Chapter and verse on living with mental illness

NHS Leeds, Leeds Partnerships NHS Foundation Trust, The Carriageworks, Leeds Library and Information Service and a number of voluntary organisations in Leeds have come together to bring this event to Leeds.

It is linked to Time to Change, England's biggest and most ambitious campaign to challenge stigma against mental health.

Research shows that almost nine out of 10 people affected by mental health problems have experienced discrimination.

The human library aims to challenge perceptions of mental illness. By coming along to the event local people will be able to choose a "human book" and hear real life experiences of members of the community they may not normally come into contact with.

The human library will be launched at The Carriageworks "Who am I" event which is a programme of activities to celebrate and raise the profile of mental health in the community.

In addition to the human library, there will be live performances, music and art therapies running from noon– 6pm.

Leeds is also playing host to a number of other activities to mark World Mental Health Day.

An Arts and Minds exhibition will be displayed during Light Night on Friday at The Light shopping centre with a giant tepee made of Time to Change pledges as the centre piece. There are also a series of events being held in local neighbourhoods to improve understanding of mental health.

Further details of the human library event can be found by visiting: www.carriageworkstheatre.org.uk. Local people can sign up to a pledge to end mental health discrimination by visiting www.time-tochange.org.uk