AN art workshop with a Mad Hatter theme will encourage people to talk about mental health this week.

Part of the national Time to Change scheme which aims to lift the stigma attached to mental health issues, the Mad Hatter’s Tea (& Arty) Party is free and will take place at the Asian Cultural Centre, Manzil Way, Oxford, from 1-3pm on Saturday.

Inspired by Oxford don Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and by Pablo Picasso’s famous napkin and tablecloth drawings, the event is being run by Oxford-based charity, The Archway Foundation, in partnership with Oxford Brookes University, Dance Mania (Moving for Change) and local artist Alison Berrett. Participants will be able to talk to people who have experienced mental health issues, as well as experimenting with art and poetry and also enjoying tea and cake provided by the Depressed Cake Shop.

Louise Longson from the Archway Foundation said: “One in four people in the UK experience a mental health problem in any given year. Yet nine out of 10 say they have experienced stigma and discrimination, so it really is time to talk.

“Write a story on a tablecloth, a poem on a plate, make a mask, make a hat, paint, draw and doodle – the possibilities are as boundless as your creativity.”

Visit www.archway.moonfruit.com