Garden Gathering!

They say a picture paints a thousand words so for this particular entry we're going to let the pictures do the talking as we got such fabulous snaps from our Garden Gathering Green UPLIFT at the Carer’s Garden back in May!

It was a lovely Spring day for this relaxed and creative event which saw UPLIFTER’S come together for a chilled afternoon of sketching, mosaic making, picnics and music. 

There were smiles on the faces of all involved as they created beautiful mosaics, laughter and chat was a plenty over picnics and sweet treats and there were some very special mindful moments with Rachel Howden Massey from 'Other Ways to Walk'. As the afternoon drew into early evening, UPLIFTER's enjoyed signing and dancing to the samba beats of Latin band, Armando.

‘Garden Gathering’ was an event in the diary to celebrate creativity and well-being week, a national initiative that raises awareness of the positive impact that creativity can have on our wellbeing. And it certainly hit the nail on both, with the Creative Recovery community knowing full well that the two-go hand in hand. With special thanks to the hidden gem that is the Carer's Garden for hosting, creativity and wellbeing was on full display!

Of the day, our friends from the Carer’s Garden said: 

"Awesome day with you marvellous lot! The garden is a place for communities to come together to nurture our souls in the beauty of nature.  With music, colour and a collective, we raised the vibration! Thank you all for being there."

"Thank you to everyone that made this day absolutely perfect." - UPLIFT Participant

"Look at all those wonderfully happy faces."

- UPLIFT Participant

This Green UPLIFT project was funded and supported by South Yorkshire's Community Foundation, Creative Minds, South Yorkshire integrated care system an NHS partnership, Barnsley Healthcare Federation.

A Creative Collaboration with Chol Theatre

On this wet weekend we're casting our mind's back to sunnier times and an earlier event on this year's UPLIFT calendar which featured a fantastic two part UPLIFT with the brilliant Chol theatre!

The first part of this creative collaboration saw us head to one of our favourite spots, RSPB Old Moor, to watch Chol Theatre's ‘On the Coal Face’ story trail, the second instalment in their ‘Flock of Stories’ series which shares stories of the 1984 miner’s strike, inspired by local stories from the mining communities of Barnsley. 

In a promenade performance, the audience were led around the reserve meeting various character’s along the way. Early on the trail we hear from local lad, Eric, who tells us that like many others round here, he was always destined for a life in the pit, his family are all miners - coal runs through his blood. We meet miner Stanley who has also worked in the pit, man and boy, and tells us tales of the camaraderie and friendships forged deep underground. And lastly we meet Birdie, the wife of Stanley, at the forefront of the Women against pit closures movement as she joins the pickets and paves a new way for women of the era. With powerful monologues and a call to action, the story trail leads the audience back to the court yard where the audience was able to enjoy the rousing sounds of a local brass band in the Springtime sunshine. Glorious!

Inspired by the story trail, UPLIFTER’S then had an opportunity to work with the writer and director of the piece, Carly Ann-Clark, in a creative writing workshop that invited participants to explore their imagination and find their voice. The session began with writing warm up games encouraging participants to think about different words and their meaning and the implications of those words. Starting with their own individual names, the group looked at who called them their name and reason behind it, discussing what it means to them as well as looking at nicknames. This led to a wider discussion of What is in a name? Carly then introduced pictures of people and protests as a means to explore emotions. If a picture says a thousand words what would those words be? Different objects were also used a stimulus to dip into the fantastical, thinking about the places where these objects belong, the story behind them and the characters that connect with them. All of which helped work towards the group taking on some free writing. 

On the session Carly says;

"I think many of the participant’s felt really surprised to see where their imagination had them and what they had achieved from the start of the workshop to the end. Everyone had written a really effective monlogue and read aloud to the group. They were a total joy to work with, really playful and really creative.”

 

Hearing from participant's it appears the feeling was entirely mutual!:

"I loved this afternoon - well planned with a great flow. It was interactive and there was no right or wrong. Super fabulous! Please come back!"

"It's helped me to tap into my imagination. I've enjoyed sharing ideas and I've felt respected and listened to. I'd love to be involved in a play!"

"Thank you for a fantastic group. I've enjoyed every minute!" 

 

We couldn't have put it better! A great UPLIFT enjoyed by all and we look forward to working with the lovely Chol Theatre again very soon!

To find out more about Chol Theatre and the brilliant work they do in communities across Yorkshire, visit: wearechol.co.uk

UPLIFT Central Area: Growing Creativity!

Here at Creative Recovery we are in the early stages of an exciting new project, UPLIFT Central Area: Growing Creativity!

UPLIFT Central Area: Growing Creativity, is an 18 month project which follows a series of successful pilot UPLIFT takeovers across the Central Area between 2019 - 2022. It has been co-designed alongside the Central Area team to realise a collective vision of a more creative, connected and healthier community in the Central Area of Barnsley.

The project focuses on three neighbourhood's across the Central area all identified for the health challenges and barriers to culture that they face. Working on the Summer Lane estate, Gilroyd estate and areas within Worsborough, this is an artist led project headed up by Creative Recovery’s Artist Developer, Charlie Barnes and People Grower, Lorna Szkliniarz. Together they will be working in collaboration with local residents, responding to the creative visions of each community to support them in their ideas to build community and feed into Barnsley’s wider cultural scene. This will also see partnership working from key partners including the Central Area Team (Barnsley BMBC), Berneslai Homes and Barnsley Libraries.

Work on the ground has begun with Lorna and Charlie meeting residents of all three neighbourhoods in a bid to find out what they need from their area and how the project might best work for them. Lorna tells us that even in these early consultations there seems to be a collective response across the board - a call for community, a nostalgic echo for things to be how they used to be. Speaking to residents of the Gilroyd estate it is clear to see their passion for the neighbourhood and their community, they are keen to preserve its identity and memory whilst simultaneously they wish to see the area grow, thrive. This is echoed across Worsborough with resident’s calling for togetherness and a sense of community. Similarly, in conversation with residents of the Summer Lane estate there’s a real endeavour for the estate to come together to help the estate grow. 

These early conversations have offered up some valuable insights and we’ve seen great engagement and enthusiasm for the project so far. Meetings with local groups and residents are starting to see lots of creative ideas and exciting plans beginning to take shape and we’re looking forward to working with each community to realise their ambitions, all of which we’ll keep you posted on in a monthly blog!

So, if you’re a resident of Summer Lane, Gilroyd or Worsborough and would like to get involved or would like to hear more about the project, we’d love to hear from you! This is your community and your project!

To get in touch you can email, Lorna at: upliftpeoplegrower@gmail.com

or Charlie at: upliftartistdeveloper@gmail.com

We look forward to giving you an update in our next blog which will feature content from our creative open days and plans so far for each area.

 In the meantime, we share the thoughts of one of our lovely residents from the Summer Lane estate:

“I feel really optimistic about plans for the neighbourhood. It feels really positive.'”

UPLIFT Central Area: Growing Creativity is a Creative Recovery project. It is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and the Central Area Council (Barnsley MBC), with support from partners, Berneslai Homes and Barnsley Libraries.