This year, the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival has over 300 events taking place in 13 regions across Scotland from 10-29 October. Here is our pick of events taking place in Moray and the Highlands.

Moray highlights include the Moray Feelgood Festival – with over 60 events in 21 days, the Moray Feelgood Festival has something for all the family. Find out more online or through local leaflets available from libraries and community venues. Find out more here.

We also have an eco-therapy workshop, Reclaiming Beauty (Sat 28 Oct) in Forres – by learning the skills of foraging, environmental art and willow craft, we reclaim a connection with nature which was the birthright of our ancestors, even down to relatively recent times. Book tickets here.

In Inverness we are very excited about this year’s SMHAF Highland Annual Gathering – a celebratory night featuring short films, storytelling and poetry readings, prepared especially by Highland voluntary organisations and community groups. It’s always a fantastic evening and offers a great opportunity for networking.

We have a trio of films showing in Inverness-shire also: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Wed 25 Oct) hosted by HUG Action for Mental Health, Wild (Fri 27 Oct), followed by a post-screening panel discussion, and Avatar (Sun 29 Oct), hosted by Scottish Waterways Trust. 

On Sat 21 Oct in Alness, there is a great drop-in workshop giving you the opportunity to create your own ‘vision cards’. Also on Sat 21 Oct, there is a chance to catch the final Tales by the Fireside event – listen to stories of resilience and reclamation in the beautiful natural setting of Dundain Community Woodland. Enjoy inspiring tales, hot drinks and a warm welcome around a hearth.