Event date: 7 October 2021, 10.00am to 4.00pm
Event categories:
- Trust wide
Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust is once again celebrating the health and wellbeing benefits of creative arts by hosting a virtual National Poetry Day.
The day-long event on Thursday 7 October (10am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm) will be hosted via its social inclusion and participation community outreach services based at The Life Rooms and is free. National Poetry Day is an initiative of the Forward Arts Foundation and supported by several arts organisations. Mersey Care has hosted the annual event for many years in association with cultural partners and its previous Poet in Residence, Dr Pauline Rowe.
This year is special as 2021 is designated Liverpool's Year of Writing. Mersey Care’s Chairman Beatrice Fraenkel will be reading a favourite poem and the event will be led by newly appointed Writer in Residence at The Life Rooms, Maria Isakova Bennett, an award-winning poet, published author and artist based in Merseyside.
Maria explained: “National Poetry Day is an annual mass celebration that encourages everyone to enjoy, discover and share poetry. I’m delighted to be hosting this year’s event, however due to concerns around Covid our event will be held online via Zoom. We hope this will enable as many people as possible to safely participate, listen to some wonderful pieces of poetry and share their own works.”
Michael Crilly, Director of Social Inclusion and Participation based at The Life Rooms said: “Our National Poetry Day events have always been a great success. Despite the pandemic we have continued to offer many of our services online so we’d like to welcome virtual visitors on National Poetry Day to once again, to share and inspire the tremendous creativity that can have a positive impact on mental health and wellbeing.
“This is one of a number of arts-based and learning activities we offer as part of our holistic approach to health and wellbeing across our geographical footprint. We welcome anyone who’d like to join in and explore the benefits of creativity.”
Mersey Care wants to hear from participants of The Life Rooms, Mersey Care service users and carers, staff, cultural partners and the wider public. The theme for this year’s National Poetry Day is “Choice” and people taking part have an opportunity to pre-book a short time slot to read their own works, or simply attend and listen to others. There is also a pre-bookable creative writing workshop led by Maria Isakova Bennett.
- To book a place or find out more, email Maria Isakova Bennett on mariamersey1
@gmail.com or go online to www.liferooms.org
Further information:
Timetable for Thursday 7 October
10am to 11.20am: Creative Writing workshop with Writer in Residence at The Life Rooms, Maria Isakova Bennett.
11.30am to 1pm: Launch of ‘Quintet’ a pamphlet created by Life Rooms’ participants, including readings of their work by the authors.
2pm: Welcome and start of afternoon session by Chairman of Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust Beatrice Fraenkel, with a favourite poem.
2.15pm to 4pm: Open mic readings with 5-minute slots, must pre-book sessions via Maria Isakova Bennett or The Life Rooms.
4pm: Closing Remarks
Ends
For further information please contact: Myles Hodgson, Media Manager, 0151 473 2797 myles
Biography, Maria Isakova-Bennett: Maria, a freelance writer, artist, and teacher from Liverpool has worked as a tutor for Mersey Care since 2017. She was a recipient of a New North Poets’ Award in 2017 and was poet and artist in residence at Poetry in Aldeburgh in 2018. Maria creates and edits the hand-stitched poetry journal, Coast to Coast to Coast. She is widely published in the UK and Ireland and is the author of …an ache in each welcoming kiss (2019); All of the Spaces (2018); and Caveat, (2015). https://www.mariaisakova.com
National Poetry Day generates an explosion of activity nationwide, thousands of amazing events across the UK – in schools, hospitals, health centres, libraries and at kitchen tables, both online and offline, all celebrating poetry’s power to bring people together. Mersey Care has contributed to NPD events over several years. For more information about this national campaign go to: https://nationalpoetryday.co.uk/
The Life Rooms provide a safe and welcoming service to meet others, access opportunities and learn about community resources. For more information go to: www.liferooms.org
Mersey Care Fact File
During 2020/21 Mersey Care
- employed around 8,000 staff and served a population of almost 11 million people
- provided care, treatment and support through its mental health, secure and specialist learning disability services to 40,871 service users
- received 190,849 distinct referrals within its community services
- provided services from 130 sites both of its own and premises rented from others
- had 765 inpatient beds as of 31 March 2021
- had 1,805,976 outpatient attendances, community contacts or domiciliary visits.