A music and drama event has been staged to challenge the stigma surrounding mental health Pic: Song in the City

A night of poetry and music has been held at St Mary’s Church in Lewisham to challenge the stigma surrounding mental health illnesses.

The Song in the City charity collaborated with musicians from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama to present the Creative Madness in Song project, in which texts written by people with mental health issues were brought to life.

Father David Evans introduced the event saying: “It is really good to be hosting this event tonight.

“This evening is great to enjoy this abundance of creativity.”

Song in the City also worked with the Maudsley Charitable Trust and the Lewisham Volunteer Centre so the event could be held next to the Ladywell Unit of Lewisham Hospital.

Creative Madness aims to explore and challenge the concepts of mental illness and classical music by making both more understandable and accessible.

The creative process of writing music and poetry has been shown to be therapeutic for people suffering from mental health issues, such as depression.

Gavin Roberts, the events creative director, said the event was “a culmination of years of workshops”.

The opening song of the night complained about the fashion police, while another conveyed the message that “born free, life is worth living”.

Imma Maddox read out Nancy, Nancy, a poem about her mother who passed away when she was five.

Project Manager Rosanna Young described the event as an emotional journey.

“It’s really lovely to see how it has developed, and it’s a really lovely group of people to have worked with,” she said.

“It has been an honour and pleasure to work with all these people.”