Mind Magazine July 2017 Mind Magazine July 2017 | Page 13

Real-life stories
organised the members to put on
a Crafternoon event to fundraise
in support of Mind.
‘I worried that it wouldn’t go to
plan, or that we wouldn’t have
enough materials, or that no one
would come along. There were
lots of ‘what ifs’. But in fact, we
found ourselves planning our
next one before the Crafternoon
had even finished! It might have
been exhausting, but it was
totally worth it!
When I’m crafting, I feel
as though I have nothing
else going on.
‘Crafting helps me focus on the
present. It’s easy to give up when
you lack self-esteem, but once
you’ve overcome that barrier,
you’ll be proud of yourself for
what you can achieve. Also, I’ve
been able to communicate with
others by showing them how
to create new things – in the
past, I would have found this
difficult because I always felt
misunderstood in a group.
‘Mind is a great resource for me.
I’ve recently joined Elefriends
– it’s a safe place where I can
be listened to and have support
from those who are going
through similar issues – an
amazing space for those of us
with mental health problems.’
Find your
inner creative!
You don’t need to be a
celebrated artist – it’s
all about having a go.
Crafternoon is a way
of getting together
with friends, family
or colleagues to get
creative and raise
money for Mind.
It can be a really
valuable way of doing
something positive
for yourself, while
fundraising for Mind and
supporting others who
are experiencing mental
health problems.
For your Crafternoon
pack, bursting with
ideas and fundraising
advice, go to
mind.org.uk/craft
Mind Magazine 13