Let's Create - Unstructured creative fun

The environment

Let’s Create continued to champion sustainability by using recycled, upcycled, and donated materials in every session — transforming cardboard, fabric scraps, and household leftovers into rockets, monsters, towers, and dens. By doing so, we diverted hundreds of items from landfill and gave families simple, hands-on ways to explore creative reuse. We also invested in new durable tools and storage, helping us reduce reliance on single-use resources and keep materials in circulation longer. Whenever possible, we incorporated natural materials like leaves, sticks, and stones, connecting children with the outdoors and encouraging low-impact, eco-conscious play. Every session was a playful invitation to value reuse over waste, imagination over consumption, and to plant seeds of environmental care from a young age.

The local economy

Let’s Create supported the local economy by employing a local creative practitioner, paying local artists for their time, and sourcing tools and recycled materials from businesses in Stroud. We hosted sessions at independent venues like Brimscombe Mill and Stroud Brewery, increasing footfall and visibility for these spaces. Our events brought families into local areas—many staying to eat, shop, or explore—helping boost weekend trade for small businesses.

Volunteering, jobs & education

Let’s Create created paid freelance work for a local creative support worker and a session facilitator, providing flexible employment in the arts. We also offered informal volunteering opportunities—parents and older siblings often helped with setup, materials sorting, and welcoming new families. Our sessions became learning spaces too: children developed fine motor skills, collaboration, and creative problem-solving through unstructured play. We also shared sustainable making techniques that encouraged lifelong learning through creativity.

Arts, culture & heritage

Let’s Create supported arts, culture, and heritage by offering free, inclusive creative play rooted in the principles of Playwork and community arts. Our sessions encouraged children to explore visual arts, storytelling, and imaginative design using recycled materials—celebrating creativity without rules or pressure. We showcased the value of participatory arts as a tool for wellbeing, expression, and connection, welcoming diverse families and nurturing cultural curiosity. By popping up in local fêtes and community events, including a session supporting charities in Gaza, we also embedded art into civic life—making culture accessible, visible, and meaningful to all.

Activity, health and leisure

Let’s Create promoted health, activity, and leisure by offering regular, screen-free, hands-on play sessions that encouraged movement, creativity, and connection. Children were free to build, paint, explore, and collaborate—boosting physical activity, fine motor skills, and emotional wellbeing. The relaxed, inclusive environment reduced pressure and supported mental health, particularly for neurodivergent children and families who often feel excluded from mainstream activities. Sessions provided joyful, low-cost leisure for families, creating opportunities to unwind, bond, and play together in welcoming community spaces.