Celebrating 25 years of delivering arts therapies in 2018!

What is BCAT?

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The Birmingham Centre for Arts Therapies (BCAT) is a registered charity which was set up in 1993 to provide an accessible arts therapies and more recently an arts in health service throughout the Midlands, the UK and extending to an international service. We assist children and adults who are experiencing mental health, behavioural or emotional issues.  

The centre, a former Cadbury building, is unique in that it brings together art, drama, music, dance movement and play therapy which can be accessed both here and in an outreach capacity.

BCAT documentary feature

The documentary above, produced as part of a MA study in journalism by Siddarth Kumar, looks at mental health and music therapy. This gives an excellent insight into our organisation and features numerous members of our staff and service users across arts therapy and arts in health. 

In the documentary Siddarth highlights the importance of arts therapies as an intervention to those with mental health. 

BCAT News

BIG LOTTERY FUND to support BCAT led project 
We are so happy and delighted to announce that we have received a significant grant from the Reaching Communities Big Lottery fund to deliver a 3 year project on:
Supporting English as an Additional Language/ Delivering arts in health
This will be a major project on supporting immigrant children with arts therapies and language development and delivering a major arts in health project to our communities to improve health and well being through arts based workshops - all for free!
We will be launching the project from 1 October. 

Congratulations film club!
A big well done to all the young people who came together for FILM CLUB at Northfield Library. 

Over a week everyone worked  to produce short films - from concept to delivery! 

Thanks to Luke for leading the way and Patrick and Holly for assisting. 

A Summer of FUN at the library! 
​Over 41 Mischief Makers sessions have been ran between 19 July and 31 August making this one of the biggest Summer Reading Challenges we have ever ran! Over 430 engagements from young children and parents who enjoyed art, dance, drama, music and games based on the Beano and other books.
A huge thank you to the wonderful library staff and to our wonderful facilitators and volunteers for working so hard to make this a success! You are BCAT STARZ!
Temi Olowo Jani Kam Luke Saldana Faye Burrows Sarah Dyble Patrick Enwright Joel Westcarr Halima Meddings Iram Nazz Louise Stanley Valeria Foden Natacha Ashman Erin Benbow Anita Roye Sarah Trett Jodie Lawrence Stef Vinti

Upcoming Community projects

BCAT arts experientials and course 

If you are looking to gain the necessary knowledge before completing an advanced course in art therapy or arts in health; or are looking for new techniques that therapists use to apply to your own work, then BCATs courses will be of interest. Our 2018 courses in ART, DANCE, DRAMA and MUSIC plus ARTS IN HEALTH are now available to book.  
Further details here.

'Amelia was very engaging and pitched the course at the right level...I have been wanting to do this for ages and it has given me the push to apply for Dance Therapy.'
Anne, Autumn Dance Movement Course 2017
'I thought the course was informative and inspiring. Angela was particularly knowledgeable and enthusing.'
​Susie, Spring Music Experiential 2017
Volunteering at BCAT

​We are very lucky here at BCAT to work with fantastic volunteers from all walks of life. Over 2016/17 we had 133 people attending one of our monthly meetings.

At the moment we are looking for volunteers to help with fundraising, and any experienced arts facilitators for paid workshops. 

If you would like to join our Volunteer Development Programme (VDP) please contact Liz Beech at lizbcat@gmail.com

Bringing arts therapies to the workplace
Our interactive, engaging and fun training days are designed to educate and inform on the techniques that therapists use in each discipline to address their clients needs. These techniques can be used for a number of employee needs including building confidence; coping with stress and anxiety; presentation skills; team building and relations, or providing a therapeutic session designed to improve the overall health and well-being of your employees.
​If you would like further details please click here. 
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Hello from Angela, Richard, Liz and Mark

Services

​Book an arts therapist

Book an arts in health facilitator for your workshops

Art installations and graphic design service

Training days for the workplace

Dates for your diary​
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
1 Sea Scouts Car Boot, Sutton Coldfield
3 STEP ON at Frankley library for 6 weeks
5 BCAT Information evening
6 STEP ON at Kings Norton library for 6 weeks
17 STEP ON HIGHGATE begins
October
1 Introduction to Drama therapy begins (3 weeks)
3 Art experiential begins (10 weeks)
3 BCAT Information evening
4 Music experiential begins (10 weeks)
6 STARZ at Kings Norton Library for 6 weeks
November
5 Introduction to Dance and Movement Therapy begins (2 weeks)
7 BCAT Information evening
December
1 Housing & Care Christmas Fayre
5 BCAT Information evening 

    Want to hear from BCAT?

May newsletter 

Special edition on our Lottery Funded project
bcat_magazine_august_2018.pdf
File Size: 2114 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Annual report 2016-2017

BCAT's annual report 2016-2017 is now available.

Dr Angela Fenwick Director of BCAT states, 'Personally, I am so proud that we have come
so far - weathering storms together and rejoicing in the good times we have had
and services we have been able to provide. Thank you so much to everyone.'
annualreportsummary16-17__1_.pdf
File Size: 1218 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Thank you to our supporters

Donate to BCAT

Help support our arts therapies for children and adults with mental health and also support our arts in health community work.
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Shop and donate to BCAT!
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Make a donation, start your own fundraising. join our monthly BCAT Friends programme.
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Text BCAT £1 to 70070 to support our POUND FOR ARTS campaign. You can donate up to £10.
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Recycle your ink cartridges and raise money for BCAT
“It was not only the children who benefited from the Arts Therapies sessions!  Their parents also participated and gained considerable new insight into their children’s behaviours and how strategies might be developed to facilitate greater understanding between themselves and their children. We hope that BCAT can continue to find sufficient funding to continue to work with us”.        
Manager of under 5yrs. Child Development Centre