Museum opening to mark Mental Health Awareness week

Date:

The Mental Health Museum at Fieldhead will re-open its doors on Tuesday 13 May to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week (12-18 May) and everyone is invited to come and explore the unique objects it houses and find out more about mental health.

P1020141

Mental Health Awareness Week is organised by the Mental Health Foundation and this year focuses on anxiety and raising awareness of mental ill-health.

The Mental Health Museum is a unique project based at Fieldhead in Wakefield. The museum is runby South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust which provides a range of mental health, learning disability, health improvement and community services in Barnsley, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield.

The museum houses a collection of mental health related objects that span the history of mental health care from the early 19th century through to the present day. In particular, the collection focuses on the histories of the community, culture and practices of the West Riding Lunatic Asylum, later known as the Stanley Royd Hospital.

Cara Sutherland, the museum’s curator said: “We are really excited to welcome people to the museum – I can’t think of a better way to mark mental health awareness week than to re-open our museum which is dedicated to promoting understanding, empowerment and respect towards mental health.”

“Our diverse collection has been put together to provoke debates surrounding contemporary mental health care. Each object, story and every reaction to them can be part of our mission to combat social inequality, prejudice, stigma and ignorance.”

The museum is open to members of the public and can be booked by schools and colleges for educational tours. Find out more by calling 01924 328654 or by visiting www.mentalhealthmuseum.co.uk.

Museum opening to mark Mental Health Awareness week

time to read: 1 min