The theme of Mental Health Awareness Week 2026 is Action, highlighting that real change happens when we take practical steps to support our mental wellbeing. Taking part in creative, social and physical activities can be one powerful form of action. Helen’s story shows how returning to dance offered her not just movement, but focus, community and a vital sense of connection, supporting her mental health alongside her busy working life.

For Helen Watson, 61, it was Dance City’s Inspire festival — a one-day celebration of dance designed to encourage more over-55s to experience its social, creative and health benefits — that opened the door back into performance.

“I went along to try a few sessions, spoke to some of the dancers and staff, and thought ‘this is something I have to be part of’,” she says.

Already taking adult ballet classes, Helen decided to audition for Boundless, Dance City’s over-55s company. “I’d never done contemporary dance before, so I was full of trepidation,” she explains. “But I enjoyed the experience hugely and was very lucky to be offered a place.”

Her love of dance stretches back to childhood. Growing up in South Tyneside, Helen took ballet and tap classes until the age of 12. When she moved to secondary school in Newcastle the daily commute made lessons impossible, and reluctantly, she gave them up. “It was always something I loved,” she says. “At university, I did a little ballroom, but I also became a regular audience member — I’d travel across the country to watch dance, whether at the Edinburgh Festival or at the Royal Opera House. It remained a passion.”

A few years ago, Helen began ballet classes again in South Tyneside. “That gave me the appetite to come back to dance, and Boundless has provided a further fantastic opportunity to develop” she explains. “I’ve tried styles of contemporary dance I’d never have imagined myself doing, and it’s opened up a whole new world.”

Helen also runs her own company providing advisory support to local authorities and organisations across the country.

My work is demanding and often solitary. Self-employment can be an isolating place, but at Dance City I’ve found a community of like-minded people. For those 90 minutes in the studio, I lose myself completely. It’s 100% focus, which is so beneficial for my mental health. It’s a real stress-relief.

Helen Watson, member of Boundless, Dance City’s 55+ Dance Company

The physical benefits are equally powerful. “It’s physically demanding, in the best possible way,” she says. “It pushes you to build strength, improve balance and flexibility, and keep learning. There’s also the cognitive element of remembering steps and choreography, which is so stimulating.”

Helen says she feels reinvigorated. “This isn’t about slowing down,” she says. “It’s about being challenged, pushed and inspired. Boundless has reminded me what it means to feel truly alive in dance.”