They have created a wall display for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week theme of ‘Nature’ and have also created some nature inspired arts and crafts.
Roy, one of the service users on Swift Ward, wrote this short piece on nature and how it inspired their wall display:
“I am not an expert in Tai Chi but I have seen a lot of films where the practise takes place besides such beautiful landmarks. The waterfall near Cygnet Hospital Taunton demonstrates the awe-inspiring force that is nature.
“Nature has a calming influence and has inspired our ward display for Mental Health Awareness Week. Our display of handmade butterflies, service user photographs of the local area and our thoughts about mental health celebrates how nature mirrors the circle of life and the circle of seasons like the arm movements in Tai Chi.
“Nature is full of animals that take time to protect and look after themselves. This could be a lesson for us humans in promoting our own mental health.”
Another service user, Colin, said, “We never need an excuse to go outside at this time of year but feeling the wind in our hair and the sun on our legs during a ramble to the ‘secret’ local lake during the #CygnetWithNature challenge seemed even more special as we thought about all the reasons we appreciate nature and the calming effect it has on our minds. It would take a bit to beat what Mother Nature gave us – this green and pleasant land that brings back memories and inspires new ideas.”