Holiday Creative Fun for 27 Local Children

Thanks to generous donations from individuals as part of our Yes Let’s Appeal as well as kind support from the Nisbet Trust and Ann Rylands small grants scheme, we’ve been able to offer free and affordable activities to 27 children from our local community of Barton Hill, an area where there are few opportunities for children to play and be creative.

These holiday activities play an important part in making sure enjoyable, creative opportunities are accessible for all children and young people, particularly those who are least able to seek them out. Thank you to our donors for helping to support childhood creativity. 

This summer we ran ‘Inside Story’ a week of free creative activities where children created worlds in our studio based on their imaginations. 15 children, aged between 5 and 10, took part and received free meals as part of the week.

The project was ‘a week long storytelling and design project for children from Barton Hill’ but in reality, it was so much more.  Children entered the room individually but a community was built. It was remarkable to see the journey of these individuals building a child’s world. Echoing in some places the structure of the adult world and relishing the anarchy of childhood in others.

The week felt like a really joyful experience for both the children and the staff. There was a feeling of energy and playfulness in the room that nurtured everyone who entered. The project was a real celebration of the child, their imaginations and their world.

Here’s some of the wonderful feedback we received:

“It’s fun learning…we are playing learning” Child participant

“I felt very very very happy at Summer School” Child participant

“I’m just so proud of my work!” Child participant

 “She was calmer, sleeping better” Parent

 “She enjoyed making friends and being creative” Parent

CURIOUS THINGS

This October, 12 children aged 5-8 years took part in our ‘curious things’ October half term activities, where they spent 2 days playing with materials, creating stories and letting their imagination run wild! 

We packed our studio full of materials for them to explore and use to create creatures, build worlds and tell stories, giving them a chance to get messy, follow their imagination and share their creations with friends and family.

Here’s some of the lovely feedback we received:

“I really enjoyed – this is the best day!” Child participant

 “My daughter was annoyed that I had to pick her up a few minutes early – she was having so much fun!” Parent

 “When I entered the room Zoe was buzzing & proud! That says it all!” Parent

 
If you would like to find out more about how you can support our work, please visit our support us pages.