North Tyneside art charity helps mental health recovery from pandemic

Mental health experts in the North East say arts and crafts could help people recover, psychologically, from the effects of the pandemic.

The charity North Tyneside Art Studio has been using art and creative activities to improve the lives of people experiencing mental health problems for over 30 years.

Currently the organisation helps around 200 people and following the pandemic they saw and increase in demand.

Nationally, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics, the number of people likely to be suffering with depression doubled in 2020.

As a region, the North East has the highest proportion of adults reporting that they suffered with mild to severe depression during the pandemic across England, Scotland and Wales.

  • Sarah Greaves, Art Psychotherapist

Classes at North Tyneside Art Studio continued online during lockdowns because of how vital they are to the people that use them.

Chris Brown has been going to the studio since late 2020 after his wife encouraged him to get support.