THE NetPark Mental Wellbeing Project - which uses digital art, technology and the outdoors to work, so far, with 806 people living in Southend with mental health conditions and dementia - was always deemed an ambitious one.

However, a combination of its forward thinking and work within the community has really paid off.

It has resulted in a huge percentage of people suffering with mental health problems having a vastly improved quality of life, thanks to the project's many benefits, which include getting them into the outdoors, giving structure to their lives, stopping social isolation and using art as therapy.

January 4, 2018 not only marks the second anniversary of this very moving, critically acclaimed initiative - a collaborative project by arts group Metal, Southend Borough Council and the Clinical Commission Group - but the project is one of five finalists in the national Dementia Care Awards and the Highly Commended Runner Up in the Guardian Award for Innovation in Mental Health services at the Advancing Healthcare Awards.

The project, which is of course ever-developing, works in a hugely varied way, depending on people's ability and what mental health issue they may have. In short, participants go onto the course, and use the apps from Metal's NetPark project to take a tour of the NetPark. NetPark, if you didn't know, is "the first digital art park in the world", based in Chalkwell Park, where any member of the public can simply download the NetPark Apps to their own smart device, which each respond in different ways to the landscape, people, wildlife and history of the park. Each piece of artwork presented within each app, then guides you to GPS located content, a collection of engaging and playful packages for all tastes and ages, which are designed to take you on different journeys around the park.

The participant on the NetPark Wellbeing Project will, after using the apps, go into the Metal Art School to discuss their experiences and work with artists there, to create pieces of digital art, which they can take home, or are collected for display by Metal.

Since its beginning, the NetPark Wellbeing Project has now evolved to develop a specific app for people living with dementia, designed by people living with dementia working with children from local schools and professional artists. The app is titled The Garden of Remember.

Ian Wilson is a volunteer of the NetPark Mental Wellbeing Project who was at one of the initial sessions, helping participants take the NetPark tour.

He explains: "I first got involved in the NetPark Mental Wellbeing Project while working as volunteer for the Alzhiemer’s Society. I became a Dementia Friend (dementiafriends.org.uk) which helped me get a better understanding of the disease, so I had quite a good idea of what it was like to live with Alzheimer’s.

"After our first tour of the NetPark, we went to the Metal art school to work with iPads on the drawing software, Procreate. These sessions work really well for a wide range of people, however that first session with people living with dementia was not particularly successful. There were several aspects of it such as the headphones, learning to use the iPads and the similarity of colours in the furniture which meant that participants could not differentiate between the table and chairs, which didn’t go down too well with some of the participants.

"I stayed back to talk to Emma Mills, the NetPark Wellbeing project manager and Sarah xxxxx about some of the issues. I found that they were both very responsive to feedback. It was really encouraging. I was really impressed with how they took on my points and how open they were to making changes. I suggested more traditional art was the way forward, and was really pleased to find that Emma and Sarah agreed.

"We still use the iPads but made them less integral, so those who wanted to have a go at them could and maybe use them for memory recall. Some still wanted to try and work with digital artwork too, which was great. The course lasted for 12 weeks but before the end of it I approached Emma and Metal to see if I could become a volunteer for the project.

"One of the great things that came out of that initial course was the idea to make an App about dementia, specifically with participants from that course who had initially struggled with the technology.

"We approached the NHS England and secured funding.

"Two of the participants from the Alzheimer’s Society group went on to work with pupils from local schools. Over a period of months they developed an App with an artist, Elsa James, and award-winning illustrator, Joe McGee. It told the stories of their lives and what it is like to live with dementia."

Ian added: "I now volunteer on all of the classes across the week, working with a range of people from five-year-olds in schools to older people. The work at the NetPark Wellbeing Project is ever changing and different each week. Last week we celebrated someone’s 81st birthday in the class, but we have worked with many people from a variety of backgrounds and ages. In fact, over 806 people have participated since it began and we have also worked with another 82 volunteers.

"It’s great to see the project’s positive effects. We collect data through the year and recently had to do some number crunching for the award we have been shortlisted for. We discovered that 73 per cent of people who have participated have said their symptoms have improved, which I can tell you, is clear to see. When they first arrive you can see the anxiety in their faces, but that changes after the first session. By the end of the course they are so much more communicative, relaxed and expressive. 81 per cent have also said their self-confidence has gone up. I can relate to that myself as I live with mental health issues. But being involved with NetPark project has meant I am more positive about my own future, and am now more focussed on my own wellbeing too.

"I love feeling part of the team here and have benefitted a lot from the regular routine. These days I get up in the morning and know I’m going to have a positive effect on the lives of people I meet through the day and that in turn has a positive effect on my mental health. It’s like medicine."

* A selection of NetPark Open Weekends are taking place next year, open to all to go and find out all they can about the project. They take place from the Metal base at Chalkwell Hall, Chalkwell Park, Chalkwell Avenue, Westcliff, on April 7-8; May 5-6; June 9-10; July 14-15; August 11-12; September 22-23 and October 12-14.

Visit metalculture.com for more information.