Festival showcases impact of arts on wellbeing

CELEBRITY guests will help to launch Leeds Partnership NHS Foundation Trust's Love Arts Festival next month. Comedienne, Ruby Wax, and TV personality and GP, Dr Phil Hammond, will visit the annual members day on 27 September to kick off the event. The festival is a seven-week extravaganza which is the culmination of eight years developing links between arts, mental health and wellbeing through the trust's Arts and Minds network. The aim of the project is to develop the role of the arts in health and social care while enabling people who may feel excluded to take part in the cultural life of Leeds. A trust spokesman said: "We believe the arts has an important role to play in keeping us healthy, happy and feeling included in our communities. Our festival will explore the links between arts, creativity and wellbeing as well as recovery for people experiencing mental distress. Our aspiration is that the festival will unite the city around a shared purpose to improve understanding of mental health and challenge stigma." The event is organised by the trust in conjunction with Arts and Minds, Leeds City Council, Arts Council England and NHS Leeds.