[LAUIL601] Secondary Research: Museum of Mental Health

 https://www.southwestyorkshire.nhs.uk/mental-health-museum/home/

• Located in Wakefield, England. If not for the pandemic and not having Tami due to surgery and recovery, I'd do some primary research there

"Our extraordinary collection aims to support the empowerment of people, joining together combat mental health stigma and prejudice. Together we can co-curate a mindful, knowledgeable and active society. “Access to real, powerful and tangible human experiences inspires change; from the privately personal, to a collective revolution.” We aim to become a leading resource for the history of mental health care in the UK, and debates surrounding mental health and lived experiences. We want to explore mental health histories to help forge a sustainable future where people can live fulfilling lives in their communities."

• Museum featuring mental health–related artefacts from the 19th century to the present day.

• Address: Fieldhead Hospital, Ouchthorpe Ln, Wakefield WF1 3SP

• Manifesto is more than a document - it is a mission

Work with many local outreach groups

• The museum was originally opened as the Stephen G Beaumont Museum in 1974 at the Stanley Royd Hospital in Wakefield.

• The idea to set up a museum was developed by hospital secretary Mr Lawrence Ashworth.

• The original museum was named after Mr Stephen G Beaumont, the Chairman of the committee, who agreed to fund the museum and its development.

• The Stephen G Beaumont Museum focused exclusively on the history of Stanley Royd Hospital, which opened as the West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum in 1818. The museum grew to become the largest mental health provider in West Yorkshire in the 19th and 20th century.

• The Stephen G Beaumont Museum remained on the Stanley Royd Hospital site until 1995 when the hospital closed and the museum moved to its current location at Fieldhead Hospital.

• The old museum was largely visited by senior medical professionals and researchers, and it was inaccessible to many service users and local people in Wakefield.It became a space for broader debates around mental health care history, a place to break down barriers to wellbeing, combat mental health stigma, and be active in social justice.

•  Collections - Vivify: A Different World. Vivify engages people who access older people’s services and mental health services.

•  "Whether you are an author, production company, student, artist or an amateur historian, you may wish to use an image of an item from our collection in your work. If your work is commercial, like a TV show or a book, we may charge you to use our images. If you want to use an image for a non-commercial purpose, like in a dissertation or an information leaflet, then there will be no charge."

• Our Mission: 

- To promote understanding, empowerment and respect.

- To combat social inequality, prejudice, stigma, and ignorance.

- To contribute towards breaking down the barriers of well-being.

• Our statement of purpose: To become a leading resource for the history of mental health care, debates surrounding contemporary mental health care and treatments, lifelong learning.

• The Facebook seems to be a hub of more activity where they regularly share and update

Twitter: MHMwakefield

Instagram: allofusinmind

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/MentalHealthMuseum/

Reflection: The website is pretty short and compact with lots of positive abd encouraging language around mental health.

The museum of mental health seems to be a more physical presence that you have to visit in person to get an understanding of the space, the collections, the impact of the history but unfortunately it's closed due to the pandemic. It was nice to have an insight to the beginnings and the current mission statement but not much else is available.