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Read all about our current work - do get in touch for more info or help us spread the word.
Click on the links below to read more: 
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Directors Blog
Politics and tea parties
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The run up to the election is starting early in Radstock as we welcome both Jacob Rees-Mogg (Conservative) and Todd Foreman (Labour) to our offices over the next two weeks. I have already had the pleasure of meeting Wera Hobhouse (Lib Dem) previously at the Cultural Forum AGM who is a great advocate and supporter of the arts in our area. I believe Katie Boyce has been chosen as the Green candidate so I hope our paths will cross in the near future also. I think it is important to create dialogue with our prospective MP's and to advocate for the valuable work done within the arts sector in North East Somerset. It is vital also that we hear from them their commitment to arts, culture, and creativity and how they propose to support the sector in the future.
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We recently enjoyed a very successful tea party at Manor Farm Home in Radstock as the culmination of the pilot of our Home Service project, working with Elders in Care Homes. We are now planning our next stage of delivery and also expanding our work to include delivery in Bath as well as Radstock and Bristol.
We also hugely enjoyed our first Creative Coffee morning held at the Chapel Arts Caf� and look forward to the next one to be held at 44AD. These form part of our new co|Create offer that we are working hard on and will be re-launching very soon.
Finally, I and all connected with Creativity Works, would like to offer our deepest sympathy and condolences to those affected by the accident that happened recently in Weston. Our thoughts are with the families and friends at this most difficult of times.
Olly
(Director, Creativity Works)
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Could you help make a difference?
New Voluntary Vacancies with Creativity Works.
We are seeking volunteers for a few hours a week to help out our Home Service project bringing quality arts experiences into care homes in the local area.
2 roles available:
1) Volunteer "listener, collector of stories and scribe"
2) Desk based Assistant Project Manager (voluntary).
More Info
Volunteer "listener, collector of stories and scribe"
They will work in residential care homes amassing the stories of residents. This will be through active listening, perhaps using dictaphones where relevant and helping upload quotes and conversations on to digital spaces.
Where and when:
Manor Farm Care Home: Friday afternoons throughout March-April, June-July and Sept-Oct 2.30pm-4pm.
And / or: Stockwood House, Brunel Care, Bristol: Tuesday afternoons as above, times tbc.
Desk based Assistant project manager for the Home Service Work.
Ideally this would be a long term volunteer until Oct 2015, or even longer and hours/days are flexible and can be discussed. Duties will include helping to organise trips and activities, helping with evaluation and reports, taking part and supporting workshops and events and general administration duties. Ideally 2 � days a week or one full day a week.
Training
All volunteers will be trained through a series of co|Create and development days and they will get to take part in an exciting project supported by ACE and the Baring Foundation.
This is a great opportunity to gain experience for your CV and to get involved in a very worthwhile project, making a difference to the lives of others.
If you would like more information about these roles and what is involved, please contact Ailsa for more details: [email protected]
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Journey to Wellbeing
Toolkit very nearly finished
We are very excited that the toolkit for Journey to Wellbeing (formerly Ways and Means) is very nearly finished and will be presented at Carrswood Centre at the end of February to all the participants and staff who have worked on the project. Hannah and Ali, the two Creativity Works artists who have been working on the project, are just putting the final touches together before sending it off to the printers.
Journey to Wellbeing is a project created in partnership with Creativity Works, Bath Locality Learning Disability Service and Sirona's Healthy Lifestyle Service, who provided funding for the project. The aim was to create a toolkit incorporating a set of creative prompts and resources that could be used by professionals, family and friends alike to support communication with participants and service users, mainly with adults with learning difficulties. It will enable the understanding of the consequences of personal actions associated with health and wellbeing in a fun, accessible and interactive manner.
The toolkit has been created by artists from Creativity Works in collaboration with participants and staff from The Carrswood Centre. Together, they used a variety of creative and artistic techniques to make this vibrant, participant-led and unique toolkit. There are a range of resources for engagement that have been included that we are sure will lead to health behavioural change.
We cant wait to see how successful this toolkit is and how we might be able to continue this work in the future.
Here are a couple of images from the project:
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9th Arts & Health South West Annual Conference
The "Art of Creating Health & Wellbeing"
This year Arts and Health South West is programming the 9th Annual Conference the "Art of Creating Health & Wellbeing" for Friday the 13th of March, with the Peninsula Public Health Network and will discuss how using the arts can help create and maintain health and wellbeing for individuals and communities.
Over recent years there has been a growing understanding of the impact that taking part in the arts can have on health and wellbeing. By supplementing medicine and care, the arts can improve health of people who experience mental and physical health problems. Engaging in the arts can promote prevention of disease and build wellbeing - National Alliance for Arts Health & Wellbeing.
Creativity Works will be showcasing work at this event and will have a display table. If you are a B&NES artist and have a successful arts and health project to showcase please get in touch and we will see if it can be arranged to showcase your work at this conference.
For more information on the conference, download the conference PDF here.
For directions to the venue click here. And for booking forms click here. 
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Creative Coffee Connections, A blog piece by Kate
Kate our co|Create Programme Manager reviews the first Creative Coffee meetup.
New co|Create manager Kate O'Malley is enthusiastic about the power of an artists' community to connect and support creativity. Here she reviews the first Creative Coffee meet up which took place at the end of January.
"Sometimes, in our search for innovation and new trends, it's easy to gloss over the simple things in life and work - the things that make us feel part of something meaningful.
I was reminded of this at the end of January when I felt the buzz from observing 13 artists, creatives and wellbeing workers meet up, get to know each other and share ideas.
It was all about the C words - community, connections, conversation, creativity (and coffee).
All it took was a space (kindly offered to us by Chapel Arts Cafe and the willingness of creative thinkers to be open to each other and share. It resulted in what felt like an affirmation of the power of togetherness. There was an air of excitement as people made new contacts, rediscovered people or projects in common, and opened up to new possibilities.
The event, Creative Coffee, was the first in a series of monthly get togethers for artists in Bath and North East Somerset and surrounding areas organised by Creativity Works' co|Create programme. The co|Create programme, which I work on, supports socially engaged artists, and those who want to be. It does this by building a supportive community of like minded artists and organisations, organising a programme of training workshops, stimulating debate and learning about tried and tested and also new approaches, and by nurturing individual artists to develop their skills.
The idea is to build a base of highly skilled artists who are able to initiate, lead and take part in projects with communities. Social engaged art is about a process whereby artists and non artists co-create and learn from each other, and 'co-produce' a journey that involves personal or community change.
Creative Coffee was the start of the process of bringing together artists and well being activists with shared interests..."
...to read the full blog piece on our website click here.
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Kate O'Malley, co|Create Programme Manager
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Creative Coffee - March Meet Up
Join in with the next Creative Coffee event in March in Bath - connect with other creatives to share inspiration and opportunities.
- Meet other creatives, artists and well being practitioners
- Find out about socially engaged art
- Chat, collaborate and connect
Thursday 5th March
10.15am - 12noon
44AD Arts Space,
4 Abbey Street,
Bath
BA1 1NN
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Creative Coffee is part of Creativity Works' co|Create programme of networking, support, training and development for socially engaged artists
To confirm attendance, please email [email protected]
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Creativity Works article on My Time My Space on Department of Health Blog
A piece written by our Project Manager Philippa Forsey was featured on the Department of Health's blog last week.
Philippa talks about the My Time My Space project which is a collaboration between Creativity Works, Artists and the Children's Centre, and which provides support groups for women with post natal depression or low mood following childbirth.
Mums have made so many positive comments about the groups. One mum who came said that she wanted to come on the course to:
'connect with mums with the same issues'.
Another said she wanted to:
'ensure I can be the best mum I can be to my children by helping myself and to not let things get on top of me.'
To read the full article click on the link below.
http://bit.ly/1F4OhUd
For more information on our My Time My Space groups visit our website here.
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Gorgeous Food Warning!
Volunteers and attendees wanted - come along and help raise money for some great charities
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Come along
Don't miss this exciting event coming up in March - book your place now as spaces are limited. Enjoy some gorgeous food whilst raising money for some great charities.
Volunteers wanted
We are also looking for volunteers to help with food preparation and to be present on the night so do get in touch if you can spare a few hours, it would be much appreciated.
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Tea Party Featured in Somerset Guardian
We are pleased that our recent tea party at Manor Farm Care Home, was featured in the Somerset Guardian
The event took place on the 31st January from 3.30 - 5pm and was part of a three-year programme of arts activities in local care homes to bring quality arts and cultural experiences into the lives of elders.
The project has been launched by Creativity Works as part of a regional consortia called The Home Service, led by Arts for Health Cornwall and Isles of Scilly and supported with �256,000 from The Arts Council England and Baring Foundation.
Read the full article here.
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Three generations enjoy a sing-song, Evelyn Goddard, right, with Julie and Imogen Moore
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Profile: An insight into working with Creativity Works
A Focus on: Hannah - one of our Artists
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What is your connection with Creativity Works?: (e.g. volunteer, participant, artist)
I work with them as an artist
How did you first come across Creativity Works?
In Spring 2014 as partners for an art project in Bath called FreshArt. They were wonderful project steerers, organisers and inspiration!
Which projects have you been involved with?
FreshArt, My Time My Space, 'Ways and Means' and Home Service.
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Illustration by Hannah Carding |
What have you enjoyed the most about working with Creativity Works?
The emphasis on social engagement. For me that is really important. I have been on two co creates, both of which were excellent and this is really helpful element to any artists practice. I like the meetings! Although there are often lots sometimes (!) for me meeting in person is the best way to work together and our meetings are always very productive. Also, they have dogs! I love dogs!
What have you found surprising about Creativity Works?
How much they achieve on a shoe string and with just a small but AMAZING team of people. I think they should have a medal.
In what way has Creativity Works been of value or support to you?
Training days. Ailsa coming along to some of the Home Service workshops - great to have her support and perspective. Also her emailing other projects and ideas - I research myself too but it takes such a lot of time and having someone else's input makes a big difference. Also their value of working with volunteers - I've found my volunteers Irene and Kate just wonderful people to work with, intuitive, kind and so helpful and giving of their time. This relationship is really important.
What has been your biggest professional , personal or creative achievement to date?
One, that the Imperial War Museum London have a collection of my etchings in their print archives and that I designed and ran a screen printing project with a group of people with mental health issues - it was very demanding but very rewarding!
Do you have any creative aspirations for the future (with or without Creativity Works)?
Yes lots! I'm planning on getting some books published and more exhibitions. I'm also launching a new collection of greetings cards and t-towels that I sell online and in markets and hope to get into shops. It all takes a long time and a lot of work. Learning InDesign and Photoshop will certainly help this!
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Other News...
- Check out the "Mental Health and Wellbeing" section on the Listomania website: http://bit.ly/1DhIefA - worth keeping an eye on!
- Have watch of the new film on the Bath Museums Community Engagement Project including the Fresh Art @ Hillview project. http://bit.ly/1FyHF0q
- Pop along to Hayhill coffee morning:
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Thank you for reading our newsletter. If you would like to follow our updates in between newsletters remember that you can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Pinterest!
With Best Wishes,
The Creativity Works Team
For more information: Tel: 01761 438852
Email: [email protected] Supported by Bath & North East Somerset Council and Arts Council England Click here to return to the top of the email |
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Registered Charity No. 1075812 Company No. 3768255 Creativity Works for Everyone is a company limited by guarantee registered in England
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