Artivity - one year on

The young artists at Artivity have been celebrating the first year at their new studio! Artivity was launched in August 2016 by illustrator and art teacher Ellie Sandall, and has been based at Swines Meadow Farm Nursery since February 2022. The classes have been enjoying having a larger creative space, and especially love having the opportunity to work outside in the gardens when it’s warm enough!

Find out more about the after school classes, Arts Award courses and holiday workshops on offer at Artivity on their website- www. artivitystudios.co.uk, or email Ellie on hello@artivitystudios.co.uk. Facebook.com/ArtivityLtd Instagram @artivity_studios

Some of our students’ work exhibited during Peterborough Artists Open Studios 2022- this year’s exhibition will be on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th July.

We were so pleased to present our first Gold Arts Award, to the very talented Jodie Swepson, alongside four Silver and ten Bronze recipients! Illustrator Emily Bowers visited the studio for the presentations. We’re looking forward to seeing the current Arts Award cohorts receive their certificates in the summer, and to starting with new groups in September!

We had great fun at our mask making workshop!

One of our Year 3 and 4 classes hard at work in the studio- each of our young artists added their name to our chalkboard wall!

Hearing a knock on the door and then opening it to see a welcoming smile brings an enormous wave of relief, and it is the feeling that envelops a fulltime carer when a CSS Volunteer arrives for a sit. Carers long for the opportunity to leave the home and carry out an errand or just sit and have a coffee and a catch up with a friend, knowing that for an hour or two they can be relieved of the perpetual worry that only another carer would understand. Of course, this relief enables the carer to cope with their life better and prevent the feeling of being overwhelmed – that they just can’t cope anymore.

Celebrating their 30th birthday this year, the Carers Sitter Service is unique to this area and provides a Volunteer Sitter who will step into the breach, allowing full time adult carers the opportunity to regain some independence and control over their own lives. Referrals can be made by the carer themselves or by partner organisations, i.e. Social Prescribers. The service is a registered charity and the respite care that is offered is free and completely dependent on funding and donations.

The relief this service brings to local carers is immense, enabling them to leave their dependant in good hands with compassionate volunteers, all referenced, DBS checked and trained, some having been carers themselves which offers a further understanding of the carer’s need of a break. For the dependant, many of whom are at home and isolated, it gives them the chance to meet a new friend, reminisce or maybe even enjoy a game of dominoes. The service reopened in July 2021 after a year of lockdowns and, with the backing of the Trustees, Paula (Coordinator) and Sara (Admin) have rebranded the service and continue to reach out to more carers along with a request for more volunteers. Referrals are now at 125 and their dedicated family of volunteers is now covering an average of 65 hours per month.

If you recognise the need for a sitter either for yourself or someone else then contact the girls; they are more than happy to have a chat and/or arrange a visit. They are ready to hear from you.