We were delighted to have Ros Wynne-Jones from the Daily Mirror, who showed the world that Birkenhead is reinventing and reimagining culture, community, and local pride through mental health by stealth and disruptive creativity, pioneered by the Left Bank Collective (Joy/Open Door, Future Yard, Make CIC, Start Yard and Make it Happen).

Where Joy Lives

Ros met with Lee Pennington and Alex Shears (Open Door Charity and Joy), Rachel Smith-Evans (Quirky Academy CIC), Liam Comer (Positivitree), and Dr Jenny Lawrenson (Wirral Mental Health Access Team) to discuss the impact Joy has had not only on their organisations, but on the wider Merseyside community.

Ros reflects on her time at Joy, explaining to readers:

Joy bills itself as “a mental health support, social action, arts and culture third space” that fosters “love and human connection”. “Our aim is to build the most progressive mental wellness space in the country, changing the NHS in a positive way and setting a national example of how we can work differently,” says Lee, who runs Open Door, a charity reimagining mental health through belonging…

Inside, Joy is host to a whole range of mental health provisions from NHS services to art therapy to counselling, while offering a community cafe, and a place for weddings, afternoon raves and local events. “By all moving in together, we don’t know what will happen,” Lee says. “But we know if things live together new things and new impacts happen.” 

Birkenhead – Town of Culture bid

The Joy Makers know that now, more than ever, it is important to be working on a united front. With The Left Bank Collective working to secure Birkenhead is awarded the first ever Town of Culture, the Joy team are certain this will bring life changing opportunities for our community.

For everyone in the Collective, the mantra is experiential change – that by going out and spending time with people, and experiencing something new and different, people and places can change their futures.

You can read the full article on the Daily Mirror website.