Mental Health Awareness Week - art, social change, and healing with 'Mend, Tend + Change the Future'

MCRJourno

As Mental Health Awareness Week shines a spotlight on wellbeing, Manchester’s creative community is coming together for Mend, Tend + Change the Future - a unique event blending art, social change, and healing.

Taking place on 21st June at GRIT Studios in the Great Northern, Manchester, this gathering offers a timely reminder that creativity can be a powerful force for mental health and collective transformation.

Organised by A Brilliant Thing CIC and GRIT Studios, the event invites creatives, social entrepreneurs, charity workers, and business leaders to explore how storytelling, visibility, radical rest, and adventure can fuel both personal and community wellbeing.

Through micro-workshops, TED-style talks themed ‘Pain to Power,’ and a vibrant Makers Market, attendees will discover practical tools for resilience and inspiration in their work and daily lives.

Founder Kerry Tottingham said: "Challenges can only be addressed when we recognise and harness our own strengths.

"This event is a call to action, a healing space where art meets transformation."

Each ticket includes a copy of Tottingham’s debut book, “Mend, Tend and Change the Future,” offering further insights into healing-centred approaches for change.

In line with this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week theme of ‘movement’ the event encourages participants to engage in hands-on activities, from content creation to community campaigns.

These moments of movement-whether through art, conversation, or shared learning-reflect the evidence that even small acts can boost mood, reduce stress, and foster connection.