The story:

Where is your mind? | Issue 1

Back in 2023 we launched our first zine. We had just started to bring together a network of voluntary and community sector groups in Rotherham, that were supporting people with their mental health and wellbeing in the borough. The zine was a way of promoting this network and the great work of the sector. It was also around starting conversations about mental health and giving out information about support that is available. The zine brought together interviews with leaders from groups, and art work created during creative engagement workshops. We also commissioned an artist with lived experience of mental health to create the front cover. We called it: "Where is your mind?"

It Comes In Waves | Issue 2

After the success of this publication, in 2024 we decided to create another zine, looking at the theme of loss and grief. We knew it was an area that was considered "a taboo", but does affect all our lives. We worked closely with our members in the voluntary and community sector to gather stories, and had some incredibly heart felt conversations. We also facilitated several workshops to explore the topic in more detail, and create pieces to go in the zine. This included an artistic walk with leaders in Rotherham's Mental Health Network, as well as poetry and another fantastic piece for the front cover. It resulted in a beautiful tribute to loved ones. We called it: "It comes in waves."

This Town Is Mine | Issue 3

For our third zine, published in January 2026, we decided to slightly change our angle and opted to create something for and by young people. We worked in partnership with the Children, Young People and Families Consortium to achieve this. Inspired by the Smiles for Miles Voice Hub, the zine reflects the voices of a collection of young people in Rotherham. We commissioned a young person to design our front cover, with 4 runners-up also having their work published in the zine. We interviewed two inspiring young people in Rotherham, as well gathering the voices of young people at Unity Boxing and facilitating a series of creative workshops to explore different topics.