The Shambellie House Trust has secured £29,960 from the Scottish Government’s Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund.
Sue Hughes, manager at the property near New Abbey, said: “A core part of this funded project is to deliver a Wellness Through Creativity programme, taking advantage of the peaceful and calming atmosphere of Shambellie House and its grounds.
“Working with local creatives, participants will experience a taster session in an artform, be it drawing, painting, sewing, music; then will be given the opportunity to relax and socialise over coffee and cake, carry on with their artwork, read, meditate, take time out and gain some breathing space.”
The new fund supports adult community-based initiatives to help address the impact of distress and mental ill-health caused by social isolation and loneliness.
It will also address mental health inequalities exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sue said that, in addition, the project will work with specific community groups such as the Shambellie Quilters in conjunction with Alzheimer Scotland which reaches out to people with dementia and their families to make memory quilts.
Ann Hill, of the Quilters of Shambellie House, said: “A quilter will sit with each family, discuss their memories or what may trigger a memory, and then make a quilt containing these significant events.
“This may be an emotional but, hopefully, an enjoyable experience as the family share memories or perhaps learn about each other.
“The resultant quilts are then used to evoke conversation and reminiscence amongst people with dementia and their families and we will encourage a long-term relationship with Shambellie through a new dementia friendly programme.”
The Trust will also work with PAMIS (Promoting a More Inclusive Society) to support the development of multi-sensory stories both with and for people with additional support needs and profound and multiple disabilities, to bring the history of the house to life to wider audiences. In addition, the project will provide training and volunteering experiences to give people with a range of needs the skills to allow them to live independently.
The programme starts this year and continues through 2023.
Shambellie House will open as a new creative centre delivering art, heritage and wellbeing courses this April. A new website has just been launched highlighting the developing programme, shambelliehouse.org.
