Flagrant clogging up of the internets with repeat posting. Very rude of me, but I’m trying to raise money for charity.
Anyway, the original post can be viewed on the Social Arts NEtwork, here.
Long time no blog… oops. My main excuse for this is avoidance.
Yes, avoidance.
See, the London – Cambridge walk gets closer and closer and my levels of training have really not been what they ought. Until last week the most exciting distance I had walked was to London Bridge from our Whitechapel office. This I have done twice, both after the pub (its been quite a late spring and I needed the beer jacket).
But, change is a-foot!
First, I have been spurred on by my lovely supporters: http://www.justgiving.com/abi-walks-to-cambridge
This has been *amazing*. I put up one facebook message squinnying about the walk and people I haven’t spoken with in years or have maybe only met a couple of times have come out in force to support me. You are truly awesome and I’m going to complete this thing for you lot alone, let along the good works we’re doing.
In terms of these ‘good works’, Escape Artists have recently confirmed a new project part-funded by the NHS and working closely with a Mental Health team in a prison and young offender institute.
Lord Bradley’s recent report suggests that there are more people with mental health problems in prisons today than ever before. Not only is prison a really high-cost option for dealing with people with mental health needs, but it is inappropriate as a setting for mental health care and is ineffective in reducing subsequent offending*.
Working with that confidence that comes from engaging with the arts, Escape Artists – supported by the Syd Barrett Fund – hope to provide part of the alternative. Both in prisons and once clients are back out in the community, our primary aim is to assist individuals in the development of literacy and numeracy, and the key social skills that can aid them in the process of becoming an employable, self supporting, and personally fulfilled citizen.
Second in the change to my training attitude, I am being encouraged by (taking part in mutual bullying with?) my training buddy, Escape Artists Finance Manager and my mother, Penny. On Mothering Sunday she came over to my house in South East London and we had a lovely eleven mile walk in the sunshine. Highlights include:
- The Horniman Museum Gardens. These are *lush*, and covered in crocii – purple, yellow and white flowers proving that spring has finally sprung. I am inspired to garden!
- Peckham Rye Common. People get snooty about Peckham. The park and the common are lovely, there are lots of small art spaces and galleries in addition to the South London Gallery… and the shops and market on Rye Lane are awesomely colourful. You could get *anything* there.
- The lovely shops of East Dulwich. The classy side of Southwark, row upon row of independent retailers. Apparently the organic butcher attracts people from across the entirety of Greater London and beyond.
- Sydenham Hill Woods. Very near my house, had *no* idea these were here. There is an abandoned railway station which was once on the Crystal Palace and South Junction Railway, and was once painted by Camille Pisarro! Check out the wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lordship_Lane_railway_station
- Dulwich Park. Which is enormous and *beautiful*. I thoroughly recommend it and can’t wait to see it when its teeming with ickle ducklings, but don’t feed the birds except for in the designated area! Sadly the Dulwich Picture Gallery was closed by the time we got that far in our journey, but its on a lovely site with some grand old houses around the area so I will be sure to go back some time.
Wow. A long post. We are finally doing our Thames Path walk this weekend – hopefully a group of about six Syd Barrett walkers – so I’ll report back soon. I’ve also got some tips stored up for pre- and post- exercise stretching and a story about a pedometer… so watch this space!
* from Diversion: A better way for criminal justice and mental health published by the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health 2009 – email admin@escapeartists.co.uk if you’d like more information
