Plant a tulip and seed a conversation during Mental Health Awareness Week

We’re teaming up with award-winning artist Paul Cummins MBE on a campaign to help the public to spring into action this Mental Health Awareness Week and create healthy dialogues around mental health in society.

 

Mental Health Awareness Week takes place between 10-16 May 2021, and the official theme this year is ‘nature‘ – something fitting, after a year where we’ve seen more of our four walls in our homes than the four seasons.

As we enter spring and the nation eases out of lockdown, we’re inviting you to reconnect with nature and the environment. But we’re mindful that everyone will be in a different place of comfort, so we’re asking you to do this in a way that works for you.

We’ve teamed up Paul Cummins MBE on a campaign to encourage conversations around mental health in society.

Paul is an internationally renowned British artist and ceramicist, known for his floral ceramic creations and large-scale landscape installations – most notably 2014’s ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’ installation at the Tower of London, which was made up of 888,246 handmade red ceramic poppies, one for each life lost on the frontline in the First World War.

Paul has chosen a different flower as the focal point for our collaboration. The tulip has a colourful past. Having withstood a virus, it flourished brightly against all odds and flowers each spring. Quite simply, the tulip is a timely emblem of hope and rebirth through adversity.

Get involved with our campaign

Paul has donated a unique illustration of a tulip to us, and during Mental Health Awareness Week, we’re asking you to:

  1. Download Paul’s tulip (or create your own) and colour it in blue
  2. Stick it in your window as a symbol of mental health awareness.
  3. Start a conversation about mental health

In conversation with Paul Cummins

In this interview, Paul tells us why he’s passionate about advocating for mental health, why he wanted to support us, and why we’re asking you to take our action during Mental Health Awareness Week.

 

Paul Cummins’ Tulip – download

Whether you choose to reach out to family, friends, a neighbour or a colleague – each conversation counts.

We’d love to hear how you get on and see photos of the tulip in your window. Please do share photos of your tulips in action on social media using the #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek hashtag, and tag us so we can check them out!

Your donation will make the difference

Just £10 could help pay for a call to our advice and information line, supporting someone living with mental illness who may be feeling in distress during this time.

Donate today