Community Outreach Project

We are Creative Communities (South East), a small, non-profit, Community Interest Company located in West Berkshire. We were established in April 2021, just coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns. It was clear to us that adults in our community, especially vulnerable adults, needed support with their mental, emotional, physical and social wellbeing. We pooled our art skills and knowledge, along with our passion and experience for well-being and mental health, to create a range of Creative Wellbeing courses, aimed to help adults work through their feelings using therapeutic art practices. Older adults had become extremely isolated, scared and alone, adults with learning disabilities were suffering with extreme anxiety and had nowhere safe to go and join others in the community, as many clubs and centres had closed down during the pandemic. Adults suffering with mental health challenges was at an all time high. We worked with parents who were struggling to make ends meet, adults who had developed anxiety and/or depression during the lockdowns, those suffering with feelings of grief, loneliness, those processing trauma. Our courses gave these vulnerable adults a safe place to go and meet other like minded individuals, to work through their feelings and heal through creative outlets.

In 2021 funding was widely available to help adults get back on their feet following the pandemic, however this started to disappear going into 2022, however we found ourselves with more and more adults in need of our courses. We are now in a positions whereby we do not have the funds to help those who really need us. Healing doesn't happen in 5 weekly lessons, it takes time and lots of people now rely on our weekly or fortnightly sessions. We urgently need funding to help us to be able to continue the valuable work we do within our community.

The funds we receive will be used to pay experienced and qualified teachers to deliver weekly or fortnightly sessions for older adults with age related illnesses, isolated in rural communities, parents of young children who are struggling with mental health challenges and low income, adults with learning disabilities particularly older adults with learning disabilities who are quite often not provided for, and adults living with mental health challenges. the funds will pay for venue hire for the sessions, along with art resources needed to deliver the sessions.

Participants will learn new art and creative skills in which to channel their feelings and develop their mental, emotional, physical and social well-being. There has been extensive evidence published to suggest that art is an extremely valuable therapeutic tool, allowing adults to expressive themselves creatively, often where words have failed, they can feel a sense of accomplishment in creating. Art is also a wonderful mindfulness tool as participants learn to be present within the moment and focus entirely on their work. We also provide a safe, friendly and welcoming place, where participants can come and feel heard and valued.

1 block of 10 x2 hour sessions cost us around £1,000 for a group of approximately 8-10 participants. Therefore £20,000 would allows to put on 200 new sessions! This could allow us to run as many as 20 new courses for 200+ adults in need. However as soon as we raise any funds, we will be getting to work. We have lots of adults desperately waiting for courses, along with established groups who so desperately need their sessions to continue.