“The University of Nottingham is delighted to support the Yellow Book as an important and engaging resource to support positive mental health for our staff and students. The quality of materials contained within the book is truly outstanding and will be of benefit to any reader.
As an art historian, I am passionate about the power of art and music to promote mental wellbeing and to help us find solace, comfort or explanation in times of trouble. Research supports the use of the arts to alleviate specific symptoms, promote vitality and improve quality of life for everyone.
It is so important to take a proactive approach to looking after our mental health as much as our physical wellbeing. I hope that the Yellow Book will provide readers at the University with inspiration, reflection and the means to support their own mental health and to have the confidence to speak openly about mental health issues.”
Professor Shearer West CBE, President and Vice-Chancellor,
University of Nottingham
“This third School of Physics and Astronomy Yellow Book resulted from partnership between the School, Rethink Your Mind, and the University’s HealthyU project.
As is often the case, this partnership emerged from random events and conversations. By chance, I heard about an upcoming performance by musician, Lucy Ward, whose audience connection was so outstanding that we asked her to work with us in our Year 3 Communications Skills workshops. Through Lucy, I met Pete Hirst who devised the Yellow Book concept whilst recovering from mental ill-health he experienced at University.
The book includes images made by students in the School during the 2022/23 Communication Skills workshops to illustrate things that inspire them or make them feel better. The students’ images were shared with workshop participants as an ice breaker and to emphasise that communicating with an audience is simply telling a story; in this case the story behind each image. In turn, we hope that the images and associated wellbeing links will help other people to find their own inspiration and ways to maintain wellbeing.
In future years, we will invite Communication Skills students to help further develop the book, promoting their own positive mental health, and that of other year groups, thereby embedding wellbeing in the curriculum.
I am deeply grateful to everyone who has brought the Yellow Book to fruition as a way for us to share ideas for maintaining good mental health.”
Professor Mark Fromhold, Head of School,
School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Nottingham
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