Ms Jackson said: “It’s been a community and team effort to put it all together, but the whole aim of it was to offer – One Westminster is a social prescription charity – a social prescription solution to people who are isolated, lonely, potentially disadvantaged.
“Going to one comedy workshop or going to one stand-up comedy event or having a comedian come in and teach kids how to improvise and giggle at themselves, it’s got an effect for 24 hours and surely that’s better than prescribing antidepressants.”.
Dr Opher said he had done a lot of ‘social prescribing’ over the past 25 years, including poetry, visual arts and allotments, but this was the first time he had tried comedy.
Ms Jackson said comedy-on-prescription could help reduce the costs linked to mental health issues in the country, noting there can be immediate and longer-lasting health benefits connected to comedy.
Ms Jackson said Craic has received a grant from the One Westminster charity and Westminster libraries offered their facilities for the initial events.
