Wirral musician Bill Ryder Jones has been announced as patron of the Liverpool Mental Health Festival 2016 as they ask for Merseyside artists to join them in celebrating the festival.
Co-founding The Coral when he was 13 years old, Bill has experienced his own mental health struggles and believes that being upfront about mental health is a positive thing.
Bill said: “It’s a real honour to be asked to be a patron.
“Everyone knows that being open about issues of mental distress is what will one day shatter the taboo. What a brilliant thing that we can celebrate our imperfections whilst raising awareness and hopefully dispelling some myths along the way.
“Liverpool Mental Health Festival is without a doubt a brilliant thing run by brilliant people that do brilliant things for so many. Mental health problems can be a distressing thing to be around.
“Issues of mental health have been part of my life for so long, mostly those experiences have been painful and bitter but being involved in these kinds of shared acts of solidarity and understanding lessens that load.
“I think the arts, as a tool, can help us find beauty in the most awful of things, that’s the one reason I’m so proud to be involved.”
From October 1 to October 16, Liverpool’s first Mental Health Festival will take over venues across the city with the programme of events being free entry.
In May, organisers of the festival asked people from Merseyside to submit artwork for this year’s art exhibition now spread between two venues, Constellations and Unit 51.
Development manager at Liverpool Mental Health Consortium, Claire Stevens, said: “Over the last two years, the art exhibition has gone from strength to strength and is a great example of how the festival provides a platform for people with experience of mental distress to take part and express themselves.
“We hope that the exhibition will provoke and delight in equal measures.”
On October 10, Bill will also be announcing the winner of Mental Health and Me Competition at Liverpool Central Library.
In 2015, more than 27,000 people took part in World Mental Health Day in Williamson Square, with music, performance and stalls providing advice about mental health.
For more information about the festival or to volunteer visit www.liverpoolmentalhealth.org or email hello@liverpoolmentalhealth.org
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