Our Story

The Engine Room is an independent arts and mental health collective nurturing individual’s perspectives through a collective vision.

 

Founded in 2016 and initiated by a group of creatives living with mental health challenges across our local communitiy.​

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Our approach is to create spaces for individuals and community groups to access independent, free thinking creative experiences of quality, facilitated by artists that promote empowerment, recovery and healthy human development in a nurturing safe space across our local communities in Reading.

 

From the outset we have had a very strong need to work and connect with local communities to look at how we can develop arts projects that encourage more mentally healthy places to live and that challenges social and divisionary issues.

 

We understand that real change is driven by those who know their local community and its people. Our emphasis has always been about giving people living with mental health challenges the power, skills and loving encouragement to take a lead in their own local community.

 

We believe that only by freely engaging in creative experiences that hold purpose and meaning for the individual, that quality of life can be truly enhanced.