The Hearth Centre is a centre for Health, Education and the Humanities with Art at the Heart. Hearth uses the arts to animate key issues in mental health, social care and the humanities, and promote well being - which we do through theatre productions and literary events and courses.

Living with IPF

The Hearth Centre’s new film about living with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis will be launched on July 11^th from 5.30-8.30pm at the Midlands Arts Centre. Tickets can be purchased by calling the MAC on 0121 446 3232.

Hearth Centre writers and actors developed monologues from research transcripts about the experience of this challenging respiratory disease, and the importance of ambulatory oxygen to patient’s quality of life and worked with Bonny John’s Horizon Company to make into a vivid and moving film. The Hearth Centre is building on their relationship with Professor Nicola Gale, Head of Social Policy, at Birmingham University, with whom we developed a film based training programme on communicating risk.

Revolving Door latest

The Hearth Centre’ s Revolving Door play about early intervention in psychosis is currently being rolled out at Birmingham University Medical School under the leadership of Dr Erin Turner with the whole of the fourth year psychiatry rotation to help medical students develop strategies to improve patient well being and pathways and when being detained under the mental health act.

Friends of Enemies News

Polly Wright, Artistic Director of Hearth is very proud to report that her short story Friends of Enemies is published in the anthology Thursday Nights.

Friends of Enemies draws on the letters to Polly's grandmother from Gualtiero Lenzi , an Italian Prisoner of War, who was placed on their farm in North Wales in the 2^nd World War.

Polly received Arts Council funding for development of the material into a play which the Hearth Centre toured shortly before lockdown.

We are planning further dramatic’ outings of the play in the future.

June 2024: Polly, is currently working on a novel about the WW2 events described in the short story and the play

Thursday Nights is a collection of stories by the renowned Tindal St Press in celebration of their 40^th anniversary.

Reading for Well Being.

The Hearth Centre has delivered many courses and projects in which reading has been used to improve the well being of people who experience mental health difficulties. We are currently seeking funding and partners to develop new projects in community contexts.

News

Living with IPF

Living with IPFThe Hearth Centre’s new film about living with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis will be launched on July 11th from 5.30-8.30pm at the Midlands Arts Centre. Tickets can be purchased by calling the MAC on 0121 446 3232.Hearth Centre writers and actors developed monologues from research transcripts about the experience of this challenging respiratory disease, and the importance of ambulatory oxygen to patient’s quality of life and worked with Bonny...

Putting it about

Putting it aboutOctober 12th 2023 saw a revival performance of Putting It About as part of the Birmingham Reps Great Revival of our Women and Theatre plays"Set in an imagined high security NHS hotel, Putting It About explores the impact of HIV on women. Written in the 1980s and set in the 1990s, a group of women find themselves quarantined by a faceless government. capturing the apocalyptic horror of the...