Author: mike

Raise Your Hands selects Create as long-term partner

Posted on October 13, 2021 by - News

raise your hands
Raise your hands logo

RAISE YOUR HANDS SELECTS CREATE AS A LONG-TERM PARTNER

We are very excited to announce that Create has been selected as a Raise Your Hands charity as a long-term charity partner, providing us with the assurance of sustainable funding into the future. This is an incredible gift.

Raise Your Hands is a community that supports highly effective and innovative small charities. Through its fresh approach, Raise Your Hands offers members a hassle-free way to transform young lives. Throughout the year, it plans fresh, innovative fundraising events (such as bingo parties, pop-up restaurants and Oktoberfest parties) for its members to generate much-needed funds for its 12 charities.

The Raise Your Hands team also does its fair share of fundraising challenges. Last August, we were delighted to welcome Ed Wethered, Co-Founder of Raise Your Hands, to Create’s HQ on the first day of an incredible 1,000km fundraising run (the equivalent of 26 marathons in 27 days!) that raised an awesome £30,000.

raise your hands

These fundraising events, alongside small monthly donations by the members, generate significant sums of money for the charities. Last year RYH awarded us £19,500, a fantastic sum that will enable us to reach out to dozens of young carers during 2017.

In 2018, we will use the Raise Your Hands funding to support the breadth of our work with vulnerable children across the UK: young patients; children with disabilities; young carers; schoolchildren in areas of deprivation; and young offenders and their children.

Meet David

Posted on October 13, 2021 by - Stories

David works with Create photographer Alejandra
David works with Create photographer Alejandra

MEET DAVID

creativity:revealed is Create’s multi-artform project for residents and clients of Jewish Care’s Maurice and Vivienne Wohl Campus in North West London.

Throughout November and December 2016 the participants worked together to shoot photographs, building technical, creative and social skills.

David (90) lives at home with his wife and attends Jewish Care’s Michael Sobell Community Centre twice a week. This is his story:

“My wife has been living with dementia for around four years and much of my week is structured around what she’s going to do. I try to keep things as interesting as possible for her. I take her to a singing group and she loves to listen to classical music – it’s restful and peaceful. She goes to Jewish Care’s Sam Beckman Centre for people living with dementia on Mondays and Thursdays and that’s when I come here.

“I love to be creative and I was thrilled when I found out the project was going to be photography. I’ve been taking photographs probably since I was in my early 20s or maybe even before. I have loved photography all my life. I’ve got a collection of over 100 colour transparencies of public house signs throughout the country which I’ve taken over the years. They represent much of the history and culture of England, whether it’s sport, religion, history, farming, railways, aircraft, etc.

A photograph taken by David during the creativity revealed project
A photograph taken by David during the creativity:revealed project

“I think photography is an exciting subject but like anything else you’ve got to know how to do it to do it properly. It’s been stressed today that it isn’t how good the camera is, it’s whether you see something worth capturing. When we were doing public house signs we’d be somewhere in the car and my wife would say “oh, there’s one over there,” or if she saw something which would be a nice photo she’d say “that’s a good picture”. So the workshops so far have reinforced my knowledge of composition.

“Throughout the six weeks of the Create project we’re going to learn about different aspects of photography. We’ve been learning this morning about various important photographers from the past, including Cartier-Bresson, who was concerned with the ‘strategic moment’. We then took pictures of other members of the group to practice capturing movement.

“One member of the class is 97 and I’m 90. The artist leading the group, Alejandra, has been absolutely first class. She’s got empathy, pleasantness, and she’s understanding. She’s really keen on showing everyone how to do things. I’m absolutely thrilled that this is available.”

Meet Peter

Posted on October 13, 2021 by - Stories

creative voices storybook 2017
creative voices storybook 2017

MEET PETER

Peter cares for his wife who has paranoid schizophrenia. He took part in creative:voices, a project that enabled adult carers to explore their creativity through writing and collage:

“I always thought of myself as a bit of a slow visual learner. Create has given me the time and effort to bring myself out and kind of explode on the page. The creative arts allow us to express ourselves. Everyone is able to do their own thing. In some spaces, I feel like I don’t know anything about art but by the end of the project we all felt like arts masters.

“The main thing that stops me from making art is the lack of opportunities. I just don’t normally get offered the chance to do something like this. Projects like these enable me to do the things that I would have loved to have done at school but never did. I’m going to use the skills that I’ve learnt with my little boy and create a few stories with him.

“This project seemed like the perfect opportunity to take my writing to the next level. I’ve done free courses online but none of them have come close to increasing my confidence like Create has. I now feel able to go from A-Z with making a book. I can write, produce illustrations and do everything that goes into creating a book.

“Although my wife is also a writer and has been published, I’m looking forward to sharing with her some of the visual skills that I’ve learnt. I’d really like it if she was able to give some input into making what I want to do as well.

“I’ve done free courses online but none of them have come close to increasing my confidence like Create has.”

Peter, adult carer

“I’ve definitely become more relaxed since taking part in creative:voices. I’ve gone from a person that struggled expressing themselves visually to someone who feels completely comfortable with creating art. I think my wife has noticed that I’m a lot more relaxed in myself now. I’m trying not to let everything build up and get on top of me. Now I’m a lot more relaxed because I’ve actually got an outlet – I’ve got some direction that I want to be setting myself on.

“I was surprised by how well I managed to work with other people. When I first walked through the door, I was a bit nervous because I didn’t know anyone but then we worked together and through that we formed a bond. Both Create’s artists always there when we had ideas that we wanted to bounce around and discuss. All the other staff at Create have been really supportive too.”

*Name changed to protect anonymity

This story is from 2017.

Interview with Jonathan Arana-Morton from The Breakfast Club

Posted on October 13, 2021 by - Blogs

Breakfast Club founder Jonathan Arana Morton, far right
Breakfast Club founder Jonathan Arana Morton, far right

THE BREAKFAST CLUB SERVES UP GENEROUS SUPPORT FOR CREATE

Since 2014 we have developed a fantastically rewarding partnership with The Breakfast Club (TBC), the independent café chain based in London. As well as being famous for its fantastic food, 80s themed décor and secret bars, TBC is deeply committed to supporting the local communities around its cafes.

TBC found us in conjunction with opening its London Bridge café, and our partnership has provided committed, creative volunteers, who have brought bags of enthusiasm and skills, and vital funding. Both have supported our projects and our strategic development.

I recently met with TBC co-founder, Jonathan Arana-Morton, at one of his cafes of course, who told me more.

Tell me about TBC’s ethos of supporting charities and initiatives like Create

Jonathan – “We’re very much advocates of the idea of ‘do well by doing good.’ Apart from it being the right thing to do, it’s hard to separate our success as a business from our commitment to this. We’re a hospitality business; hospitality is taking care of people. The best hospitality businesses are built around the best people – it makes absolute sense that the people attracted to us because of our work with charities like Create are the absolute best people to work in our business.”

How and why did TBC first decide to support Create?

“We’re a business full of artists. Create were the first time we really put into practice the idea of matching our team with appropriate charities based on skills and interests. We stumbled upon the perfect relationship.”

Why do you think access to creative experiences is important, particularly for vulnerable and disadvantaged people?

“Creative experiences are by their nature an escape. Whether its dancing or painting, you get to lose yourself. It’s also probably something that vulnerable or disadvantage people don’t get access to. It’s therefore also opportunity, opportunity to potentially discover something you’re very good at and something you can build on either as a career or a lifelong passion.”

Jonathan and his team have been amazing volunteers at Create projects, making the most of their communications, teamwork and leadership skills – and of course creativity – to help us deliver empowering and inspiring workshops. It’s unsurprising that the company recently won the CIPD Business Management Awards Best Employer Supported Volunteering Programme.

Tell me about the Create projects TBC has supported.

“We’ve done everything from arts installations with dementia patients through to music with severely disabled young adults. The amazing thing is the exposure our team get to all the participant groups Create works with.”

Do you have any favourite memories of things you’ve seen or been a part of at Create projects?

“It’s quite simple, put the needs of the charity first and then everything else follows.”

Jonathan Arana-Morton

“I met a lady who suffered from dementia at the first project we were involved in. I remember after trying everything to gain her trust she just suddenly giggled at something I said and that was it, we were best friends for the rest of the afternoon. We even started talking about meeting up in our cafe for breakfast. I walked out that afternoon proud as punch because apparently she’d been difficult to engage. I went back the next week and it was like we’d never met, I couldn’t find the spark to gain her trust. It showed me two things – how rewarding it could be, but how emotionally difficult it all can be and that it’s never, ever easy.”

What has feedback been like from TBC staff members who have volunteered at Create projects?

“For the same reasons it’s rewarding for the people that Create work with it’s rewarding for our staff. It’s a release from their day-to-day, it’s an escape and a chance to do something truly different that they can go away feeling very proud of. It’s widely thought that people volunteer to help others but I think when it’s done right volunteering is as beneficial for the volunteer as it is the people they choose to help.”

What have you learned about supporting community groups and charitable causes through your partnership with Create?

“We’ve learned how to put something together that works for both the charity and for us as a business. It’s quite simple, put the needs of the charity first and then everything else follows. Everything we’ve done with other charities since is based around this very simple model, find a charity that is relevant based on the skill set you have in your team, speak to the charity, LISTEN – then help accordingly.”

In November a team of 30 from TBC, including Jonathan, took on the incredible challenge of five marathons in five days to raise money for Create. In total the team raised £22k for Create, which will enable us to work with dozens of young carers during 2017. Jonathan explained the motivation for the challenge and what it was like to take part:

What was it like taking part in The Beast?

“The Beast was six months in the making for everyone involved. The five days in Florida Keys were the extremely difficult icing on the cake. Normally when you build something up it never lives up to what you imagined. This was everything I pictured and more. The team were heroes, 3:30am starts, 90 degree heat, some horrible, horrible moments (normally involving giant blisters!) but we made it and when we all finished most of us wanted to keep on going – or I think they did.

“The fundraising gave us all a reality check during our darkest time – there are people living through some incredibly difficult circumstances who will benefit from the money we raised – in contrast we were running through the Florida Keys. Knowing that soon stopped you feeling sorry for yourself.”

Nicky Goulder, Founding Chief Executive

This article is from 2017.

Interview: Hayley Kruger on creating with young carers

Posted on October 13, 2021 by - Blogs

hayley kruger inspired arts
hayley kruger inspired arts

INTERVIEW: JEWELLERY DESIGNER HAYLEY KRUGER ON CREATING WITH YOUNG CARERS

Throughout November and December 2016 our professional jewellery maker Hayley Kruger collaborated with young carers at Carers Support Merton and Sutton Carers Centre on Create’s inspired:arts programme.

With the school holidays approaching – a period that can mean increased responsibility for young carers – the children have been working with Hayley to design jewellery to gift to those they are close to over the festive period.

Hayley has been a jewellery designer for over 13 years, both for herself and for established brands within the fashion industry. In recent years her practice has returned to her roots, working on fine jewellery commissions alongside facilitating design workshops with Create:

“There have been so many wonderful moments working alongside young carers – and many other groups – and the Create team over the years. I’ve had loads of fun and the workshops have seen the creation of a real range of work: culturally-inspired body wear made to reflect the diverse identities within the participant groups; jewellery upcycled from used magazines, plastic bottles, fabric and drinking straws; stained glass-style decorations that hung in public at London’s Broadgate Circle … and those are just a few! There’s been so much wonderful jewellery made – earrings, bangles, necklaces, rings – that participants have either gifted to loved ones or kept as proud mementos of their creativity.

“Over the last month of workshops collaborating with the young people from Carers Support Merton, we’ve been designing pieces to be shared, making gifts for friends and family, as well as creating beaded Christmas decorations.

“It’s the young carers’ inventive themes that drive these projects forward. I recently read a quote stating that ’people who participate in the arts and crafts feel happier, calmer and more energetic’. It’s something that seems to ring true when you witness the creativity and interaction between these young people, all of whom share this common ground of caring.

“The workshops provide respite for both the young carers and their families from what can be quite pressurised domestic situations. By inspiring creativity within the young people, there is a sense of rejuvenated spirit. The sessions offer a break and a space for free time that can be restricted by responsibility.

“As a practitioner and artist on these young carer projects, I always learn. Working with participants is very different from my day-to-day work, which is usually quite an individualistic practice. Here, I learn so much about understanding other personalities and gain real insights into people’s backgrounds. I’ve also learned that patience is rewarding.

“The special moment for me is in seeing the difference in a participant’s confidence from the project’s beginning and at its end. It’s often those who at first might seem disinterested or may be a little disruptive that tend to come out of their shells the most. This transformation – witnessing the young carers sharing their work with the group and expressing interest in one another and their art – embodies exactly what this project sets out to do and why these workshops can be so beneficial for the young carers involved.”

This article is from 2016.

Corporate volunteer Andy from Reed Smith

Posted on October 13, 2021 by - Blogs

Andy Reed Smith
Andy Reed Smith

CORPORATE VOLUNTEER ANDY FROM REED SMITH

Each year, we collaborate with international law-firm, Reed Smith to enable adult carers at Newham Carers Network to benefit from relaxing, life-enhancing creative arts workshops through our creative:release project.

Reed Smith is based in the City of London, a stone’s throw from the London Borough of Newham, and dedicated staff give up their time to work alongside our professional artists and the carers.

Andy Reed Smith

This year, Andy – a Record Clerk at Reed Smith – took part in visual arts workshops with the carers. Together with our visual artist Maru Rojas, they experimented with a range of challenging and stimulating artistic techniques. In one week, Andy and the carers attached pieces of charcoal to sticks of bamboo, testing their imaginations (and dexterity!) as they created an underwater scene with their makeshift artistic tools. In another week, they recycled old images and photographs, upcycling them by painting over the top and sewing thread across the images. Using snapshots of the past, they worked together to create new memories to treasure.

Here, Andy describes his experience of working as a volunteer at creative:release.

“Firstly I’d like to say how engaging and skilled I found Create’s project team, including Maru Rojas – the artist who led the workshop – and Ce’Ce at Newham Carers Network. They were all very encouraging to me and the carers throughout the project.

“I found volunteering at the workshops a really enriching experience, as it took me to an unfamiliar part of London and gave me the opportunity to socialise with people I wouldn’t otherwise get to meet.

“My job with Reed Smith is as a records clerk, which is fairly repetitive and screen based, so the workshops were an excellent “recharge”, helping to boost my enthusiasm level back at the office.

“I believe the arts are very important and a social good that should be accessible to all. We need all the obvious stuff: rule of law, reliable public transport, utilities, roads, schools, hospitals etc. but art, when you think about it, is one of the things that make life worth living.

“I hope I have contributed in some small way to the amazing success of the programme.”

Andy Reed Smith

Create’s 13th anniversary gala dinner raises £43,345

Posted on October 13, 2021 by - News

mosimanns gala 2016
mosimanns gala 2016

CREATE’S 13TH ANNIVERSARY GALA DINNER RAISES A STUNNING £43,345

On Thursday 13 October 2016, we celebrated our 13th anniversary with the most exclusive event in our calendar: our Gala Dinner at Mosimann’s. Each year, we collaborate with Anton Mosimann and his team to create an elegant evening of food, wine and conversation, to raise a significant level of funds for our work.

This year, guests enjoyed a Champagne reception in the Minstrel’s gallery, during which our Chief Executive Nicky Goulder told guests the story of Sylvie, a young carer who – since the age of nine -prepared and administered her father’ medicine. When asked earlier in the year by a journalist from The Guardian about her school attendance, she replied, “If the person you loved most in the world needed you at home, would you go to school?”. We then screened our award-winning animated film for the guests.

During the evening, guests enjoyed a delicious six-course meal, after which, Colin Sheaf – Chairman of Bonhams UK – and his wife Annie conducted a fast and furious auction, with lots including an exclusive Swiss chalet donated by a Create Trustee; LUXE tickets to London Fashion Weekend donated by British Fashion Council; and The Grand Canal, Venice, painted, signed and donated by Create Patron Ken Howard. Bidding was fierce and, with the funds raised via table sales, our raffle and individual donations, we raised an astounding £43,345.

This will enable us to raise aspirations, broaden horizons, and empower disadvantaged and vulnerable people across the UK. Carefully tailoring our programmes around the needs of each participant group’s unique needs, we will use it to tackle low self-esteem, low self-confidence and social isolation in young carers this Christmas, vulnerable older people, children with disabilities and many, many others.

We appreciate very much the ongoing support of our guests, Anton Mosimann OBE, Mark Mosimann and the staff at Mosimann’s, Colin and Annie Sheaf, and all who donated items for the auction and raffle.

mosimanns gala 2016

Inside Stories wins 22 Koestler Awards

Posted on October 13, 2021 by - News, Blogs

inside stories 2016
inside stories 2016

INSIDE STORIES WINS 22 KOESTLER AWARDS

Storybooks made by young fathers in prison as part of our Inside Stories project have, for the second year in a row, won a remarkable amount of prizes at the Koestler Awards.

This year our participants’ work has been recognised with 22 Koestler Awards, following the 18 won in 2015, bringing to 60 the total number of awards received since 2012. These prestigious accolades are presented by Koestler Trust, an organisation dedicated to awarding, exhibiting and selling artworks by offenders, detainees and secure patients.

Our Inside Stories programme gives offenders aged 18-25 the opportunity to produce illustrated stories and music for their children. Working under the guidance of our professional writer, visual artist and musicians, they work in pairs to write, record and illustrate original stories before working as a group to set these to music. Following their performance in the prison during a special family visit, the children receive a copy of the professionally produced storybook and CD, helping to maintain the bond between parent and child.

The Ministry of Justice has found that sustaining family ties makes it easier for offenders to reintegrate into society and increases their chance of finding a job and stable accommodation once they are released. One of our participants told us:

“I thought Inside Stories would be a good opportunity to do something to show my family I am thinking about them all the time and being productive with my time in prison. I hope when my girl sees this book it’ll make her think I can be a good dad. I think my family feel proud of me for doing this.

“This project has helped my partner, children and parents feel more relaxed and positive about my time in prison. It helps them think about me being productive, becoming a good man. Maybe in the past I wouldn’t have done something nice like this for my loved ones, so it helps me show them how much I care for them.”

To celebrate these 22 incredible achievements, I am delighted to share The Tiger Who Lost Her Stripes. This was awarded the First Time Entrant award for Spoken Word and Bronze in the Flash Fiction & Short Story category.

I hope you are as inspired as I am.

Nicky Goulder, Founding Chief Executive

inside stories 2016

The Tiger Who Lost Her Stripes

Amelia the litter tiger got ready for her daily walk around her favourite place in the whole world, the zoo she called home.

She walked past the pond and she was struck by her reflection. She looked all around but Amelia’s stripes were nowhere to be found.

Ava the zebra saw sad Amelia. She asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I lost my stripes.”
“Would you like to try on my stripes?”
“Could I?” said Amelia. Amelia tried Ava’s stripes but they didn’t look right.

Alyzah the giraffe saw sad Amelia. She asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I lost my stripes.”
“Would you like to try on my patches?”
“Could I?” said Amelia. Amelia tried Alyzah’s patches but they didn’t look right.

“I’m never gonna find my stripes!” said Amelia.
“Don’t give up,” said Ava.
“We will help you,” said Alyzah.

The bush started to move. Lenny the lion jumped out.
“What you doing hiding?” said Ava.
“Better yet, what you doing with stripes?” said Alyzah.
“Sorry,” said Lenny. “I just wanted to know what it’s like to have something special.”

“You are special, you’re a lion. You’ve got a mane!” said Amelia.
“How about you wear my stripes for the day and I’ll wear your mane?”

They went and played in the wonderful zoo they called home.

Interview: Create artist Sheridan Quigley

Posted on October 13, 2021 by - Blogs

creative connection 2016
creative connection 2016

INTERVIEW: CREATE ARTIST SHERIDAN QUIGLEY

Our visual artist Sheridan Quigley recently led two of our creative:connection projects, funded through our new partnership with Prudential plc. These brought together disabled and non-disabled students from Livity and Dunraven schools in Lambeth, and from Haymerle and John Donne schools in Southwark. Here she tells us about the work they created. (This article is from 2016.)

creative connection 2016

“Within creative projects, people bring a wide array of skills and interests that they have gained from all sorts of experiences in their lives to date, regardless of their particular circumstances. It’s not about having to produce work that can be graded or formalised but about expressing themselves, their imaginations and their emotional responses. Everyone has something to say, everyone has a unique perspective, all of which deserve to be heard and deserve respect. Consequently, collaborative arts are very democratic. What they require of the participant is a willingness to contribute as whole-heartedly as possible, without fear. A fully supportive environment, like creative:connection, makes this possible.

“creative:connection uses collaborative art to bring together pupils from an SEN and a mainstream school. Working on the projects, you can see how beneficial it is to spend time with people who have different skills and life experiences. The pupils become accepting, respectful and patient, learning to work at each other’s pace and appreciate the different ways of doing things. It’s important to learn at a young age to be adaptable in the way you communicate depending on who you are with.

“In Lambeth we created a 30 metre mural for the playground wall of the Livity School. The idea was to produce a piece which, as well as being fun to look at, could act as a learning reinforcement for the pupils. Children at Livity School have severe learning difficulties, PMLD, ASD and complex medical needs, so the mural was based around the shapes which can most readily be identified, drawn and named by the pupils, namely circles, squares and triangles. Similarly, the colour palette of the mural focused mainly on primary colours: red and yellow being a particularly important colour combination for children with vision impairment. The intention is for the Livity pupils to further their enjoyment of the mural by drawing into it with chalk, engaging with the existing shapes and adding their own embellishments.

“Throughout the project the Dunraven students, who were older than the Livity pupils, took care to focus in on the individual personalities and needs of the young people they were working with, winning their trust and affection. Because the mural was in the playground, its development was visible to the whole school community. On the last day, we had members of staff across the school coming over and telling us how much their own pupils were enjoying the gradual emergence of the mural and looking forward to adding their own contributions.

creative connection 2016

“Haymerle School, a school supporting children with a diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorders and social communication difficulties, has a meadow area for pupils to play in. Working collaboratively with pupils from Haymerle and John Donne schools, we built a series of willow structures in the meadow that could act as a focus point of calm and contemplation. We built two enclosed domes, which the pupils really enjoy sitting in, as well as a large owl and pussycat, inspired by the Edward Lear poem (which will provide material for future learning at the school). We also built a crawl tunnel, which is useful for helping to develop physical coordination.

“Working with willow involves a repetitive process of bending, twisting and securing. This is ideal for the age-group of the participants because they rapidly develop a skill that they can take personal responsibility for and then use it to contribute immediately to a collaborative building exercise. Throughout the project, the participants helped each other with all aspects of the build. Two groups of Haymerle pupils worked on the entire project, while the pupils from John Donne changed with every session. Consequently the Haymerle participants built up their understanding of the construction process and explained and demonstrated the techniques to the new groups of John Donne pupils. They found this exciting and empowering.

“We staged a full-blown ceremony to celebrate the completion of the willow structures, with a musical parade by many of the participants round and round the new sculptures, culminating in an ice-cream picnic inside the domes.

creative connection 2016

“On both projects there was a great sense of achievement and completion – in particular, amazement at the scale of what we made together. For me it reinforced the knowledge that every school is unique, every class in every school is unique, and every individual is unique. Although I have an overarching objective in mind at the planning stage of a project, the plan has to have plenty of space for the multiple imaginative inputs of the participants. I have to be prepared to go with the flow, adapting my approach as the moment requires, to respond effectively to the needs of the group and all its individuals. Consequently, every project is a collaborative learning experience – we’re all in it together!”

creative:connection in Southwark and Lambeth were funded by Prudential plc. Create has been running creative:connection since 2013, delivering 270 hours of creative arts workshops with 243 participants. In total, Create has worked with 8,245 participants with disabilities or SEN since it was founded in 2003.

This article is from 2016.

Meet Anne

Posted on October 13, 2021 by - Stories

creative voices photograph
creative voices photograph

MEET ANNE

creative:voices is Create’s multi-artform programme for adult carers. From March to May 2016 creative:voices went to Carers Support Merton (CSM) where professional photographer Tracey Fahy ran workshops exploring different types of photography and uses of photos.

creative:voices enabled the adult carers to take a break from their caring responsibilities, build trusting relationships with their peers and develop communication skills and confidence.

Meet Anne

“If creativity isn’t there life can be so sterile. It enriches and nourishes your soul and wellbeing.”

Anne

Anne (not her real name), a participant at CSM, told us about taking part in creative:voices:

“I thought the sessions were really good and I looked forward to them as an outlet. Talking to other carers helps end any feelings of isolation. The project has enabled me to think about better ways of relaxing myself and in the process of my being relaxed and harmonious I’m able to share that with the person I care for.

“I learnt a lot about myself through the programme. I learnt how to listen to other people, to look more. I’ve been able to delve into my own self and understand me a bit better. I feel more positive and able to listen and think more. I’m more relaxed. I’m better able to take control of things.

“Creativity is so integral to my mental and physical wellbeing. If creativity isn’t there life can be so sterile. It enriches and nourishes your soul and wellbeing.

“The project didn’t just develop a skill in one area, for example photography, it also inspired creativity in lots of other areas and things you do. It’s such an amazing outlet – it teaches you life skills, which you can use all the time. This programme finishing is a beginning, not an end.”

This article is from 2016.