Beyond Recovery is an independent community mental health creative project that started in late 2011.
They are a small group of people who have been gathering ‘expert by experience’ mental health art pieces and literature in the Merseyside area. They want to pass on the wisdom gleaned by people recovering from mental distress about staying well to other people, as well as pointing out local, national and international organisations people can turn to for help and information.
Beyond Recovery have printed two booklets featuring articles and artwork from service users in Merseyside on recovery in mental health. These booklets also featured a guide to local mental health services. They distributed the booklets throughout Merseyside’s shops, bars, cafes and health centres. The booklets were produced in early 2016/2017.
More recently, Beyond Recovery have been working on a blog. You can find this blog here.
You will see the information comes from where the authors have learned most on journeys through mental health systems, diagnoses, education and experience. This is what they aim to share with as wide an audience as possible. The website list is not exhaustive, but is a very valuable resource.
Above all, Beyond Recovery would like to share what they have learned about the field of mental health, if possible, to provide hope and support for others experiencing similar challenges. They want to help people to learn and to grow from what they have been through.
With the West Kirby Drop In Group, they organised a screening of the mental health documentary ‘Crazywise’ in 2018 which was well attended. It is hoped that this documentary had an impact on those who came along to see it. Through the blog and booklets that they have produced, Beyond Recovery have received positive feedback about the work they have been doing. This is a good indicator that their work has been of benefit to people in the community. They hope to continue to be able to help more people over the course of time.
Trustee, Mark Webster, said, “I’ve enjoyed my time as a trustee of the organisation. It has given me a sense of purpose and the opportunity to meet like-minded people. It has been fulfilling work to do during the time the project has been running.”
