Save Inkwell Gardens

[Liam Bishop]

Hi Everyone.

I'm currently studying my Masters in Community and Critical Social Psychology at York St John. Back in March, as part of the placement in the Community module, I did some work at a place called Inkwell Arts, and since then have continued to volunteer there whilst studying and working part-time.

The reason for this is, and i am trying to refrain from cliched hyperbole, but it really is a great cause. I could go on absolute length (and indeed my dissertation next year may propose to do that, which i should probably be doing right now) about why Inkwell Arts is such an interesting place, both in an academic sense, and in a general quotidian sense. Ultimately though, no matter how it is put, both explanations would converge to the simple explanation of: it is good for the community, and also allowed me to talk about it at the North East BPS conference in my first time presenting at a conference.

The community of Chapel Allerton, Leeds, but also for the mental health community at large, and if we're going to get Foucauldian about it, this could mean the community of everybody, because i really am not just saying this, after studying the messy field of Psychology for the best part of 5 years of my life, getting more and more political about it, Inkwell is the only place i've seen that 'breaks down barriers' between those with and without mental health problems. It is focused on the art; the people here are not art therapists, they are artists teaching art and that is why, any person coming in, is treated as a potential artist, not a recovering mental health patient. Not only that, it is synonymous with the Chapel Allerton community, and for anybody who may know Chapel Allerton, knows it as a diverse area of cultures, independent businesses/bars/bakeries and Inkwell fits in.

This has come under threat. An asset to Inkwell, is its huge garden, where it can hold many of its big fundraising events and fayres, and is also where a group called TCV organise volunteers to maintain the garden. The landlord of the building (an old pub grounds) wants to sell the gardens off to developers to build flats on there. It's the classic case of profit over public good, from a landlord who, if he spent one day in the building he owned would realise what good it is doing (and the irony that suddenly it is referred to an old pub grounds on the application). If it goes ahead Inkwell will either have to, find new grounds in a new area which would abolish its links with Chapel Allerton, or ultimately go under, or work in a much reduced capacity.

Sorry if i've come across a bit much. Please have a look at www.saveinkwellgardens.co.uk and Inkwell; www.inkwellarts.org.uk. And if you feel you want to object then you can do so by 27th December at https://publicaccess.leeds.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDe... If you would like to email me about anything, then feel free to do so via [e-mail]. And hopefully by the action and conscientious of those in different social strata that the profiteers can be stopped for the good of the community at small and large.

Thank you very much for reading.