A Place of Sanctuary: Essex as a landscape for mental health and well-being.

Spiralseed are very pleased to have been invited to participate in  this forthcoming event organised as part of Focal Point’s current program of events relating to Mental Health awareness in Essex.

With its many land settlements and self-sufficient communities, Essex in the early twentieth century provided an escape from the poverty and mental distress of the slums of East London. From retreats such as Greenwood in Stock, The Othona Community at Bradwell and the work at Runwell Hospital, Essex has long been a home for new approaches to mental health and well-being – a tradition which continues to this day in the work of Trustlinks, Spiralseed and others.

Essex as a landscape for mental health and well-being will form the starting point for a panel discussion with Mandy Barber, Graham Burnett and Ken Worpole.

This event is free and all are welcome. To book your free ticket, please click here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-place-of-sanctuary-essex-as-a-landscape-for-mental-health-and-well-being-tickets-50496148339

Please note that this event is taking place at the Lecture Theatre in the Beecroft Art Gallery, a five minute walk from Focal Point Gallery. For directions, please see here: https://goo.gl/maps/nqQWUsbBMFE2

Beecroft Art Gallery, Victoria Avenue,  Southend on Sea, Essex, SS2 6EX

Mandy Barber is a perenial vegetable farmer of ‘Incredible Vegetables’, an experimental vegetable growing project, plant research space and perennial vegetable nursery. Originally from Essex, Mandy regularly contributes to Grow Your Own Magazine and has recently spoken at events including Toby Buckland’s Garden Festival, the Edible Garden Show at Stoneleigh Park and the 2017 South West Permaculture Convergence in Exeter.

Graham Burnett teaches permaculture and works with projects and organizations including Comic Relief, Capital Growth, Bioregional, Naturewise, OrganicLea, Birmingham Decoy, Trust Links, Green Adventure, the Vegan Organic Network, Thrive, Ars Terra (Los Angeles), and Ekosense Ecovillage (Croatia), as well as a number of Transition Town initiatives. In addition to cultivating his own garden and allotments, Graham contributes to publications as diverse as Positive News, The Sunday Times, Permaculture Magazine, Permaculture Activist, New Leaves, The Raven, Growing Green, Funky Raw, The Vegan, and The Idler.

Ken Worpole is a writer and social historian, whose work includes many books on architecture, landscape and contemporary culture; and he is professor emeritus at London Metropolitan University. Recent publications include Modern Hospice Design (2009), The New English Landscape (with photographer James Orton, 2013), Contemporary Library Architecture (2013) and Radical Essex (2018).