordinator for the Trust in Dewsbury.
Day centre officer Jenny Strickland, who works at Pathways, said: "Having Ursula attend once was great, but for her to come back and offer even more of her time and knowledge is a fantastic opportunity for our acting enthusiasts. 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.