Mental healthcare specialists, The Edinburgh Practice, has announced a city-wide art competition, entitled ‘Memory: Your Perspective’ in collaboration with its 2023 charity partner, Alzheimer Scotland, which will be officially unveiled at the opening of its new 6,500sq ft multi-purpose, custom built 26 room clinic in Waverley Square this summer.
The company, founded by Dr Fiona Wilson in 2017, has outgrown three sites in the city due to exponential growth over the last two years and is counting down to opening its new clinic which will include new specialist services for older adults including the provision of dementia assessments through the practice’s new Memory Clinic.
The competition, which has five categories; primary school pupils, secondary school pupils, adults aged 18-65, adults aged 65 plus, and people living with dementia, (or caring for someone with dementia) ties in with the range of new services for older adults and will also help raise awareness of the support offered by Alzheimer Scotland.
The theme for the competition is about encapsulating people’s interpretation of memory, which can range from a fond memory of quality time with grandparents or memorable past experiences of places, people and moments. Entries can be submitted in A0, A1, A2 or A3 format and be submitted digitally by emailing ella@edinburghpractice.com by 5pm on Friday 19th May 2023.
The winning artist in each category will receive a £100 voucher for the St James’ Centre, and their artwork will be displayed for one year in the new practice at Waverley Square.
Dr Fiona Wilson said: “Supporting the wider community is very important to us at The Edinburgh Practice and I am thrilled to announce that our 2023 charity partner is Alzheimer Scotland.
“The charity is doing tremendous work in supporting people with dementia and carers, as well as creating awareness about brain health across the life span.
“We hope that our ‘Memory: Your Perspective’ art competition will stimulate awareness and discussions among all age groups in the community as to how important brain health is to preserve our memory for as long as possible.
“We are very much looking forward to unveiling the winning artworks in each category at our launch event in the summer.”
Josh Munns, Stakeholder Engagement Leader at Alzheimer Scotland, commented: “We are delighted to be the charity partner for The Edinburgh Practice who are helping to raise crucial funds and vital awareness for Alzheimer Scotland.
“People living with dementia and those who love them continue to be disproportionately affected by the legacy of the pandemic and the effects of the cost-of-living crisis so it’s essential that we continue to be there to make sure no one faces dementia alone.
“Without the support of organisations like The Edinburgh Practice we wouldn’t be able to support the 90,000 people living dementia, their families and carers”.