History

Sound Minds began in 1992 on the Springfield Hospital site with a successful music group for inpatients, which soon proved popular, with performances in the hospital library.

Hiring 'Space' Studios

A year later a Community Occupational Therapist Libby Notley was attending a non mental health ‘community networking' meeting on one of the Battersea estates. Here she met a local Methodist minister, Peter Sharrocks who told her of a music studio in the basement of his church. At this time the studio had some commercial use, and was also used by youth offenders and a drugs rehab project.

Occupational therapists Libby and Kieron Corrigan had a number of people on their caseloads with musical ability who were unemployed and not at that point interested in training or existing mental health facilities.

A few had had some musical success in the past (one had played guitar with Dennis Brown, a keyboard player had been in a chart band in the 1970's). It was decided to rent the basement studio once a week for 2 hours. This proved very popular almost immediately, and the group soon acquired a long waiting list. Several of the people involved in those early sessions are still involved with Sound Minds, and some have since been employed by the project.

A second group was opened in 1994, staffed by Paul Brewer occupational therapist and former guitarist with trend setting afro-pop crossover band Chisza, and Devon Marston, who had been in successful reggae bands in the seventies. Devon is also a service user and actor and plays guitar, bass and drums. The second session also became full within weeks.