Exploring Mental Health in Thanet
28–30th March 2018: Men’s Discussion Circle and Community Fire Circle in Ramsgate and Margate
I was invited down to Ramsgate and Margate by Simon Medhurst to get a short insight into some of the mental health and community initiatives that are happening around there.
I didn’t have my van that week, so went down by car to stay with Simon and his family. It’s so lovely to be invited into someone else’s home and to be introduced to a new community of people. It was my first time down to that part of the world and I couldn’t have hoped for better hosts. Simon and his family are very open with each other about their experiences with their mental health, which seems like a really important dynamic which is often absent or difficult to talk about with your loved ones.
Shortly after I got there, Simon took me out for a walk by the harbour side in Ramsgate. Despite never having been there, my years spent living in Brighton made it seem familiar. There is something alluring and calming for me about living by the sea. I think all seaside towns I’ve been to in the UK have an sparse winter quiet that I find comforting. Towns lying in wait for the seasons to change. As March drew to a close it felt to like the whole town was drawing in one last breath of peaceful quiet before the summer hordes descend.
Simon and I first connected when Lily and Pete, from ‘WeTheUncivilized’ had shared on social media about my journey. Simon had watched Lily and Pete’s documentary last year and had been really inspired by it to put on some local screenings and set up a local men’s discussion circle and a fire circle. These are created as places for the local community to gather and share issues important to them.
Community Circles
In March the men’s discussion circle and a community fire circle happened to be on consecutive nights so I got to attend both.
It was great to see initiatives like this happening where spaces are made for the local community to discuss local issues and how they can create impact on a local, national and global level.
The process of the circle is really fascinating. It harks back to a time when our ancestors would have gathered round a bonfire to tell stories, share news and make decisions that would affect the tribe. It is a ritual as old as our species. Something so simple, but so powerful.
It was really humbling to be invited into the men’s discussion circle. It’s a small group, in its early days, but already it has created a space where men can gather to talk about the things that are important to them. As the group progresses I can see how they will develop to be able to open up more and more. As an outsider, I had been a little anxious as to how I would fit in, but I was made to feel very welcome.
The same felt true of the fire circle the next night. They try and run it very democratically, so each month a different member of the community steps in to host the space. In the circle I attended we discussed issues such as plastic waste, mental health, and mentoring programmes for young men without male role models.
Seeing these community initiatives in action reminded me of what Margaret Mead was talking about in her much cited quote:
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.
During my few days in Thanet I was also introduced to some other inspiring members of the community.
More People from the Community:
I got to meet, Stefan Gambrell, a.k.a The Neanderthal Bard, a slam poet who uses his poetry to explore his diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder and to discuss problems experienced by users of the mental health services. He is also the poet in residence of Crisis, one of the UK’s largest Homelessness Charities, as well as organising poetry events and workshops to help people experiencing difficult situations explore themselves through creativity.
And just before I left I met up with Lucy Needs, a neuroscientist who is making a documentary about the role of Big Pharma is the mental health system, and alternatives to medication. I’ll hopefully go and meet her again to record a podcast at some point.
Over the past few decades there has been a real decline in the concept of community and social isolation has dramatically increased. I think looking at community initiatives in relation to mental health is really important.
The more we can create spaces that mean that we are not isolated from one another, where we can talk together, listen to each other and share the deeper things that are going on, the more we can have a sense of being part of something.
Take aways from the trip:
- My anxieties of what something will be like rarely (or maybe never) come true.
- 3 days in Thanet is not enough I’ll have to visit again.
- One individual or a small group focused on small scale projects can have a big impact.
- There are so many individuals doing amazing things. It requires strength to put yourself out there, but it is worth it. Don’t be afraid to follow your heart and start that thing that you have been wanting to start but are afraid to. You have the power to create change!
Ministry of Change is a project in which I’m traveling around the UK in my van in an attempt to make the conversation around mental health accessible to everyone. Find out more about my journey here.
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