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New home for wolf in Wolves
12/02/2018
One of the city’s Wolves in Wolves statues has found a new home at the University of Wolverhampton.
The Support Life wolf is dedicated to suicide prevention and mental health awareness and has been donated to the University.
The wolf’s arrival is well timed, as a new suicide research and prevention group is being formed by University academics as a response to the upward trend of poor mental health and suicide across the West Midlands.
Drawing together academic expertise in Psychology and Nursing, the group will aim to work
together to examine factors which contribute to poor mental health and suicide within the University and the wider community.
The Psychology strand of the research group is headed up by Dr Danielle Mc Feeters, Dr David Boyda and Dr Darren Chadwick.
They said the WOLF is “very symbolic and a visual representation of the University’s commitment to positive mental wellbeing and health promotion generally. We also hope that it will encourage people to be more mindful of their own mental health with a view to potentially promoting help-seeking.”
Clare Dickens, Senior Lecturer in Mental Health, who will lead the Nursing strand with Stuart Guy, added: “Our aims are to examine factors which contribute to mental health and suicide with emphasis on implementing prevention strategies, and we have aspirations of reducing suicide in the city and wider region.”
The wolf has a striking jigsaw design, and was created by University of Wolverhampton art graduate Alex Vann.
He said: “I am delighted that this work has found its home at the University. I studied art at the University of Wolverhampton and I hope people who are suffering with their own mental health will get some comfort from the vocabulary and imagery depicted.
“It was an enjoyable labour of love working with different groups of vulnerable people on design ideas and putting them all together in one colourful and hopeful design and it has inspired me to do more work in this area.”
Alex explained the design for the ‘Support Life’ wolf is focused on mental wellbeing and suicide prevention and came about following several workshops with different agencies and individuals who may be vulnerable themselves.
He added: “The NHS “five ways to wellbeing” are picked out in the vibrant orange pieces and various other images and words are used to support these. Also shown is the board game ‘Snakes and Ladders’ which refers to how life can be full of ups and downs.”
The research group members are:
Psychology: Dr David Boyda, Dr Danielle McFeeters and Dr Darren Chadwick
Nursing: Clare Dickens and Stuart Guy
For information about Psychology and Nursing courses, visit: www.wlv.ac.uk/fehw
Our next Open Day is on Saturday, 17 February 2018. For details visit: www.wlv.ac.uk/opendays
Further information
For more information please contact the Media Relations Office on 01902 32 2736 or 01902 518647.
Date Issued: Monday, 12 February 2018
For more information please contact the Corporate Communications Team.
