Summer 2017 at Borderline Arts
We've had a busy Summer so far here at Borderline Arts! Here is a taste of what we've been up to over the past couple of months...
Crafternoon Tea
On May 13th, we held a Crafternoon Tea event as part of BPD Awareness Month 2017. We had a fantastic turn out - it was brill to see people we'd not seen for a while and great to see some new faces too!
Three of the new faces were individuals with BPD. It was so lovely to talk with them and to hear that they feel supported and less alone due to the work we do. Long may that continue!
Those who came seemed to really enjoy themselves and there was buzzing atmosphere! One person at the event said, "The crafternoon tea was warm and inviting, my seven year old son and I felt very welcome. The activities on offer really engaged my little boy".
We also had delicious cakes, a tombola, a craft stall and crafty activities It was a lovely social occasion, with people there from 2 years old to 72 years old! And we were amazed to raise £108 on top of all that!
Thanks so much to Liz, Phil, Pauline, Jill and Kev for all their help!! And thanks to everyone who came along and supported the event!
Creative Educational Workshops
BPD Awareness Month Workshop
On May 26th, we ran a free creative educational BPD Workshop to coincide with Borderline Personality Disorder Awareness Month. Participants seemed to find it helpful and the feedback was positive! We were really impressed with their keenness and openness to learn and share in the group!
Workshop for Aspire Health and Care
We had another great workshop on June 23rd for the Support Workers and other staff members at Aspire. They work in a supported housing setting for those with mental health difficulties. They seemed to get a lot out of it and fed back that they gained more understanding of what it's like to live with BPD and how to help their clients with the condition. As a result of creating links with them at this workshop, six of their clients with BPD are coming along to our workshop next week too!
Hopefully, individuals from both workshops will find that their increased understanding of BPD and confidence in how to help people with with condition help them as professionals to provide more effective support to people with BPD.
Thanks to Kev Bagshaw, Pauline Shephard and Lesley Edwards for your much appreciated help to enable the workshops to run smoothly!
Our next one is in September. We'll be back at 'Aspire' with other members of their staff. If you are interested in attending a workshop or in us running a Workshop for your team, please feel free to get in touch at workshops@borderlinearts.org
Educational Talks about BPD
Mickleover Surgery, Derby
On 6th July, we gave a talk about BPD to a Patient Experience Group and the Practice Manager at Mickleover Surgery. The group seemed really interested and asked lots of questions to find our more. They have taken information and are going to put it on their notice board at the Surgery, so hopefully that will allow even more people to hear about BPD and understand a little more about what it is. We're really grateful to them for helping us in that way!
Erewash Adult Care Services, Ilkeston
This morning (13th July), we gave a talk to a group of Social Workers at Erewash Adult Care Services. They all work with individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder. As with all our training, I shared my own experience of BPD as well as explaining the symptoms in the diagnostic criteria. We discussed the variety of ways that the symptoms can play out. I explained a bit about why that happens and about what support/advice is (and isn't) helpful in those situations. They were really engaged and it was great to see how keen they were to learn and to help their clients with BPD as best they can.
Still to Come this Month!
On 18th July, from 2.30pm - 4pm, we are running a Creative Workshop together with Health Watch. This is an opportunity for people with BPD to express their expreriences of health services and an informal and creative setting. It's a free event and there will be refreshments provided. You can find out more here.
Fashion Show and Clothes Sale
On 20th July from 7-9pm, we also have our 'Fashion Show and Clothes Sale', which is a fundraiser. You can find out more about the event and/or book tickets here.
We'd love to see you at either or both events!
Please note that we will be closing the office from 29th July until 28th August for a much needed break. We will respond to any enquiries received in that time upon our return. We will be in touch again just before we shut up shop... but until then, thank you for all your support and we hope you enjoy the summer!