‘The Ant that Ate the Internet🐜🍴🛜🌳🌠🔮 – and other stories from a green and hopeful future’ was held on November 2 @ 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM and 1:30Pm – 3:30PM at Explore York Libraries and Archives. The event was part of the @yorkenvironmentfestival and #GreenLibrariesWeek ♻️ and led by Dr Lara Mcclure and I (Stephen Lee Hodgkins). This storytelling event presented Minnie and Alfred, as environmental time-travelling optimists from 100 hundred years in the future where humans, huge insects and nature thrive.
Author: SLH
Stories of Mental Health From York
The “Stories of Mental Health” exhibition, held at The Retreat in York for World Mental Health Day 2025, celebrated the voices and creativity of those connected to mental health care in York across the centuries.
Drawing on unique materials from the Borthwick Institute for Archives, the project explored diaries, letters, poems, and photographs from people who lived in York’s mental health institutions during the 1800s. Highlights included Alfred Smith’s diary, Eliza ‘Minnie’ Harrison’s unsent letters, and poems by James Newby.
Community workshops brought together artists, art groups, and individuals from across York to creatively respond to these historical archives. The resulting artworks ranged from illustrated maps and cyanotype prints to collages, poems, and interactive installations. Each piece reflected on themes of identity, memory, and the importance of being heard.
Stories of Mental Health Exhibition Booklet. 
1. The Walk of Alfred – Fold out map, plus audio clip. 
Original sketches for The Walk of Alfred map. 
2. Hiya Bud! – Sketch, David Roberts. 
3. Took A Walk – Poem, printed and audio/visual clip. 
4. The Walk of Alfred #2 – Cyanotype print and pink stitch shape. 
Photo collage from ‘A Retired Habitation: A History of The Retreat, York (Mental Hospital) by Harold Capper Hunt, 1920’. 
Envelopes, and cyanotype print of woman. 
Envelope with ‘fragment’ written on it, on a window. 
10. The Hand You’re Dealt – Collage, cards on floor. 
10. The Hand You’re Dealt – Collage (detail) 
11. Come: And Another Thing – stream of thought, paint on paper 11 Come: And Another Thing – stream of thought, paint on paper (detail) 
10. The Hand You’re Dealt – Collage 
10. The Hand You’re Dealt – Collage 
11 Come: And Another Thing – stream of thought, paint on paper (detail). 
Alfred Smiths diary. 
Minnie Harrison’s letters and photos. 
7. Nobody Knows My Name #1 – Cyanotype prints (detail). 
8. Nobody Knows My Name #2 – Poem, Anonymous. 
7. Nobody Knows My Name #1 – Cyanotype prints (detail). 
5. Come To The Point – Mannequin, letterpress prints, community responses. 
7. Nobody Knows My Name #1 – Cyanotype prints (detail). 
7. Nobody Knows My Name #1 – Cyanotype prints (detail). 
Doodle of walking route. 
9. No One Knows My Name – Collage, Gemma Thompson. 
Envelope on window with ‘come to the point’ written on it. 
Envelopes and The Divided Self book. 
Collage. 
6 Once On A Time – Paper Kite, inspired by James Newby’s poems. 
Envelopes with ‘please come as ever’ written on it. . 
11. Come: And Another Thing – stream of thought, paint on paper 11 Come: And Another Thing – stream of thought, paint on paper. 
Doodle, mannequinn, poem and cyanotype prints. 
7. Nobody Knows My Name #1 – Cyanotype prints.
This art and archive exhibition is part of the Stories of Mental Health from York: Past, Present, and Future project, funded by Mentally Fit York at the Borthwick Institute for Archives.
The Walk Of Alfred
In 1877 Alfred Smith, aged 59, writes a diary from his home ‘The Retreat’, a ‘private lunatic asylum’ in York, UK. Alfred’s diary is interesting in many ways, and significant as a historical account of disability, mental health and life in York.
The Retreat is also significant in the history of Mental Health. Founded by William Tuke in 1796 in reaction to the neglectful death of Hannah Mills, a fellow quaker, whilst in Bootham Asylum in York. William Tuke’s son, Henry Tuke, and his son Samuel Tuke continued the work.
The Retreat proposed a different, more humane, family approach. Described as ‘moral treatment’, much is written about how this changed mental health care in the 1800’s. However, less is heard about the lives of people that lived there.
Alfred’s diary gives a good account of life at The Retreat. It includes many things, including a large number of walking routes that he took around the streets and pathways of York.
These all begin ‘…took a walk…’ and then detail, the specific street names and pathways of the routes he follows.
Below is a retracing of Alfred Smith’s diary entry from 1st January 1877 where he recounts, his initial journey from London to The Retreat, the conduct of staff, his working contribution and a reflective walk to look at the house that his mother lived and worked as a cook for the Tuke family. Illustrations by Reg Sidebottom.
Click here for a pdf of ‘The Walk of Alfred’.
Or listen here to an audio version.
Alfred’s diary is available at Borthwick Institute for Archives, and online at the Welcome Collection.
The ’Walk of Alfred’ was created as part of ‘Stories of Mental Health from York: Past, Present, and Future’, funded by ‘Mentally Fit York’ at the Borthwick Institute for Archives 2025.
Stories of Mental Health From York: Past, Present and Future.
An art and archive exhibition to celebrate World Mental Health Day 2025.
The Retreat helped reform mental health care in the 1800s but the voices of those who lived and were treated there are rarely heard.
For World Mental Health Day 2025, this art and archive exhibition gives life to their words, memories and creativity back on site:
Alfred Smith’s diary (1877) – recording his many walks around York, each beginning “took a walk”.
Minnie Harrison’s unsent letters (1885) – including a small token inscribed “come to the point.”
James Newby’s poems (1860s) – “Once on a Time a Paper Kite” and “What Might Have Been an Aching Void.”
Join us to explore these hidden stories through art, words and history. There will be an opportunity to create and make art inspired by materials from The Borthwick Institute for Archives.
The event will be held in the former Recreational Room at The Retreat in collaboration with PJ Livesey Holdings Ltd who are now custodians of the site.
Book a place on Eventbrite here.
For more information contact Griselda [griselda.goldsbrough@gmail.com], or Stephen [hiya@stephenleehodgkins.net].
The York Union House of Disability Joy and Pride
‘The York Union House of Disability Joy and Pride’ was created as part of ‘Shout, Grow, Mend: Stories of disability’ on Saturday 7 June 2025 at Explore York. A Playback Theatre performance by Next Door But One that encouraged attendees to share their own stories from 2025 connected to York’s history of disability.
‘The York Union House of Disability Joy and Pride’ is based on the various yards and labels found on the representation of York Union Workhouse on a 1852 large scale map of York by Captain Tucker R.E. for the Ordnance Map Office. This includes the ‘idiots day room’, ‘female lunatics yard’ and the ‘unmarried women’s yard’.
‘The York Union House of Disability Joy and Pride’ is represents stories shared by disabled people at the performance and is a hope for the future where disability, or as one person suggested ‘being wonderfully outside the range’ is unconditionally included, celebrated and embraced.
Can a Young Disabled Person be removed from mainstream school? Doodled Explainer Video for ALLFIE.
Learn how these legal frameworks safeguard the rights of Disabled pupils and what action you can consider if you experience similar barriers. ALLFIE have created this resource to explain a legal case study from Inclusion Now (Edition 68), The case study focuses on a Young Disabled person attending mainstream school whose impairment has changed, meaning their EHCP can no longer meet their needs. We break down: Right to Inclusive Education in a mainstream education setting, including:
- The duty of Local Authorities and health to fund the necessary provisions in the Education Health and Care plan
- The legal presumption in favour of mainstream education for children with EHC plans.
- Steps to challenge the council’s decision, such as requesting an emergency EHC review, exploring judicial review or disability discrimination claims, and considering appeals through the First Tier SEND Tribunal.
- Schools’ legal duty to make reasonable adjustments
- Additional support options, like applying for an NHS Continuing Care assessment.
Illustrations by: Stephen Hodgkins https://stephenleehodgkins.net/ Legal question answered by: Simpson Millar Solicitors https://www.simpsonmillar.co.uk/ #InclusiveEducationIsAHumanRight #FightForYourRights What you can do? Support and Sign our Manifesto and add your comments https://www.allfie.org.uk/support-us/… Become an ALLFIE Member – it’s free to join our inclusive education campaign https://www.allfie.org.uk/membership-… Subscribe for ALLFIE updates – get the latest campaign and policy news delivered to your inbox https://www.bit.ly/2wHaG0W Donate – add financial support to our campaign for the rights of Disabled pupils and students https://www.allfie.org.uk/support-us/… Visit the website https://www.allfie.org.uk/
The ‘Be You’ Tree
The Be You Tree, letterpress and rubber stamp printed on an Adana 6×4 desktop printing machine, May 2025 outside York Hospital.
Disabled People’s Organisations
This piece reflects the research findings from interviews with Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) across the South West of England. This was carried out by ‘We Are The People’, a small research team of disabled academics and non-disabled allies engaged in disability research and disability activism at Bath Spa University. They asked disabled people about their experiences of using DPOs in both quantitative and qualitative ways. . The mural represents extracts of the qualitative data. The included words are designed to showcase the breadth of disabled people’s experiences and can be read in different ways.
Created in December 2024 using doodles and letterpress type on an old adana 8×5 desktop printmaking machine. To find out more about this research project, visit the We Are The People webpage.
‘The Fortunes of The NHS’
Working together, compassionate care, improving wellbeing for all to share.
The NHS is dear to all our hearts, minds, and in-growing toenails. It’s a national treasure that represents the very best of our caring intentions. From cradle to grave, we desire the very best of health for ourselves, our loved ones and indeed all others too.
Also much more than just health, the NHS is a significant part of the economy, with a huge workforce of staff and volunteers that work tirelessly and are committed to the vision. It innovates science, technology and pushes forward our knowledge to better our everyday human healing practice.
Created to tackle pain, suffering and health inequalities on an humungous scale, the NHS is phenomenal in its achievements in the past 75 years. And while we celebrate the success, we also recognise the challenge. The universal right to health and life is an ongoing ever changing thing, with an equal share of up’s and down’s.
So to praise the many things that the NHS is, the Arts Team have worked with local artist Stephen Lee Hodgkins and staff to create ‘The Fortunes of the NHS’. A pack of playing cards, with 5 ways to play that celebrate the NHS and all the wonderful people and places that make it happen. Made with good people of York and Scarborough Teaching Hospital NHS Trust as part of ‘Our National Health Stories’ these cards are full of hope and imagination.
‘The Fortunes of the NHS’ are a playful tool to help us talk about our health, think about the future of healthcare and pass the time together with a bit of fun. They can be played as a quick and simple game of ‘pairs’, or like that of ‘rummy’. They can be used as storytelling prompts for creative exercises to tell tales that break the ice, help develop passionate and persuasive presentations, or in activities that plan for the future, understand the now and reflect on the past.
The Arts Team and Stephen will be giving demonstrations around the Trust and leading patient and staff workshops with the cards. The Arts team, supported by the Friends of York Hospital will be giving away limited edition packs of ‘The Fortunes of the NHS’ cards. Stephen designed the cards, which contain 32 doodles and positive quotes reflecting everyday things and happenings in and around the Trust. So if you would like a pack, or for us to come along to play a game with you in your workplace to support staff, visitor and patient wellbeing, or do a workshop with your people and team please do get in touch.
As the card ‘The Break’ reads;
‘Thank you for all that you do, breath out, relax’.
Shush, Snip, Rip.
A Disability Arts and Archive Showcase. Fri 12th, Sat 13th, Sun 14th July 2024, then til December displayed in various locations around the Explore York Library and Archive. York Explore Library and Archive, Library Square, Museum St, York YO1 7DS.
Come discover histories of disabled people at York Union Workhouse in the Victorian times. Explore current issues with local Disability Artists and the Mother Carer. Question what has changed, or not and imagine with us a brighter, inclusive future.
This exhibition creatively presents some ‘irregularities’ reported at York Union Workhouse in 1899, as well as other, ‘current’ issues for disabled people and their families. Read here the newspaper article that inspired us.
See the full exhibition here – sidbaility.net