Award Ceremony of the European Wool4Health Awards 2024 at the Costume Museum (Museo del Traje), Madrid, Spain > https://www.ewe.network/wool-4-health
On 10th October 2024 the Award Ceremony of European Wool4Health Awards organised by the EWE Foundation was held at the Museo del Traje (Madrid) drawing attention to sensory tools that can have a major impact on the everyday life of patients and their caregivers.
Yesterday, October 10, the Costume Museum became the scene of a very special Awards Ceremony in commemoration of World Mental Health Day. This event aimed to highlight the importance of well-being and mental health through the use of sensory tools made with natural fibers, such as wool.
Among the key activities, a mindfulness workshop and an exhibition of natural fibers were presented. The Reina Sofía Foundation shared its valuable experiences with sensory tools, while the Laneras Association highlighted the environmental benefits of knitting with natural fibers, thus contributing to the reduction of pollution in rivers and oceans.
The gala was attended by prominent personalities, including the mayor of Collado Villalba, Mariola Vargas and the director of the Costume Museum, Helena López del Hierro. Cármen Gómez, from the Calceta Club, presented the event. In addition, we had the honor of receiving a special greeting from Gloria Ramos, a renowned actress, and an emotional intervention from Lady Garlic, singer-songwriter and educator at Aldeas Infantiles, which moved the audience.
The event also included a fashion catwalk by users and workers of the mental institution “Majadahonda CRPS”.
The awards ceremony had a jury made up of users and workers of the mental illnesses center “CRL Collado Villalba”, where contestants from different European countries, such as France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Ukraine as well as from various provinces of Spain, were awarded.
In addition, the video "Rural Women, Therapy and Nature" was presented, financed by the Tragsa group, and a podcast was shared with testimonies from several weavers from the Sobrarbe region who came to the event, along with the projection of the video "Visible Mending " by Samantha Moore.
We want to express our most sincere gratitude to the IAIA Association for its collaboration and to all the entities that made this celebration possible, such as the Laneras Association, the Lojeña Sheep Association, MIMAR, ZETUS and the collaboration of the Las Hidalgas and Wooldreamers wool factories. Together, we have taken an important step towards the well-being and improved health that the use of natural fibers in our lives can provide us, working on it from an inclusive event that invites us to destigmatize mental health.
Sensory tools
Sensory tools such as sensory sleeves, elongated sensory sleeves and sensory mats are proven to reduce stress, improve mood, and promote overall well-being. These tools are specifically designed to help relieve certain symptoms of Alzheimer's and dementia, as well as support people with the disorder of the autism spectrum. Its base is a square or rectangle crocheted, knitted, weaved or felted and made with different materials and colors that stimulate the senses. In moments of nervousness or disorientation, these tools attract users' attention, occupy their hands, calm and provide comfort, significantly helping with restless hand syndrome.
In clinical practice, this non-pharmacological intervention has been recognized as an effective complement to medication, without risks of additional side effects. The garments made within the framework of these awards are intended for people with dementia, children with autism and organizations seeking to experience the therapeutic benefits of these sensory tools.
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