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| Cherry Rudge on the Hoarding Ice-Breaker stand at Fastminds Festival |
I feel
very privileged to have been allowed to promote the Hoarding Ice-Breaker Form at an amazing ground-breaking event
recently (14th & 15th September 2018) - The
Fastminds Neurodiversity Arts Festival 2018.
It was
organised by the wonderful folks at Fastminds - the Adult ADHD/ASC Support Group I'm involved
with in Kingston-upon-Thames.
Performers,
artists and people affected by a vast spectrum of neurodiversities and medical
conditions came from far and wide for two days of creative inspiration, live
music, interactive performances, short film screenings, market stalls, story-telling,
poetry, and being themselves - enjoying spending time with people who accept
them for who they are, irrespective of their disabilities - hidden or
otherwise.
Click here to see the video of the event.
Click here to see the video of the event.
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| Cherry explaining the Hoarding Ice-Breaker form to the Mayor of Kingston |
The
festival’s Creative Director - Isabelle Haythorne – did a GRAND job! She's an art therapist and runs the Sutton ASD group. Her can-do
attitude and her connections with her partner Keith Gould - who has experience
of live events and was the festival’s Technical Manager - made it all possible.
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| Chill-out room |
I was
particularly blown away by the fantastic chill-out room - where people could go
for some peace and quiet – it was a triumph, so many congratulations to Sarah
and her team! |
| Fastminds art |
Wonderful original
canvas artworks created by members of the Fastminds group were on sale,
together with some absolutely STUNNING cards of paintings they'd created to
raise money for the event and the group. The cards are also
available to purchase online - click here for
the Fastminds section of the We All Send Cards website, or
contact Fastminds .
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| Sheena Crankson with Mayor of Kingston Thay Thayalan |
Special praise must go to the founder of Fastminds, Sheena Crankson, without
whom there would have been no festival and no support group.
Sheena had
a life-changing experience when she was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 47, after
her son was diagnosed with ADHD (he also has Asperger’s). She is the Fairy Godmother and Guardian Angel
for the Fastminds group, and works tirelessly to support and advocate
for members, especially in their hour of need - whether it be offering help
filling in forms; helping members to challenge cuts to their benefits; helping
folks get a referral for a diagnosis; sourcing help and support; arranging
activities for the group to take part in, or simply being there for them to
vent their frustrations.
Afterward the festival Sheena said “A huge
thanks to all the fabulous folks who attended this amazing event, and to all
our volunteers who selflessly gave up their time to support us. We made new friends and strengthened ties
with existing ones.
The core aims of this event were to:
- Be user-led by members of our Fastminds support group
- Demonstrate the value of neurodiversity within society and the arts
- Promote the creativity of neurodiverse people, with free art & design workshops
- Promote inclusivity and bring both ‘neurotypical’ and neurodiverse people together
- Enable neurodiverse people’s voices to be heard, particularly by opinion formers and decision makers within NHS
- Enhance partnerships between community, healthcare providers and organisations in neurodiverse contexts in Kingston Upon Thames.
- Exhibit fine art, photography, film and performance (poetry, music, dance, standup comedy).
- Keep the event disability / sensory friendly by making / providing reasonable adjustments
We’re delighted that the two days more than achieved
these goals, and we’re already planning further similar events”.
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| Anna Dyson at her Intuitive Oils stand. The leggings, bags and cushions were fantastic! |
During the
festival I was asked to speak in a thought-provoking and deeply moving story-telling
session, run by Alex of The Mindful Compass.
One of the story tellers - talented
artist Anna Dyson of Intuitive Oils in
Kingston - gave a moving account of her struggles at school where she was unsuccessful
with her exams; the difficulties she’d encountered of getting a diagnosis of
ADHD (which finally happened when she was 52), Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and Irlen Sydrome, and the
challenges she faces on a daily basis getting help and support for herself and
her neurodiverse family.
After the
festival Anna said "I have
laughed, cried, danced, sung, drawn, and been drawn and painted, spoke
twice in front of a live audience, watched inspiring films, live music, was
blown away by the live art installation The Suit Project, and so much
more".
"I’ve met some of the bravest most courageous, amazing , colourful
, intelligent, talented and creative people from all
ages and all walks of life. I’ve seen people grow in confidence after
exhibiting their art in our gallery, or having their art made into greetings
cards, and also taking on other roles that they’re not familiar with.
But most of
all been reminded of the massive difference it can make when you are with
people who just ‘get you’ just the way you are".
I'm very grateful to my wonderfully thoughtful friend Anna - who has high functioning Autism (and suspects she may have ADHD too) and raises loads of money for the National Autistic Society - for driving all the way from the other side of Surrey to attend the event. This was a major achievement, as travelling can be difficult for her due to the sensory overload that goes with it - and of course then the social interaction with members of the public can sometimes be problematic. Fortunately, she thoroughly enjoyed herself and had a go at making various crafts, listening to music and immersing herself in the amazing atmosphere.
My own personal
key takeaways from this wonderful event are that:
- By working together amazing things can be achieved.
- The event brought together some amazing non-judgemental, empathetic individuals from all walks of life: people who had been born with neurological conditions; people who had acquired or contracted them or had been affected by them through family or friends.
- Having excellent local peer-led support groups such as Fastminds empowers people to talk about the problems they experience with like-minded, non-judgemental, compassionate people who have probably experienced similar issues.
- Getting an appropriate early diagnosis and appropriate person-centred help and support – whether it be for neurological conditions; or issues associated with an inability to plan, declutter or organise; hoarding issues or mental health issues – could save the country millions of pounds, as without practical help and support, the implications can include chronic psychological distress; learned helplessness; poor self-care; substance abuse; low self-esteem; employment difficulties and troubled long-term relationships.
- Having the Hoarding Ice-Breaker form at the festival was the right thing to do, as it encouraged conversations about the difficulties that many people with neurological conditions have with organising, planning, decluttering, disorganisation, hoarding and compulsive shopping, and how it affects their health. Some people were in tears talking about it, as I was the first person they’d spoken to who really understood their predicaments and who offered hope (through the services of Rainbow Red) for being able to make practical progress towards achieving their goals.
- Embracing neurodiversity enriches my life, and has made me a more understanding and patient person as a result.
- Amazing people like Sheena should be paid to run support groups for vulnerable people, and not have to give up their precious time without being rewarded for the invaluable service and safe-havens (micro-communities) they offer, or spend their time fund-raising to subsidise their expenses.
- Educating people about neurodiversity and the difficulties faced by people affected by neurological conditions is essential if Governments and future generations are ever going to consider implementing a more holistic and compassionate approach towards supporting people who are neurologically different and vulnerable to abuse. Abuse like withdrawing or reducing benefits for no good reason, for example.
- It’s about time the Government realised the damage it can do to vulnerable people by cutting their benefits without justification. The stresses and strains of receiving an inappropriate benefit grade without consultation; the sense of rejection; having to jump through bureaucratic hoops to appeal, and the financial and emotional strain it puts on people and their families often results in their mental and physical health deteriorating (and the health of their supporters too), which must surely increase annual health and social care costs by millions of pounds!
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| An art installation by wheelchair artist Mary Ellen which included alarming statistics about the number of people who have died since being told they were fit enough to return to work... |
It also puts additional pressure on volunteers like Sheena, who already have more than enough on their plates.
For more
information about the Fastminds Support Group and their weekly and monthly
meetings at Kingston Quaker Centre, check out the events page on their
website: http://www.adhdkingston.org.uk/events.html
If you
would like to help support Sheena, the Fastminds Support Group and the
Fastminds Neurodiversity Arts Festival, please consider:
- donating via Local Giving - https://localgiving.org/charity/fastminds/
- buying their fabulous cards which are for sale online at
- buying original canvases of the artwork for the cards – to have a look at what’s available, simply pop along to one of the Fastminds Support Group meetings, or contact Sheena Crankson directly
About the Fastminds ADHD/ASC Support Group
FASTMINDS is an
acronym for common symptoms that are often seen in Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD):
- Forgetful.
- Achieving below potential.
- Stuck in a rut.
- Time challenged.
- Motivationally challenged.
- Impulsive.
- Novelty seeking.
- Distractible.
- Scattered.
What is
Neurodiversity?
According to the University of California (San Francisco), there are
more than 600 neurological
disorders - diseases
that affect the brain and the central and autonomic nervous system, and
millions of people around the World.
They're broadly classified into:
- Sudden onset conditions (e.g. acquired brain injury or spinal cord injury)
- Intermittent and unpredictable conditions (e.g. epilepsy, ME, certain types of headache, or the early stages of multiple sclerosis)
- Progressive conditions (e.g. motor neurone disease, Parkinson’s disease, or later stages of multiple sclerosis)
- Stable neurological conditions (e.g. post-polio syndrome, or cerebral palsy in adults)
Common examples include ADHD; Alzheimer's Disease; Aneurysms; Asperger's Syndrome; Autism; Bell's Palsy; Brain and Spinal Tumours; Carpal Tunnel Syndrome; Cerebral Atrophy; Dementia; Dyslexia; Guillain-Barre Syndrome; Huntingdon's Disease; Lyme Disease; Meningitis; Muscular Dystrophy; Sleep Apnea; Stroke; Tourette Syndrome and Traumatic Brain Injury.
