Arts & Wellbeing Report 2022 - 2023

2022-2023

Acknowledgements a huge thank you to our funders

We are immensely grateful to the William Grant Foundation for the financial support you have given WHALE Arts over the past and previous years Beyond this, the flexibility you have offered in terms of project-specific and unrestricted core funding has been incredible.

This flexibility from funders is rare and, demonstrates a deep understanding of the complex and often challenging landscape in which we work, particularly in relation to supporting people living with long-term conditions.

None of the work in this report would have been possible without the generous and flexible support from the William Grant Foundation. We are deeply grateful to you for enabling us to do the incredible work that we do.

introduction a background to our story

In 2022 WHALE Arts received a further grant from the William Grant Foundation through their Health and Social Causes funding strand.

The grant combined project-specific funding for our Arts and Wellbeing program - which predominantly supports people living with long-term conditions And unrestricted core funding to develop related projects including ongoing support and supervision for our freelance delivery team and relevant training for the wider WHALE Arts team

In 2021 we made some significant changes to the structure of our Arts & Wellbeing program We added two new groups to the program and created a three-tiered structure. This new structure

included therapeutic groups which are highly structured and time-limited. Social and creative groups, which are less structured and ongoing, and self-directed and entrepreneurial groups which are loosely structured drop-in groups.

In 2022 we planned to take this a step further by amalgamating some of our programs for children and young people into our wider Arts & Wellbeing program and by trialing a form of 'arts triage'

The idea was to meet people at their point of need and guide them to the most appropriate group or activity. Additionally, we wanted to create a continuum

of care for children and young people with ASN as they transition into adulthood by ensuring there are ongoing opportunities to participate in creative and therapeutic activities.

Our overall aim was to increase flow within the Arts & Wellbeing by creating multiple entry points, and clear progression routes

On top of that we wanted to maximize our effectiveness - in terms of the high-quality artsbased interventions and support that we deliver- and our efficiency - in terms of our capacity to support increased numbers without diluting the quality of our support.

What we'd need in order for this to work

High levels of support for our freelance, delivery teams.

On-going training for freelance and core staff teams

Out-the-box thinking to address capacity issues

Increased collaboration with partner organisations

2022 an unprecedented year

At the start of 2022, as we moved towards a post-pandemic world, we had high hopes that the pressures of the past two years would ease, and that life for our community and our team would return to some semblance of normality

None of us could have imagined that we'd face wave after wave of increasing challenges - energy crisis, food crisis, economic crisis, war in Ukraine, and increased austerity measures

These challenges have been felt across all levels of society however those who were already disadvantaged have been disproportionately affected. Pre existing inequalities have drastically increased, in turn putting increasing pressures on organisations like ours.

Over the past year, demand for our services has increased dramatically, particularly from people struggling with long-term conditions, poor mental health, and additional support needs.

Among the people we already support and those reaching out for our help, we have observed elevated levels of distress, people struggling to meet their basic needs, and as a result, exacerbated physical and mental health problems, and increasing incidents of challenging and abusive behaviour.

This has a huge impact on our staff, freelancers and volunteers who continue to deliver

exceptional services in the face of increasing pressure and strain.

On going support and regular supervision for the staff and freelance teams has been crucial. The Arts and Wellbeing team freelancers meet once a month for an online group supervision session which has become a highly valued part of the support package.

In 2021 we had our core staff team trained in Trauma informed practice and in 2022 we rolled this training to all our part time staff and freelancers too.

We provided neurodiversity

training to our staff, freelancers, and volunteers, and are exploring Non Violent Communication training particularly to support our front line staff in dealing with challenging situations.

There is no denying that times have been tough and seem set to get worse before they get better, despite this, our team have been doing some phenomenal work and what follow are some examples from the various groups on our Arts & Wellbeing program.

Let's Create

Theraputic art group for women with complex mental health problems

Let’s Create is a therapeutic art group for women who struggle with mental health difficulties It is a closed group meaning the same participants join each week This helps to create a feeling of safety and familiarity helping to foster strong and supportive relationships within the group.

The weekly sessions include a creative activity (art making or crafting) and a shared healthy meal after the activity. The meal offers an opportunity for reflection and discussion, particularly if there were any interpersonal or activity-related challenges during the session. Group members are encouraged to be open and honest about their experiences and suggest future activities

Attending the Let’s Create group helps participants to learn new skills, foster curiosity for self and others, and to understand and communicate emotions and feelings through artworks, this in turn helps to support positive relationships and nurture an increased feeling of community.

All current Let's Create members suffer from long term health conditions as well as

complex and enduring mental health problems, which in turn are compounded by financial difficulties and food poverty.

The shared meal provides a healthy and hot food option for the day. Leftovers are available for members to take home, and recipes for the vegetarian meals are written down and shared with members for them to cook at home.

Over the past year, Let's Create has been shifting from an ongoing closed group to a time-limited model. Every three months, the group opens to allow new participants to join, and existing members are who are ready are supported to move on.

This change has not come easily and while

many felt the new approach exciting, it was also scary and unwelcomed by those who struggle with change

Challenges aside, the group has much to celebrate. Members take pride in trying new things, developing skills, and sharing creative activities with family

For some, attending Let's Create is their only social opportunity in the week and when the group is cohesive and running well there is such a feeling of warmth, care, and community among the members.

The strong relationship between the group and the facilitator allows participants to share their struggles, to receive help and support from each other.

Art in the Open

Outdoor therapeutic art group for people with mild to moderate mental health problems

Art in the Open is an outdoor creative therapeutic group which runs over 10 session blocks, with each bock offered to a different demographic group In 2022/23 we have delivered a block for young people (16-25) a dyadic parent/child block, a block for elderly residents delivered in a local care home and a women ' s block

What follows is a short case study of Eirene (not her real name), a resident of Clovenstone House care home, who participated in Art in the Open

Clovenstone House experienced collective trauma during the COVID-19 pandemic, losing over half of their residents and isolating remaining residents from their families and friends due to visitor restrictions Though visitors have resumed, numbers remain low due to concerns about visiting vulnerable and elderly relatives, and people have gotten out of the habit of visiting.

Eirene, diagnosed with dementia, had moved to the home after her husband's death This compounded trauma led to a deterioration in her health and increased dementia symptoms, causing her to spend most of her time in bed and avoid socializing with other residents

Despite needing almost one-to-one support due to her dementia, Eirene enthusiastically joined Art in the Open at Clovenstone house. An excellent artist, she became increasingly self-

sufficient in the creative activities over the weeks, needing less individual support.

After a few weeks, Eirene began to ask the staff when the ‘art therapy group ’ was happening. She began to remember it was on a Tuesday and would often ask for the group facilitator; although she didn’t quite remember her name, she recognised and was always happy to see her.

Not only did Eirene’s memory skills develop over the duration of the group, so did her language skills. For people with severe dementia, they can struggle to hold a conversation and even speak at times, not being able to find the words or recall what it is they’re discussing.

In one session Eirene engaged in an entire conversation with another resident.

Engaging in a group dynamic challenged and encouraged Eirene’s conversation skills; the art making gave her the opportunity to explore and express without the need of words and the warmth and connection with the group facilitator and group members meant she felt safe to be present and engage in the therapeutic benefits of art making

Staff at Clovenstone house have been so impressed by the improvements in Eirene & other residents that they are continuing to offer art sessions with residents. WHALE has donated art materials and are looking for other ways to support the group.

Play Sense Create

Tailored creative & sensory arts sessions for young people with additional support needs & their families

Play Sense Create and Explore offer unique and highly tailored sessions for families with children who have additional support needs, disabilities and complex health needs. Play Sense Create focuses on younger children while Explore supports young people up to age 18

We deliver tailored one to one, family and small group sessions at WHALE Arts Each session is crafted to suit the specific needs and interests of the individuals involved and can include a wide range of creative, sensory, messy, rhythmic and dynamic forms of play and activity.

We decided to bring these two group into the Arts and Wellbeing program at WHALE Arts as we wanted to ensure there were ongoing creative, supportive and therapeutic opportunities for young people with additional support needs particularly as they transition into adulthood.

Over the past year we have worked in partnership with the Teapot Trust to deliver a mix of inperson and online sessions. Our specialist freelance artists created individually tailored art and messy play packs, to accompany the online sessions, based on the sensory needs and interests of individual participants. Families have shared how much they feel valued by the care that's been put into creating individualised content in both the sessions and the packs

Creative play sessions have included a family festive outdoor trail with ‘ snow ’ storytelling,

13 puppetry, theatre, music, visual art and performance.

The groups also held Art and Rhythm sessions utilizing drumming to help families and their children/young people to explore and share their thoughts and feelings through creative responses The aim of the project was to give families an opportunity to get out of the house, experience the therapeutic qualities of art, rhythm, and music, and build their creative confidence

These sessions also supported discussion and facilitated improved sense of wellbeing and mental health for both parents, carers, children and young people.

'Play Sense Create sessions are perfect for my family. I find it difficult to take my 2 boys out on my own, so these sessions are a lifeline. The activities are very child-led, the staff so engaging with the kids. It is somewhere we can come that really engages my children so they are happy and I feel supported'

Parent of 2 PSC members

'I just wanted to say a huge thank you for A’s art pack. It's fantastic and so generous. He particularly loves the personalised activities. We may not be doing to well with literacy and numeracy but I've got a budding Banksy on my hands'

Parent of Explore member

Smartcraft

Visual arts group for adults with additional and complex needs

Smartcraft is the only arts group for adults with additional and complex needs in the local area All of our Smartcraft members live with long term conditions and many rely on support workers to help them to attend sessions.

Demand for this group is so high that in 2022 we started a second Smartcraft group Each group meets once a fortnight and we are encouraging those members who are keen to come weekly, to join in our Open Studio sessions on alternate weeks so they do not miss out on creative opportunities. Creating a second Smartcraft group has also opened up a progression route for young people aged 19 or older, who previously attended Explore.

We have two new fantastic facilitators, Kat and Liz whom each support one of the two Smarcraft groups. We also have a local volunteer support worker Louise who supports both sessions and is a great asset to the Smartcraft team.

During Smartcraft sessions, group members are free to explore their own art practice with the support of the group facilitators and volunteer support worker. On top of this, various

art activities are suggested, giving members opportunities to discover new ways of working, explore different materials, and experiment with new ideas This approach not only supports the group in learning new skills but also allows the members to work towards managing their own art practice

Sessions are delivered within a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, where participants are encouraged to meet new people and strengthen existing friendships.

Smartcraft's main aim is to improve members' confidence and self-esteem To increase the group ' s confidence in social engagement both within the group and

the wider community.

Sessions are delivered within a relaxed and friendly atmosphere and have been designed to introduce new skills, build confidence and open conversation between the group members

“I was delighted with how well the art session with N went on Monday. It was a good atmosphere for N: quiet, but a rare opportunity for her to feel safe participating in a group of her peers. It's always difficult to keep her focused and her anxiety at bay, but lots of praise, giving her jobs to help others kept her on track. Please thank Kat and Louise for a great introduction to the class: we had a very happy afternoon!”

Parent of Smartcraft member N

Stitch N' Time

Highly social sewing & textiles group for women

Stitch’n’Time is a group of women from Westerhailes and the surrounding area who come together on Tuesday afternoons to stitch for two hours They have mixed abilities and vary in age, with the majority being older and living alone while suffering from a variety of physical and mental issues.

Initially established to teach sewing, the group ' s aims have evolved to focus on the wellbeing of its participants. The benefits of stitching together as a group include increased self-esteem, confidence, social interaction, learning new skills, and forming friendships.

Over the past year, the group has worked on various projects, including making simple sewing kits. Working on the same project allowed them to share ideas and help each other with difficult parts, leading to a sense of accomplishment and pride in their completed kits.

The group often collaborates on bigger projects such as their giant snakes and ladders game. The ladies worked together, communicated well, tried new things, and gifted the project to a local nursery. As the project progressed, their skills improved, and their friendships grew, resulting in a sense of amazment and astonishment at the final outcome.

It was a privilege to be asked to design and make aprons for the café which is now open at WHALE. The ladies worked in a “production line fashion” to produce six beautiful aprons.

Stitch’n’Time provides an environment where participants are encouraged to play their part. A place to learn new skills and stitch beautiful items. This brings with it many other benefits including...

Stress relief: Sewing promotes mindfulness and reduces stress and anxiety by encouraging a meditative state. Concentrating on one task can induce relaxation and a positive mindset

Improved hand-eye coordination: Sewing

requires attention to detail and helps relieve physical issues like back pain.

Boosts happiness: Sewing, like other crafts, increases dopamine levels in the brain, promoting positivity.

Fights dementia: Remembering specific steps in sewing exercises keeps the brain clear, focused, and active.

Sense of accomplishment: Finishing a sewing project provides a major sense of achievement, boosting self-esteem and giving reasons to feel proud.

Doing this in a group has added benefits, such as building friendships, sharing problems, and laughing together.

Men's Makers

Men's woodworking and making group

'And just a wee heads up...

I don’t know if you noticed yesterday, that within the company we were sharing that there was a heck of a lot more chatting between folks – honesty! I was “behind the curtains” on my own and I was able to observe and note the chatting. It was just like a heap of mates down the pub but without alcohol.

I might want to ask you if you could include my observations in the feedback reports you submit'

N Men's Makers member

'What does the group do?

"It makes a huge difference to the lives of a few ordinary blokes. It may not make a huge difference on the world stage, but it gives a small group of men the chance to work on projects, socialize, share problems, ask and share advice, compare ideas and just have a friendly ear available. Lunch is a welcome advantage too. Sometimes we are an advice shop, sometimes an escape from pressure, a place of wonderful achievement, or sometimes a frustrating scene of technical failure, which is blimmin going to work out for us next time!!!'

M Men's Makers facilitator

Set up in response to identified needs, the Men's Makers has evolved into a solid supportive, and creative group - despite numerous challenges particularly relating to the lack of dedicated workshop space.

Over the past year, the group has perfected their mobile workshop making best use of the Performance space at WHALE with its natural light and access to outdoor working space. They have built 3 bespoke workbenches that can cope with heavy woodworking and are fitted with locking castors, making them highly mobile, storable and giving the space a ‘serious workshop’ look. There is enough space for the group to work safely so that personal distance can be observed. And power tools are often used outside to minimise dust.

The guys in the group work on their own projects which this past year have ranged from perfecting dovetail joints to a wooden claymore sword, bird boxes, tables, paintings and music stands. One of the nicest things about the group is they are a good team. They inquire about each other’s health and are always keen to help each other and advise on things Everybody has been mindful of the work of others and things tick along in a pretty relaxed manner

Open Studio

Social & creative drop-in group

Open Studio has surpassed all our expectations Set up as the first of our moving on groups - it is loosely structured and offers a space for people to come and work on their own projects at their own pace. A range of materials are provided or people can bring their own if they like.

Over the past year 51 different people have attended Open Studio Sessions Of these, 4 have moved on from our Art in the Open and Let's Create groups, 8 are active members in other groups at WHALE and the rest are new to WHALE Arts. Some have joined Open Studio while waiting for a place in other Arts and Wellbeing groups, others have been referred by social work; and we ' re seeing increasing numbers of people with complex needs attend with their support workers as a direct result of their other support services being cut.

One of the keys to Open Studio's success - we believe - is due to the drop in style nature of the group We run two Open Studio sessions per week each lasting 2 and a half hours Participants don't need to sign up they can just drop for a session, or not, if they have other priorities at the time. The sessions have become so popular that we have had to limit the numbers to 12 per session and we are looking at ways to increase provision to 3 sessions

page 21 per week.

The other key factor in the group ' s success is down to the facilitator who has established an incredibly calm, peaceful, and supportive environment.

Unlike other groups where the facilitator engages participants in weekly activities, in Open Studio their role is that of a supporting artist, on hand to offer help and guidance when needed Despite this they often deliver specific sessions demonstrating particular techniques when participants in the group have expressed an interest

Open Studio is currently run by Julia Davies an incredible woman who first

came to WHALE as a participant in Stitch N' Time. She received support from WHALE Arts to start her own business and alongside this moved on to volunteer supporting the Stitch N' Time facilitator and leading sessions when Debbie was off

Julia, who is wheelchair bound and struggles with chronic long-term health conditions often leading to lengthy hospital says, is now a fully fledged member of our Freelance delivery team. It is thanks to her that Open Studio has become such an astounding success.

The learning from this group is shaping our ideas for the further development of the Arts and Wellbeing program.

Mums into Business

Highly creative & supportive group for mums who want to set up their own businesses

Mums into Business is all about supporting women - specifically mums - who want to set up their own businesses Our unique approach combines personal development with business skills and places strong emphasis on building confidence and self esteem, challenging limiting beliefs and developing a growth mindset. We believe that by focusing on these key areas, individuals are better equipped to overcome obstacles and achieve their full potential, both in their personal and professional lives

The mums in the group face multiple barriers including language barriers, lack of affordable childcare and challenges in accessing conventional business advice and support Despite this they share a common motivating factor, they want a better life for their children, and aim to accomplish this not only by establishing successful and sustainable businesses through their own efforts, but also by sharing the knowledge and skills they acquire to give their children a head start on their own journey.

This year Mums into Business has offered its members 1:1 support sessions focusing on specific business and personal challenges. A series of special group sessions with a free creche, including Riso design and print sessions where the mums designed and printed

their own logos, business cards, flyers and packaging materials. Sessions on goal setting, how to set up as self-employed, and how to do a tax return

Some group members took part in Christmas Markets in Wester Hailes selling a range of products from handmade jewelry to second-hand books, and a range of Christmas crafts.

One of our members recently moved away from Wester Hailes and opened her own shop in Dunfermline. The highlight of the year was a Mums into Business trip where the mums and their kids went to visit Sindy's shop Attic Sales

The best things about the group is the phenomenal support network the mums

have developed. Although not all group members attend the in-person sessions they are all highly active in the WhatsApp group and many strong friendships have formed between members.

What difference does Mums into Business make? Belonging to the group gives an injection of selfesteem. It's the supportive factor of it that differences this group from another. The women are mainly mothers in similar circumstances with the challenge of raising children being aware of their talents but somehow stuck at home or having to postpone it. MIB helps to make our dreams come true as it points us in the right direction.

S MIB member & group social media officer

Pod Press

Riso Print service

Pod press has gone from strength to strength since Mhairi joined our team in April 2022

Not only has she been busy delivering taster sessions for all the other groups on the Arts and Wellbeing Program; she's facilitated a series of evening Riso design and print workshops for anyone within the local and wider Edinburgh community, delivered special one off sessions for a team of GP's from the Healthy Living Centre, and a series of zine workshops for children and young people as part of our summer program

Mhairi has been instrumental in shaping our ideas for the future of Pod Press. She's developed a series of resources aimed at making Riso printing more accessible, including a design guide and a Riso guide She has undertaken a series of commissions and print jobs for local partner organisations, community groups, our own café - which opened at the end of last year, and other charities across the City.

We're on a journey to develop Pod Press into a sustainable micro-enterprise that can balance a hyper-local community Riso design and print service with commercial Risoprinting, workshops, and sessions.

In addition to providing access to Riso printing facilities at low or zero cost to local people, we see Pod Press as a hub for collaboration and creative exchange where local and non-local people - artists, designers, writers, and creatives, can share ideas, techniques, and feedback, and work together to develop new projects and initiatives

There is already a high level of interest from local community members wanting either to learn more about Riso printing, how it works, and how to do it, or those with existing designs that want to get their work printed.

Two individuals who are part of our Create Community Wealth project have applied for micro-grants to do some bespoke

training through Pod Press to develop their Riso printing skills so they can create a range of art prints for sale.

Mhairi has led a focus group with local residents to explore what our community really wants from a local Riso printing facility. She is conducting research including interviews with other community Riso printing services and is developing a business plan for Pod Pres moving forward.

Events & Trips Program wide engagement

At WHALE Arts, historically, our groups have tended to work in isolation Over the past few years we have started to bring our team of freelancers together primarily through group supervision, as a means of facilitating shared learning, to give opportunities to learn from each other's experiences and perspectives, with the goal of enhancing the overall quality of services we provide

Building on the benefits of a stronger more effective freelance team, in 2022 we took this a step further by seeking opportunities to bring the groups together. Typically individual groups would go on the occasional trip but last summer we arranged a series of trips which were open to anyone attending groups on the Arts and Wellbeing program

We kept a few group specific trips such at Stitch N' Times visit to see the Great Scottish Tapestry, Men's Makers had a visit to the Edinburgh Open Workshop, and our Let's Create ladies attended a creative session at the Fruitmarket Gallery - creating ceramic heads as part of the Heads Up exhibition inspired by artist Daniel Silver.

Out with these trips, our Men's Makers went to Sharmanka, the kinetic museum in Glasgow accompanied my members of Stitch N' Time, Open Studio and some of our volunteers

Smartcraft, Open Studio members and volunteers went on joint WHALE / Edinburgh Art Festival trips to Jupiter Artland and the Queen's Gallery And our Stitch N' Time, Smartcraft, and Open Studio participants joined a trip to the Dovecot Studios to see the Alan Davies Exhibition and take part in a workshop led by Siobhan McLaughlan.

Each group has also had the opportunity to have an exhibition of their work at WHALE Arts And we hosted our second Wester Hailes Open Exhibition - open to anyone in the community, in November 2022

We ended the year with a Christmas meal for everyone involved with the Arts and

Wellbeing program which was thoroughly enjoyed by all. These experiences foster stronger relationships, expose group members to new ideas and perspectives, and improve overall group dynamics. Additionally, they build members' confidence, facilitate cross-group connections, and encourage flow between groups.

A new approach Art's Triage

The concept of arts triage is based on the medical triage system, which prioritizes patients based on the severity of their condition and the urgency of their need for care

Our idea of introducing a form of arts triage at WHALE came from our desire to maximise our effectiveness in a climate of reduced resources and ever increasing demand.

By meeting people at their point of need, determining the most effective way to support them and directing or referring them to the group or service best suited to their needs, seemed the best way for us to achieve this.

Case Study

C reached out to WHALE Arts via Facebook. She had heard about our therapeutic group and asked if there was space available.

A team member contacted C and discovered that she had lost her husband in tragic circumstances, that she was a kinship carer for her 3 grandchildren all with autistic spectrum disorders and that her own physical and mental health was rapidly deteriorating to a point of crisis.

The team member responded quickly and offered C an immediate place in Let's Create. She suggested support for her grandchildren through Play Sense Create and Explore and with C's permission arranged for the facilitator to contact her directly C was also referred for free counselling sessions made available through a WHALE Arts and Health Agency partnership

This cases study demonstrates a successful example of arts triage in action. However, this was only made possible because a senior team member, trained in empathic listening, with thorough knowledge of our programs and partnership offerings was on hand and able to respond when the initial request came in.

To facilitate this level of effective support on a larger scale, we need a dedicated triage worker.

We need to continue working with partners to identify short term crisis interventions that we can refer people into and we also need to increase levels of flow within our Arts and Wellbeing program providing progression routes that allow for ongoing support

Vison for the future Looking forward

We are confident that our approach of increasing flow within the Arts and Wellbeing program through considered restructuring, adding drop-in style groups, and introducing our ground-breaking arts triage, is having considerable results

In two years we have tripled the capacity of the Arts and Wellbeing program and our waiting lists have reduced by almost 40%. Positive participant feedback and high retention rates assure us that the quality of our work is in no way diminished and we are determined to keep this momentum going.

Looking forward, our primary objective is to capitalise on our successes and further increase our efficiency. Our vision is to become true experts in our field

and to do this we have identified and 3 key areas of focus for 2023

Arts Triage - enhance this concept by employing a dedicated triage worker; increase our levels of partnership working and crossagency referrals

Evaluation - further develop our use of Outnav, an outcomefocused methodology and software tool that enables us to undertake meaningful outcome and impact evaluation.

Progression routes - build on the success of Open Studio by trialling other drop-in style groups. Potentially a textiles-based dropin co-delivered by experienced Stitch N' Time participants. This would provide further progression routes and development opportunities for our members.

What we need

To achieve this we need increased funding for our Arts and Wellbeing program.

We are looking for a a grant of £15,000 of unrestricted core funding (as we have received in previous years) and a further £27,996 of project funding to support our Arts & Wellbeing program From that £27,996, £15,000 will be for the program itself and £12,996 to employ a part time dedicated triage worker

Why we need it

Why do we need more?

In light of the post-pandemic situation, there are several reasons why we need more resources.

Firstly, the cost of living has significantly increased, which has had a direct impact on our organization's financial stability, particularly with

regard to staffing at living wage, significantly increased utilities and other costs.

Additionally, many services are still unavailable and waiting times for those that are have increased dramatically This has resulted in a much higher level of dependence on us by participants and community members.

Moreover, our core reserves have been depleted through our offering extra support to the community in the wake of increased demand and complexity of needs This extra support has been crucial in helping those who need it the most, but it has also put a strain on our resources

Despite the challenges, we recognize the value of our triage role and are committed to keeping and developing it. However, to do so, we need additional resources to support our operations

Finally, the funding landscape is becoming increasingly challenging, with limited resources available for organizations like ours. This makes it even more crucial for us to secure additional funding to sustain our operations and continue providing essential services to the community

Acknowledgements A final thanks

On behalf of the WHALE Arts team we extend our heartfelt gratitude to the William Grant Foundation and we would like to express our appreciation for your invaluable support

Your funding has enabled us to provide exceptional service to our community, and we appreciate the trust you ' ve placed in our organization. In addition, we would like to acknowledge your understanding and flexibility in allowing us to adapt to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control.

We hope that this report serves as a testament to the immense impact your funding has had on our community. We look forward to working with you in the future. Thank you once again for your unwavering support.

And...

A huge thank you to our team

None of this work would have been possible with the hard work and dedication of our incredible team at WHALE Arts

From our cleaners to our front of house, our operations, programming, and managements teams. Above all our amazing freelancers who deliver our Arts & Wellbeing groups - Lillian Shipton, Roz Williamson, Kat Prior, Liz Waterstone, Julia Davies, Debbie Wright, Mark Carr, Mhairi Braden, Sindy Santos.

Photo credits: Ollie Benton Report: Kirsty Frankland