Clapperboard and Mersey Care team up to bust misconceptions about mental health

Maureen Sinclair Director of Clapperboard UK is delighted to announce an exciting new collaboration between Clapperboard and Mersey Care NHS Trust. This innovative joint venture aims to help all those suffering from and working with mental health issues to tell their stories through a short film-making project.

In partnership with Clapperboard, the new film-making group will produce their future productions under the title of Re-Arrange Film + Media founded to give service users aged between 15 and 25 the skills with which to tell their own stories via the creative arts. The young people are being taught every aspect of film making from script writing through to directing and editing to give them a unique voice. Their first short is already in pre-production and will be entered into this year’s Clapperboard Award Ceremony.

Many of Clapperboard’s famous patrons have already expressed great support and admiration for the project including long-time collaborator Neil Fitzmaurice, star of smash hits Peep Show and Phoenix Nights.

Neil said “Clapperboard’s is a great award winning community film making charity tackling many difficult issues that young people and their communities face. There should be no stigma attached to mental health as many people either suffer from or know someone who has. I’m extremely happy to support new exciting joint initiative with Mersey Care and look forward to seeing the final film that the young people are presently making”.

Michael Crilly, Deputy Director for People Participation at Mersey Care NHS Trust said: ‘Mersey Care is delighted to be working in partnership with Clapperboard, enabling young people to explore their own mental health and well-being in the context of their own contemporary culture. Recovery is a journey that is all about offering hope, control and opportunity. In this project our young people are able to tell their story in such a way that all three elements become a living and powerful reality’.

With actress Tina Malone (Shameless), and local author Dino Costi (Venus Lionheart).