RHOOSE: Molly is on a mission to improve mental health through crafting – By MARCUS STEAD:
When Molly Leonard from Rhoose was at her lowest ebb, she found that crafting helped her to relax and have fun making things.
As her condition improved, Molly decided she wanted to use crafting to help others who were experiencing mental health problems.
With some encouragement from healthcare professionals and friends, she set up crafting classes at Rhoose Library and has plans to expand her classes to other sections of the community.
Molly, 24, grew up in Rhoose and began to suffer from anorexia at the age of 15 when she was a pupil at the Bishop of Llandaff High School in Cardiff.
As a young adult, Molly went to Oxford Brookes University to study architecture, but her condition worsened and she was admitted to an eating disorder unit: “I was very secretive, I kept things from people and I wasn’t very open.
“I had my first real boyfriend when I was at uni, I opened up to him and he got me to go to the doctor.
“I started losing weight, I retracted into myself and I wasn’t going to uni. My family knew something wasn’t right but they didn’t know I was in hospital until about a month after I was admitted,” she said.
Despite enjoying her university course, Molly’s health problems meant it was necessary for her to drop out, and she has had several spells in hospital during the subsequent five years.
The pandemic brought unprecedented challenges for Molly as she was not easily able to access her support network, and she was admitted to hospital twice during lockdown.
During one of her hospital stays, Molly caught Covid, and had to spend two weeks isolating in her room, which she found particularly difficult.
While in hospital, Molly turned to crafting and started making things for other women on the ward, and they were so impressed they wanted her to host classes so they could learn from her: “Nothing compares to the feeling you get when you make something, and that really helps your mental health,” she said.
At the height of the pandemic, Molly sold more than 500 face masks, which raised in excess of £600 for Beat, a charity supporting people affected by eating disorders.
Molly has recently been discharged from hospital where she was being treated for anorexia and emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD), and her occupational therapist suggested she contact The Prince’s Trust youth charity for help in turning her dream of holding crafting classes into a viable venture: “I’ve just been on a Prince’s Trust course and they’re helping me structure my classes.
“They’ve given me help with the legal necessities such as DBS checks and keeping proper records of finances. They’re an incredible charity that does a huge amount for young people and I’m very grateful for the help and guidance they’ve given me,” she said.
Following her discharge from hospital, Mollie is now back living with her parents, and although her health has improved considerably, she lives one day at a time and continues to receive therapy from mental health professionals.
Molly also practises Pilates, where last July she qualified as a level three instructor, and she also attends yoga classes with her 81-year-old grandmother.
Molly has introduced her four-year-old nephew Reuben to crafting, and she says that he is one of her main motivations in life: “I’ve had really honest conversations with my mental health team. I’m struggling, but I have my reasons to keep out of hospital – I have my nephew, I have my business, and I want to help people.
“That’s what’s keeping me going and that’s what is pushing me on,” she said.
Molly has begun hosting crafting classes at Rhoose Library on Tuesday evenings, 7.00pm to 8:30pm and on Saturday, 11.00am to 12:30pm, and she insists that the classes are for everyone, not just for those suffering from mental health problems: “The classes are for anyone and everyone. “Maybe you’ve experiencing mental health problems, and maybe not suffering at all, you just want to improve your mental health.
“Everybody is welcome, regardless of your skill level. I feel like I have experienced something wonderful by using crafting to improve my mental health and now I want to give something back by helping others,” she said.
Molly’s classes begin with five minutes of mindfulness meditation, which she says helps to slow down breathing and gets everyone present into a more relaxed state: “I’m a big believer in mindfulness. I suffer from dissociation, where for periods I feel disconnected from myself and the world around us, and mindfulness really helps me reconnect with myself,” she said.
With her classes at Rhoose Library having launched successfully, Molly now intends expanding into other avenues: “I want to take my crafting classes into any number of places where people would feel the health benefits, including care homes and schools.
“People have seen the way my nephew really enjoys crafting and I’ve been approached to do classes for children as well as one-on-one sessions at home for children with autism.
“I feel as though I am at the start of an incredible journey and it’s hugely rewarding to see the way crafting can help others,” she said.
To contact Molly about her crafting classes, please email:
🌟 This article first appeared in the printed edition of the Glamorgan Star on 28.07.22. Read it in print first!
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