Mental health charity No:5 opens exhibition at Reading museum
The display marks the charity's 50 years of youth work in the town
Last updated 9th Aug 2021
A mental health charity is celebrating 50 years of supporting young people in Reading with a display at the town's museum.
For 50 years, No5 Young People (No5 ) has been at the centre of the Reading community – supporting thousands of local young people to take charge of their mental health through counselling, information, advice, training and outreach services.
The display contains archival material marking 50 years of providing counselling, information, advice, training and outreach, along with contemporary art created by local young people. Some items in the collection have been lent to No5 by a member of the public who volunteered at No5 throughout the 1970s.
Across 4 workshops, funded by Berkshire Community Foundation and John Sykes Foundation, local young people worked alongside artist, Carla Conte, and artist and No5 Young Ambassador, Elii Daly, to express and share their mental health journeys through various mediums such as charcoal, pastel and ink drawing, collaging and clay sculpting.
These workshops form part of No5’s alternative and preventative support projects that have been devised to help address escalating numbers of young people in need of help. No5 has experienced a year-on-year increase in demand for their services, never more so than as a direct result of the pandemic. In the last year alone, No5 has received 827 requests for help from young people and their families – a 224% increase on the previous year.
Carly Newman, Operations and Relationships Manager at No5 said:
“it was a privilege to work alongside local young people throughout these workshops and watch their artwork come together. Their work is a fantastic contemporary addition to the archival material that charts No5’s 50-year history which will be on display. Huge credit must go to Carla and Elii for running these sessions, and we are so grateful to Berkshire Community Foundation and John Sykes Foundation for funding and supporting this work”.
No5’s 50th Anniversary display at Reading Museum will be on show until November 2021.