Updated: Innovation Fund grant used to support Exeter Phoenix with its Bloom festival
The Devon Mental Health Alliance Innovation Fund has been awarded to Exeter Phoenix for Bloom 2023 by our Community Mental Health Development Leads in Exeter, East & Mid Devon.
We are pleased to announce that we have supported Bloom 2023 with a small grant from our Innovation Fund. Bloom is Exeter Phoenix’s annual mental health festival, offering a full day of free activity aimed at raising awareness of mental health issues, encouraging discussion, promoting local support services, and showcasing creative activity as a valuable tool for wellbeing.
We were drawn to supporting Bloom this year because it included a particular focus on eating disorders, pulling together a range of experts and opportunities including academics from the Wellcome Centre, local social enterprise Nutriri, and therapist Elle Mace. Attendees explored the topic through a range of presentations and activities, such as hypnotherapy and yoga.
We hope this festival, which took place on Sunday 21 May 2023 during Mental Health Awareness Week, will help broach the topic with members of the public not yet receiving support for an eating disorder, introduce them to new services and therapies, and create space for diverse practitioners to meet and engage in conversation. Bloom satellite events will be held throughout the year to continue the conversation and improve how those who struggle with eating disorders are supported.
Matt Merriam, our Community Mental health Development Lead supporting Bloom, commented: “Living with an eating disorder can be incredibly isolating, scary, and dangerous. We have come a long way in understanding some of what lies behind disordered eating and a whole range of tools exist now to support individuals struggling in this way. Bloom is going to be a great opportunity for the public to learn of those advances and create a space for professionals to build new relationships and continue to push towards greater improvement.”
Update December 2023:
Holly Lawrence, Fundraising & Development Manager at Exeter Phoenix, provided the following update about work on the 2024 edition of Bloom, and how it has been supported by last year’s Innovation Fund grant:
“I’m very pleased to say that things are going very well for our Bloom Festival, which was supported by a DMHA grant last year. We’re just starting on the programme for 2024 and, thanks to the connections formed last year, we have been able to unearth new contacts and opportunities. We’re feeling confident about being able to deliver another really strong Bloom Festival in 2024, with a range of new activities and partners on board.
The theme for 2024’s festival is likely to centre on togetherness and community to tackle persisting isolation, and the role of music will feature prominently. Bloom 2024 will take place on Sunday 12th May.”
Keep up-to-date with Exeter Phoenix’s work by visiting their website: exeterphoenix.org.uk.