On the 17th July 2024, we had the absolute privilege of attending the Sheffield Mind Magpies project ‘Behind the Hoard’ event.

This was a day of workshops and drama, looking at the issue of hoarding or excessive cluttering. Service users took centre stage and were able to share their experiences, talk about the reasons and causes or hoarding and to discuss with service providers, best practice and different approaches and interventions.

The whole day was expertly facilitated by Magpie staff and service users. One of the the big take-aways from the event, was that people needed to see beyond the clutter to the person in need of support: 

we’re all individuals, we all have life-stories, we all juggle multiples roles, we all struggle at times. ‘Hoarder’ is a label and it can prevent us from seeing the person ‘behind the hoard’.

     

In addition to discussion panels and themed sessions, the event used drama to bring to life the experiences of service users in a truly unique and engaging way.

The play, ‘No Place for Love’, written by Susan Downer was premiered at the event and brought a new and engaging perspective to the subject of hoarding and to the experiences of people who are coping with the condition.

The play was inspired by Magpie service users and devised after a series of conversations between  them and the playwright.

Thank you to Susan and all the actors that brought these stories to life in such an enlightening and engaging way, the play sparked a great deal of thought and discussion and it was great to have the actors and producers take part in a post performance Q&A session with some of the people who had inspired the piece.

Attendees left the event buzzing – full of hope and admiration – for people who struggle with this issue, often without appropriate support – and for their creativity, humour and determination. 

We would like to thank players of the national lottery, as the Magpie project is made possible by The National Lottery Community Fund.