Festive wreath to promote positive mental health

THERE was a terrific event in Carlow library this month with the unveiling of a beautiful Christmas wreath for the festive season. The wreath was made by service users of Park Lodge and Elm Park Rehabilitation Services, Carlow, as a celebration of people, time, chats, fun and making art together. It is part of a wider Christmas wreath project initiated and funded by Kilkenny/Carlow Education and Training Board (ETB) to promote participation, inclusion and creativity from a cross-section of community groups across the two counties.

Art tutor Jules Michael has been facilitating a therapeutic art group in Park Lodge for some time, and over the past few weeks, the group has been working on this special Christmas project. Displaying the wreath in Carlow Library celebrates the art group's artistic expressions. It also showcases the important collaboration between the Carlow Mental Health Service and KCETB.

Designs on the Christmas wreath are inspired by Mount Leinster rock art and patterns from Bru na Boinne passage tombs. Chiselled out of large stones 5,000 years ago, historians think that certain symbols represent the sun, the moon and the calendar year, especially during the winter solstice.

Designed to be fully compostable, this Christmas Wreath was made from cardboard, wool and handmade paper. It includes birch and larch stems, yarrow seed heads, and wooden snowflakes - the latter representing the high hills of the Blackstairs Mountains.

Jules would like to give a special thanks to the staff of Carlow library, the staff of Park Lodge and Elm Park for their support; to Fiona Dunne, Ciara Byrne and Siobhan Mooney from the ETB; and aparticular thank you to Henry, Claire, Canice, Mary, Caroline, Theresa and Michael for all their hard work and fun during the making of the wreath.