Art and Joy - exhibition and celebration

The local economy

We hired Sanctuary cookalongs who do work in the community to serve our buffet, bought wood for picture hanging locally, hired a local DJ and photographer

Volunteering, jobs & education

We had the help of around 10 volunteers to help set up and run the event. Some of the volunteers were group members who haven't volunteered before. Our team and volunteers learned a lot about event hosting, planning and about team work and delegation.

Arts, culture & heritage

Our project encouraged artists who have never exhibited before to show their work and build connections and even make their own sales. People who otherwise would not have had the chance to take part and exhibit were able to do so with support and care every step of the way. Many attendees had never visited an art exhibition before and many were inspired to take up art in their own time or join our group and also we found that many were very surprised by the work we do and the journeys of their loved ones who had invited them.

Activity, health and leisure

We have seen a steady uptick in new members to our weekly groups since our first exhibition. Our team are a group of vulnerable people themselves and having the support to host our projects has vastly improved our confidence and mental health. This has a knock on effect to our group members old and new as we are growing and believing in ourselves.