Active Hearts and Minds (AHaM) is an inclusive and democratic not-for-profit company which provides group arts and leisure activities in West Kent. Our organisation is run by its members for its members. Anyone can join us to take part in our exciting range of creative sessions. We know everyone has something to offer creatively and we welcome the talents that different people bring to our groups. Volunteers form the backbone of the organisation and many are also enthusiastic participants in our activities. We are always pleased to welcome more people as volunteers and to join our groups.
At the heart of AH&M is the creative and personal fulfilment of its members, who include people with and without disabilities. The company aims to be as open and fair as possible. Our members have the opportunity to join the AHaM committee, take on roles and vote on decisions. In addition, all members have a say in the kind of projects they wish to see included in our programmes.
We provide AHaM activities FREE of charge and our projects are funded through sponsorship, gifts and grants.
AHaM offers opportunities in music, drama, poetry, photography and art. Some of these activities will involve group visits to places of interest, both indoors and outdoors. We encourage our members to tell us what they would like to do so we may add new activities over time. We run both online and in-person sessions to ensure as much accessibility as possible.
The Directors of the company, Sue Marlow and Charlie Bell are fully hands on. They use their long experience in education and the arts to assist members wherever they can. Sue has been successfully running groups of this type for many years and describes herself as a ‘passionate enthusiast for all things creative and inclusive’. Charlie is a writer with over 50 years’ experience in education, teaching people from 8 to 80 and being a well-known local poet.
