HSE marks achievements of Wexford-based recovery and mental health awareness programme

Supported by the Wexford Mental Health Association, the HSE and Waterford Wexford Education and Training Board, the Discover/Recover Theatre Project is a co-produced, evidence-based, cross-sector arts, health and education programme, working to promote recovery, mental health literacy, early recognition and intervention.

A consequent live drama piece was co-created, enabling the sharing of the learnings from the project participants' experiences. An accompanying workshop was co-produced to amplify the project's educational potential, which was informed by best practice in recovery education and suicide prevention.

On Tuesday, September 24, in Wexford Arts Centre, two performances of A Face in the Crowd (produced and directed by Jim Roche) were presented to audiences by the Discover/Recover Theatre Project, which was also supported by Adult Literacy for Life (ALL) Collaboration and Innovation Fund.

Following the second performance in Wexford Arts Centre, the group was presented with a certificate to acknowledge their citation in the Health Service Excellence Awards by Derval Howley, Head of Service/Health and Wellbeing, HSE/South East Community Healthcare and Anne Donaghey, Head of Service/Mental Health, HSE/South East Community Healthcare.

The Health Service Excellence Awards aim to encourage and inspire people to develop better health services, while they also promote shared learning for other teams through the award winner's success stories. Developed as a health promotion and improvement initiative, the Discover/Recover Theatre Project was a finalist in the "Right Care, Right Time, Right Place" category.

The Discover/Recover Theatre Project was made possible by the generosity of a group of individuals, all from Co. Wexford, who came together back in 2015.

Working in co-production with Occupational Therapists Paula Lowney and Mairead Connaughton, this courageous group of individuals shared the stories of their individual experiences, with encompassing themes of mental health challenges, life, suicide and recovery. The threads of these stories were then woven into the live drama piece by playwright Niall O'Muirí, experienced in the Wexford Arts Centre.

Up to 200 people, from all over Co. Wexford had the opportunity to engage with the project as a result of the ALL Collaboration and Innovation Funding.

Speaking after the performances of "A Face in the Crowd" in Wexford Arts Centre, Imelda Dempsey, Operations Manager, Wexford Mental Health Association, said: "It is wonderful that this amazing project is being acknowledged for figuring in the 2023 HSE Excellence Awards, having been picked out for citation by a selection panel.

"We feel that the project is a very worthy recipient, as we believe that the project is exceptional," added Ms Dempsey.

"A special thanks is also due to our wonderful actors and our sponsors over the years, who have made all our performances possible. We hope that this collaboration can continued over the next number of years and we look forward to supporting this project in the future," she concluded.