A DOUBLE-DECKER bus containing three replica prison cells and a 'crack shack' will be showcased to local professionals to highlight issues surrounding substance misuse and mental health.
Resilience Voyage, the organisation that manages the Drugs Bus, has invited people who work within mental health services and with children to attend an event at the Bath & West Showground in Shepton Mallet on Wednesday, April 27.
It is hoped the event will initiate discussions about mental health and the need for Resilience Voyage’s Help4All project that highlights the need for preventative work across the county.
Preventative methods aim to stop mental illnesses from developing rather than treating them as they arise – which could help to save lives and money.
Attendees will also see digital imaging of the Mental Machine, Resilience Voyage’s second bus that will focus on mental health.
Stacey Litster, director of Resilience Voyage, said: “The point of the event is to bring professionals together to highlight the problem that we’re facing and find a solution.
“We can share our concerns together as professionals within the community.”
She says Somerset is known for being a ‘trailblazer’ for public health but believes there is work to do surrounding mental health due to long waiting lists and inconsistent approaches to it in schools.
The Drugs Bus is a resource aimed at helping young people in Somerset explore the way they think, feel, and behave when it comes to drug misuse and to encourage discussions about mental health.
The bus is usually taken to secondary schools and colleges, where Resilience Voyage aims to teach the effects different substances can have, what county lines operations are, the consequences of offending, and what time in prison would be like.
Asked what the health and wellbeing professionals can expect when they enter the bus, Stacey said: “They will walk onto a double decker, and there’s a replica prison cell to the left and to the right.
“It’s really basic and simple, and there’s an escape room challenge that happens inside.
“Then there’s the steps up to the top deck. There’s an emotional billboard as they walk upstairs.
“When you get to the top, there’s a crack den, basically. That’s the discussion space.”
The ‘crack shack’ area contains a mattress, a mannequin representing a drug addict, and a kitchen area.
There is another replica prison cell on the top floor of the double-decker for when their events are well-attended and additional space is needed.
The replica prison cells and the ‘crack shack’ aim to create an immersive environment to aid discussions around hard-hitting learning points to challenge participants’ opinions, thoughts, and views.
Discussing the importance of prevention strategies and implementing them with local professionals, Stacey said: “We can't keep pulling people out of the river.
“We need to go upstream and find out why they keep falling in.”
Gallery: Resilience Voyage's Drugs Bus
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