COLOURFUL pottery, hard-hitting postcards and a very unusual armchair form part of a new exhibition combating the stigma of mental health issues at Craven Exhibition Gallery at Skipton Town Hall.

The show is a collaboration between Pioneer Projects and Craven District Council, and aims to show how creativity and arts can have a positive effect on mental health and wellbeing.

Councillor Stephen Place, chairman of Craven District Council, opened the exhibition.

He spoke of his experiences with friends and family who had suffered from mental health issues.

“Life is so beautiful and we should all enjoy every minute of every day to the best of our abilities,” he said.

“We’re delighted to once again collaborate with Pioneer Projects, to play a part in bringing this project and the resulting pieces of work into public view.

“We’re delighted with the results – it’s a rich and diverse collection of work.”

The Creative Community, who meet regularly in Bentham, have created a display of bright, bold pots inspired by the work of Grayson Perry, along with a range of poetry and images that incorporate textiles, printmaking and more.

The Postcard Project has been created by asking participants from around the district and beyond to respond to the question: “Can you imagine how I feel?”

Over 1,000 cards were handmade and sent to individuals, groups and organisations, from Kendal to Leeds. The cards linked people and places together.

The exhibition also showcases the powerful “Borders” film.

The film features people with mental health issues speaking about their lives and talking on the themes of “What makes us feel well?” and “What makes a difference?”

In the centre of the gallery is “The Chair”, created by artist Tony Stephenson, which takes quotes, feelings and imagery from the postcards created as part of the “Can you imagine how I feel?” project.

The artist has stitched, painted, and used other media to convey the messages, emotions and challenges faced by people with mental health issues.

Philippa Troutman, Creative Arts and Dementia Programme Manager at Pioneer Projects, said: “It felt really important to all of us that the work isn’t just about brightness and colour and light but that an exhibition which is concerned with mental health is also about the reality of living with mental health problems.

“We didn’t want it to be all fun, and we didn’t want it to be all sad – we wanted it to be both, and we hope we’ve got the balance right.”

Pioneer Projects is a charity providing targeted health and creative arts projects and activities that aim to support and engage people throughout the region.

Last year Craven Gallery featured their exhibition Artyfacts, which was produced by people living with dementia.

The exhibition runs until October 28 in the Exhibition Gallery at Skipton Town Hall, and is open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm. Entry is free.