Date: Saturday 19th May
Start: Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG – main entrance outside the Turbine Hall
Ends: Camberwell Green
Times: 12noon – 4:30pm
Cost: free/voluntary donation

Join CoolTan Arts Largactyl Shuffle, a free guided cultural walk around Southwark, promoting mental health and physical wellbeing, using art, humour and history and de-stigmatising mental distress.

This month will be an exploration of the origins of May Day and a celebration of the return of spring. Learn more about the history of the ancient festival and its connection to Southwark. Learn about Walworth May Queens, the Bermondsey Maypole, Morris dancers, Jack in the Green, Sid Barrett, Folk songs and much more!

We are delighted to invite you to the grand unveiling of the CoolTan Arts Largactyl Shuffle Bench Commission on Camberwell green, made possible by Camberwell Community Council’s Cleaner Greener Safer fund, awarded to CoolTan Arts.

Join us on 19th May 2012 at 3pm next to CoolTan Arts’ Ginkgo Tree in the North East corner of Camberwell Green. The unveiling ceremony will be a part of the Largactyl Shuffle May Day walk, starting at Tate Modern at 12noon and arriving at Camberwell Green in time for the unveiling.

We are delighted to announce the attendance of Councillor Dora Dixon-Fyle – Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care, who will say a few words to commemorate the event, on behalf of Southwark Council.

Date: Tuesday 29th May
Starting: Hackney Museum main entrance, 1 Reading Lane, E8 1GQ
Times: 12noon – 3.30pm
Cost: free

Discover hidden histories, share your stories, explore art, culture and mental health history with CoolTan Arts Community Legacy Walks. Meet new friends, get healthier and be part of the excitement around the Olympics and Paralympics!

Meet at 12 noon outside Hackney Museum main entrance (across the square from the Empire, buses stop on Mare Street.) Our friendly guides will be there to meet you. Please wear sensible footwear, bring a bottle of water and some sandwiches.

Walks end at the Olympic park, nearest station: Pudding Mill Lane. Walks last approx 3.5 hours.

CoolTan Arts has been recognised as a ‘Creative Hero’ in the Mental Healthy, Mental Health Hero Awards.

Mental health organisation www.mentalhealthy.co.uk recognise the fantastic achievements of some of the country’s finest heroes, who selflessly and tirelessly look to improve the lives of others.

Created by Mental Healthy founder Charlotte Fantelli, the Mental Health Hero awards celebrate the incredible achievements of people making a real difference in the lives of those with mental illness.

Categories include ‘Community Hero’,  ‘Professional Hero’, ‘Business Hero’ and ‘Creative Hero’ and amongst the winners are some incredible local, national and even global organisations and individuals.

Rags, Tags and a Velvet Gown

CoolTan Arts is delighted to announce that once again our  textile design group have secured a place at the catwalk show in Alternative Fashion week.

Held at Spitalfields Market in East London April 16th – 21th, Alternative Fashion Week showcases the best and brightest of emerging fashion talent. CoolTan Arts are one of only 80 designers selected to show, out of thousands of entries from all over the world.

CoolTan’s collection can be seen on 20^th April. Doors open at 1.15 and admission is free.

CoolTan Arts’ theme of ‘rags tags and a velvet gown’ inspired by Dickens and Victorian dress, promises to be a highlight, with unique, handmade, up-cycled, batiked and bedazzled garments.

Over the coming year, CoolTan Arts will be working with a group of participants and volunteers to create The Dickens News – an original newspaper inspired by Dickens’ first novel The Pickwick Papers.
Produced and published in partnership with The Southwark News, the publication will explore Southwark’s heritage through the prism of Charles Dickens and his early life.

Experiences in Southwark inspired Dickens’ work. He spent his early years in Lant Street and his father was imprisoned for debt in Marshalsea prison. Later, a major theme in his work was social injustice and the enslavement of disadvantaged children and adults.

Mental health organisation Mental Healthy and national charities SANE, The Mental Health Foundation, The centre for Mental Health and Emergence, have recognised the fantastic achievements of CoolTan Arts.
Created by Mental Healthy founder Charlotte Fantelli, the Mental Health Hero awards celebrate the incredible achievements of those heroes making a real difference in the lives of those with mental illness.

Categories include ‘Community Hero’, ‘Professional Hero’, ‘Business Hero’ and ‘Creative Hero’ and the shortlist highlights some incredible local, national and even global organisations and individuals. Shortlisted nominees include local organisations and carers, heroes in the field of academia and research, and the list even recognises corporates like Virgin and Lloyds TSB, and celebrities such as Tulisa Constantavlos, Ruby Wax and Stephen Fry.

Adam, aged 24 and from Wandsworth, won the 1st prize award in the arts category from the Young Achievers Trust. Adam is one of CoolTan Arts’ most dedicated young volunteers.

The awards recognise outstanding contributions in volunteering from inspirational young people in two age groups: 16 to 19 and 20 to 25 year olds. As a first prize winner, Adam will receive a ‘money can’t buy’ experience and a package of support to help him further develop his volunteering. There were four awards: arts, environment, sports and community from the Young Achievers Trust.

Date: Saturday 18th February 2012
Starting: Maudsley Hospital, Denmark Hill, SE5 8AZ
Times: 12noon – 4:30pm
Cost: free/voluntary donation

Join us for a guided walk on through the streets and green spaces of Camberwell and Borough, ending at Cross Bones Cemetery.

En route we will stop for short talks celebrating past and contemporary LGBT locals, ballads of C18th Transgender lads, famous Southwark LGBT artistes, readings  from an original ‘Fairy Story’ illustrating the relationship between Mental Health and the LGBT community & much more.

There are also ‘Alternative Sports’ for all ages: A ‘Voguing’ workshop,’ Kicking the Bigots Out’ Football on Camberwell Green, the launch of positive slogan balloons,  Hop Scotch, Skipping, Disco Street Dancing, Polari, and  treasure hunts!!

CoolTan Arts is delighted to announce that once again our fantastic Textile group have got a place at the catwalk show in Alternative Fashion week.

CoolTan Arts at Alternative Fashion Week 2010

Held at Spitalfields market in East London April 16th – 20th, these catwalk shows showcase the best and brightest of emerging fashion talent. CoolTan Arts Textile group’s theme of ‘rags tags and a velvet gown’, inspired by Dickens and Victorian dress, promises to be a highlight, with our  unique, up- cycled, batiked and bedazzled  garments.

CoolTan Arts is one of only 70 designers selected to show, out of thousands of entries.

Your chance to get involved …

Volunteers needed!
Would you like to gain a unique experience with a lively, independent arts organisation?

January 21st 12noon at Maudsley Hospital, walking to South London Gallery
Join CoolTan Arts Largactyl Shuffle, a free guided cultural walk promoting mental health and physical wellbeing using art, humour and history to help de-stigmatise mental distress.

This month’s Fitness Walk begins outside the Maudsley Hospital at 12noon. Instead of the usual talks, each stop on the walk will feature a simple, fun, physical activity to help you gently warm up to wellbeing in the New Year. The walk will end at the South London Gallery, taking in some of Southwark’s green spaces where we will be skipping and running three-legged races.

On Tuesday 6th December 2011 Richard Muzira of CoolTan Arts, our brilliant film maker, won a ‘Local Heroes’award from Bank of America for his volunteer service. CoolTan Arts is very proud of his achievement, not just as a volunteer but his skills asa video maker. This is a brilliant achievement for CoolTan Arts’ unique approach to stigmabusting as we bring Mental Health and Disability to the forefront. Thankyou Bank of America and thankyou Richard, who says …

‘It is refreshing to see a corporation exercising its social responsibility towards the community it operates in.’

Richard chose CoolTan Arts as the charity of his choice to donate his £3000 prize from Bank of America of unrestricted funds – which the organisation greatly needs due to the cuts to the provision of services.

CoolTan Arts believes mental wellbeing is enhanced by the power of creativity

PRESS RELEASE

CoolTan Arts Largactyl Shuffle – Jingle Bells Walk

Date: Saturday 17^th December 2011

Starting: Tate Modern, Turbine Hall entrance SE1 9TG

Finishing: Maudsley Hospital

Times: 12noon – 4pm   Cost: free/voluntary donation

Come and join us and make some festive noise!

We will be singing and playing our way through the streets of Southwark, bringing some merry cheer and light as the nights draw in. Your voice and instruments are very welcome!

Date: Saturday 19th November 2011

Starting: Tate Modern, SE1 9TG Finishing: Bunhill

Times: 12noon – 4pm Cost: free/voluntary donation

Join CoolTan Arts Largactyl Shuffle, a free guided cultural walk around Southwark, promoting mental health and physical wellbeing, using art, humour and history and de-stigmatising mental distress.

This walk focuses on William Blake, an English poet, painter, and printmaker (1757 – 1827). Largely unrecognized during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. During the walk, we will explore themes of Poetry, Art, The City of London, Blake’s influence on artists, Religion, Politics, Revolutionaries, Abolition, Riots and Mental Health, not to mention Non-Conformism!

CoolTan Arts would like to say a MASSIVE THANK YOU to all who came on the walk on Saturday. And to everyone who sponsored us, the donations go directly to supporting the work of the charity and so far we have made £6225.  The day was a huge success with fantastic testimonials from walkers and supporters, all your help is very much appreciated and makes a real difference.  Thank you once again for being a part of CoolTan Arts Sponsored Walk 2011! We hope you enjoyed the day as much as we did, with acclaimed patron Arthur Smith, the Deputy Mayor Southwark and our own Tree Planting, it was a truly memorable occasion.  To see photos click here

 

If you would like to sign up to our mailing list and hear about more events please email us at info@cooltanarts.org.uk And you can still sponsor us at http://www.justgiving.com/cooltanarts

 

Saturday 15 October 2011, 11.30am at Maudsley Hospital

No Health Without Mental Health!

Arthur Smith is new Largactyl Shuffle Sponsored Walk Patron 2011

CoolTan Arts is delighted to announce the very talented Arthur Smith as the Largactyl Shuffle Sponsored Walk patron 2011 – The internationally renowned comedian, playwright, author and broadcaster will join us on 15 October to walk, promote World Mental Health Day and raise money for CoolTan Arts.

Want to meet him? – then walk with us to help raise money and promote World Mental Health Day.

He says: “Supporting CoolTan’s Sponsored Walk and Promoting World Mental Health Day this year, is something I am pleased to do especially as I have had friends and family who have suffered clinical depression.

Engage, the National Council for Voluntary Organisation’s online membership magazine, has featured an article on CoolTan Arts’ funding cuts on its front page. Suzie Ragab describes the problem to Nicola Gilbert …

“After the loss of our core funding, we were assured people who attend CoolTan Arts would be transferred onto a personal budget if eligible. Seven months on, not a single person has a personal budget. CoolTan Arts is doing all it can to continue our popular workshops and activities but this is proving extremely difficuly without extra support.

Without our NHS funding being replaced and without personalisation, we cannot deliver services to eligible people.

Michelle Baharier and Richard Muzira (with Very Special Guest) will be broadcasting on Resonance FM tomorrow, Friday 14 October, 16:00 – 16:30. Among other things, they will be talking about this Saturday’s BIG Sponsored Largactyl Shuffle. Don’t miss it!

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Celebrate World Mental Health Day with a brand new exhibition of work by CoolTan participants exploring the power of creativity, in mixed media. Entry is free and offers the opportunity to experience the output of our unique creative workshops first hand.  Don’t miss this opportunity to be inspired with art-works, ranging from paintings and drawings to sculpture and batik or even buy a new painting for your home.

Come along and meet the artists at our launch party! Refreshments are available, all welcome!

Exhibition continues until 13 January 2012

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