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He donated £440

A Leighton Buzzard artist has helped raise more than £400 for a mental health charity.

On Wednesday July 19, Eloise from Mind BLMK went to meet with Huw Thomas, Sarah and Kay from Mimic Gifts, and Steve and Bob from the Leighton Buzzard Arts Society to receive a generous donation of £440 for Mind BLMK.

Huw Thomas is a local artist who sold his art at a recent exhibition evening at Mimic Gifts. Huw enjoys painting with blues and the theme for his art was ‘kind of blue’. He had an extremely successful evening and decided to donate 20 per cent (£440) to Mind BLMK. This kind of donation will help fund Mind BLMK’s key mental health services in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes. In Leighton Buzzard Mind BLMK run a number of mental health services; Mind Matters , Peer Support and Peer Mentoring.

Huw Thomas presenting the cheque to Mind BLMK outside Mimic Gifts

On Wednesday the Leighton Buzzard Young Person’s Sanctuary opened – a drop-in service for any 14 to 17-year-olds in need of mental health support. The drop-in hub will be open every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 4pm to 10pm at the Meadow Way Community Centre.

Mind BLMK is close to Huw’s heart, as he has had his own experience with mental health. He’s also passionate about men’s mental health and encouraging men to openly talk about their feelings. His art has become a form of therapy which he loves to do in his free time. Huw also recently donated a big painting to the NHS Community Mental Health Team at Crombie House in Leighton Buzzard to help brighten up the space.

To enquire about Huw’s art and commissions, you can drop him an email; [email protected]

Mimic Gifts have been trading for nine years but in March of this year, moved to its location at the Market Square in Leighton Buzzard. Sarah and Kay from the shop have a passion for eco-friendly products and offer lots of refill items at an accessible cost. Their goal is to be able to showcase artisan products and small businesses, without the business owners having to commit to running their own shops.

They have a fantastic space, with an upstairs and downstairs for hosting various events such as exhibitions and pop-ups where Huw sold his paintings. They offer artists the opportunity to sell their art for free at the shop, and in return it makes the shop look wonderful and bright. Mimic Gifts will be hosting more exciting events in the coming months so be sure to follow them on social media to be the first to know.

Steve and Bob from The Leighton Buzzard Arts Society also got involved with the exhibition. The society meets every third Thursday of the month at Gilbert Inglefield Academy. They welcome new guests and if you enjoy it, then you are welcome to become a member. They will be having a art exhibition in October showcasing local talent, so be sure to keep an eye out on their website for more details soon.

Mind BLMK

Website: www.mind-blmk.org.uk