The Department of Social Care’s Mental Health Service is pleased to announce that the poet and author John O’Donoghue will be visiting the Island to hold two workshops on Monday 26th September and Tuesday 27th September 2011 at the IMuseum. The workshops are available for adults interested in ‘creative life’ writing and ‘poetry’ and who have an experience of mental health problems. In addition, there will be a free reading open to members of the public on Monday 26th September from 7.30 to 8.30 pm at the IMuseum. John will be reading extracts from his memoirs and his poems. There will be the opportunity for questions and answers and also a book signing. Places for the Workshops and the Reading are limited so it is necessary to book by contacting: Julie Bennion on telephone 642837. Minister for Social Care Hon Martyn Quayle said: “It is a fantastic opportunity to have a poet and creative writer with John O’Donoghue’s level of experience and skills. The workshops will have the added benefit of increasing our knowledge of how poetry and creative writing can help with recovery and overall wellbeing and mental health. I believe that John O’Donoghue’s Reading, which is open to the public, will provide us with an opportunity to get people talking about mental health issues such as the stigma and discrimination individuals can experience, in order to help us gain greater insight into this issues and how we can address them.” - ENDS -