April 2017 - Ongoing
Heart n Soul is an award-winning creative arts charity that champions the talents, creativity and power of people with learning disabilities. Through its programmes, it creates opportunities for people to discover, develop and share their creative abilities with the widest possible audience.
Heart n Soul's Allsorts is a monthly creative social where participants can try new activities, meet new people and have fun in a welcoming, inclusive environment. As a service user-led programme, the creative activities are shaped by the participants themselves, giving them genuine ownership of the programme.
Every time I am invited to facilitate a workshop is a new and exciting challenge. Working closely with Heart n Soul's project managers, I develop and deliver sessions based on ideas proposed by the service user committee. Previous workshops have included screen-printed T-shirts, bunting, origami, fabric wall hangings, plush keyrings and clay animal sculptures.
I am continually inspired by the positive energy and festival-like atmosphere of every Heart n Soul gathering. It is always a privilege to be invited back and to support such an imaginative, joyful and participant-led community.
Feedback:
'Thanks so much – the bunting looks great – we have it hung up in the office and will bring it out again for the next season! The feedback that I felt was all really positive, so thank you for making it a great session to finish the season!' Jenny Sutton, Taking Part Officer for Heart n Soul
