Information on Loughborough

Progress In Our Age Ehibition in Loughborough

Posted on 25/08/2008

mental health

An exhibition about the historical treatment of mental health over the last 2000 years, as seen through the eyes of some modern day survivors, will be coming to Charnwood Museum in September.

The exhibition will be opened by Mayor of Charnwood, Councillor Stephen Campbell and the Chairman of Leicestershire County Council, Councillor Tony Kershaw at 7pm on Wednesday 3rd September.

Members of the Recovery Resources Charity used original documents at the Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland to research the local history of mental health treatment. Many of these documents and case histories of patients since Asylums were first introduced to Leicester in the 19th Century are displayed in the exhibition. They are set in the context of changing attitudes and treatments for mental health over the last 2000 years.

Recovery Resources Charity has created this exhibition to bring awareness about the past, present and future of mental health treatment. A spokesperson from Recovery Resources Charity said “We hope that this exhibition will help to improve the way people feel about mental health. To change it from something people don’t want to talk about to something interesting and important.”

The charity hopes that better understanding the treatment of mental health will lead to a better view of the best way to achieve recovery for survivors of mental illness. They have an ambitious target of achieving 50% improvement in recovery statistics between now and 2012 through support, training and education.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a book written by the group ‘Leicestershire and Rutland’s Heritage of Mental Health’ and two pamphlets of survivor life stories entitled ‘If you do not lose everything’ and ‘Leicester Survivors.’

‘Progress In Our Age’ can be seen at Charnwood Museum from 4 September to 28 September. Charnwood Museum is in Queens Park in the centre of Loughborough and is open from 10.00am to 4.30pm Monday to Saturday and 2pm-5pm on Sundays. The exhibition is free.

Charnwood Museum is run as a partnership between Leicestershire County Council and Charnwood Borough Council.

The booklets ‘Leicestershire and Rutland’s Heritage of Mental Health’, ‘If you do not lose everything’, and ‘Leicester Survivors’ will be on sale at Charnwood Museum throughout the exhibition to raise funds for Recovery Resources Charity.