8 HONOUR Isabel receives her MBE from the Queen
Mental health charity’s vision for support centre
An i nspirational East K i l b r i d e mu m w h o h a s helped improve the lives of a decade of sufferers of mental illness picked up her MBE this week.
Isabel McCue (72) received her honour from the Queen for services t o t he a r t s a nd di s a dvant a g e d people at a ceremony at the Palace of Holyrood in Edinburgh on July 5.
The Greenhills pensioner hopes the honour will turn her vision of building a new support centre to help transform the lives of some of the most disadvantaged people in Scotland into a reality.
Isabel has made it her mission to rehabilitate offenders and support young delinquents.
Her quest for change began in 2000 under tragic circumstances after her 30-year-old son John took his own life.
She set up the award-winning Gl a s g o w- b a s e d d r a ma g r o u p, Theatre Nemo to give a voice to those who have become detached from mainstream society by mental illness.
The charity helps to restore the c onfi dence and s el f- es t eem of hundreds of people through its character-building drama and art workshops held i n community theatres, psychiatric wards and prisons.
For the past 16 years Isabel has worked tirelessly to support people with mental health problems – particularly in prisons – across Scotland and ensure other families do not have t o s uff er t he s ame heartache.
Isabel now plans to establish a creative holistic support centre in Glasgow to ensure people receive the support they need in times of crisis.
She told the News : “It was an incredible honour to receive the MBE from the Queen – this is not just for me but for everyone who has helped Theatre Nemo support so many people suffering mental ill health over the past 16 years.
“The award i s a re c ogni t i on t hat Theatre’s Nemo’s creat i ve interventions – f r o m Ta i k o drumming to drama workshops – really have a positive impact on the lives of the people we support.
“The next destination on this journey will be to see my vision of a creative holistic support centre turned into reality so many hundreds more people can benefit from the work not only of Theatre Nemo but also of other charities supporting disadvantaged people across Scotland.”
Since 2004, Theatre Nemo has s e t up v ar i ous programmes i n prisons and psychiatric hospitals across Scotland. Projects in these settings focus on bridging the gap between prison and patients and the community.
Theatre Nemo engages wi t h t he most v ul nera bl e a nd disadvantaged people in prison who f e e l t h e y d o n ’ t hav e a n y control over how they think or feel.
By u s i n g t h e a r t s t o e n g a g e and stimulate prisoners’ natural creativity, t he charity’s work i n prisons has produced amazing results.
Isabel added: “One of the things the prisoners tell us repeatedly is how having a purpose, being able t o use t heir experience t o help others, makes them feel useful, needed and par t of s omething good.”
Theatre Nemo trustee Nicolas White said: “Isabel’s MBE is a richly deser ved award for all her hard work and dedication over the past 16 years.
“Her energy and enthusiasm to deliver creative and impactful interventions for people the charity supports knows no bounds, and I’m sure Isabel will see her amazing vision of a creative holistic support centre become a reality in the years ahead.
“I s a b e l t r u l y i s a n a maz i n g person transforming the lives of the most disadvantaged in Scotland.”