Reflecting on a Powerful Creative Journey |
| These sessions first began through our Care, Create, Conserve project in 2024, and it's great that the legacy of that project continues to grow. As we move into the next phase, we do so with gratitude, excitement, and a deep commitment to giving people a creative voice. |  |
Our Co-Director Alex said:
“The creativity that emerged was remarkable; not just in the artwork, but in the conversations, the friendships, and the renewed sense of purpose.”
Showcasing the participants' work:
On top of the social aspect of the project and the benefits to the participants and the company funding the project, some really beautiful pieces of art were created which people could take home to share with loved ones.
Autumn trees using masking tape technique
Mindful Biro doodling session
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Pencil sketches of Dudley Castle (complete with a fascinating history shared by Alex!)
Acrylic Claude Monet-inspired paintings on canvas
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Blue ink plate designs in the Willow style
BSL learning sessions
MC Escher tessellations session
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Modelling Greek clay pots
Designing terracotta pots
‘WHAT THESE SESSIONS MEAN TO ME’
We regularly survey our participants for their feedback on our sessions.
This is what they had to say about the DDC / Your RWTC sessions:
This is what they had to say about the DDC / Your RWTC sessions:
Follow us on social media for updates and more snapshots from this inspiring project as it develops over the remaining months of 2025.
#GivingPeopleACreativeVoice #ArtAndRehab #NeuroRehabilitation #BSLInclusion #DDCfunded #WestParkHospital
#GivingPeopleACreativeVoice #ArtAndRehab #NeuroRehabilitation #BSLInclusion #DDCfunded #WestParkHospital
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A Journey Through Art, Heritage, and Inclusion
At RAW we're passionate about the power of art to connect communities, exploring heritage, and promoting inclusion. Our recent collaboration with The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust’s Arts and Heritage Group on the Care, Create, Conserve project perfectly embodies this ethos.
Care, Create, Conserve was an 18-month long programme of arts and heritage activity, beginning in the 75th year of the NHS. Central to this project was the launch of a brand new Healthcare Heritage Centre, which exhibited a fascinating collection of medical artefacts, photographs, and memorabilia and acted as a community co-creation hub, hosting a vibrant programme of talks, events, and workshops.
Care, Create, Conserve was an 18-month long programme of arts and heritage activity, beginning in the 75th year of the NHS. Central to this project was the launch of a brand new Healthcare Heritage Centre, which exhibited a fascinating collection of medical artefacts, photographs, and memorabilia and acted as a community co-creation hub, hosting a vibrant programme of talks, events, and workshops.
Funded by a grant of £139,792 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded in October 2023, this project, which we began working on in February 2024, involved a range of creative commissions across Wolverhampton.
The project aimed to consider issues of identity, disability, and language within a healthcare context. We were thrilled to team up and be commissioned by the Trust to deliver workshops through the project which saw school pupils and recovering patients taking part in enriching experiences within the workshops.
The project aimed to consider issues of identity, disability, and language within a healthcare context. We were thrilled to team up and be commissioned by the Trust to deliver workshops through the project which saw school pupils and recovering patients taking part in enriching experiences within the workshops.
Who We Worked With
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What We Created
The workshops resulted in some truly thought-provoking and inspiring artworks:
Penn Fields School
Pupils collaborated to create a stunning 2D collage of The Royal Hospital building in All Saints, using torn-up newspapers and photographs about the hospital's history.
The collaged sky includes clouds made from printed comments of what the NHS means to the young participants.
They also constructed a detailed 3D model of the hospital from recycled cardboard, complete with a lift-off roof revealing miniature hospital scenes.
Penn Fields School
Pupils collaborated to create a stunning 2D collage of The Royal Hospital building in All Saints, using torn-up newspapers and photographs about the hospital's history.
The collaged sky includes clouds made from printed comments of what the NHS means to the young participants.
They also constructed a detailed 3D model of the hospital from recycled cardboard, complete with a lift-off roof revealing miniature hospital scenes.
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At the NRU, West Park Hospital
The Neuro Rehabilitation Unit at West Park Hospital looks after people with acute neurological conditions for example brain injury, Parkinson's and survivors of strokes. We worked with a small group of adults on a short series of creative sessions.
Participants produced several artworks inspired by the Weeping Chapel, an octagonal Victorian building on the hospital site. These included beautiful dot paintings, delicate watercolour paintings, and intricate 3D cardboard models of the chapel.
The Neuro Rehabilitation Unit at West Park Hospital looks after people with acute neurological conditions for example brain injury, Parkinson's and survivors of strokes. We worked with a small group of adults on a short series of creative sessions.
Participants produced several artworks inspired by the Weeping Chapel, an octagonal Victorian building on the hospital site. These included beautiful dot paintings, delicate watercolour paintings, and intricate 3D cardboard models of the chapel.
Warstones Primary School's Deaf Resource Base
The children collectively recreated Gary’s powerful painting "Two Worlds," which depicts Deaf and Hearing worlds working together in harmony. Each child was given a square section of the artwork, pre-printed with audiogram charts relating to patients' hearing checks.
The children collectively recreated Gary’s powerful painting "Two Worlds," which depicts Deaf and Hearing worlds working together in harmony. Each child was given a square section of the artwork, pre-printed with audiogram charts relating to patients' hearing checks.
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RAW's Gary O'Dowd, who is profoundly Deaf, said:
“It was great to have the opportunity of working with the young people at the Deaf Resource Base at Warstones School. We were able to borrow some archive hearing equipment from the Wolverhampton Sensory Team which the pupils had a great time learning about and interacting with.
I spoke with the children about how technology has advanced since I was a pupil myself at a school for deaf children in the North East in the 1980s.
In recent times there have been huge advances in digital hardware for deaf people and smart phone technology now features deaf inclusive apps such as instant messaging, SMS texting, video calls and more specifically platforms such as Sign Video, Zoom, Facetime and BSL 999.
Unfortunately, there are still many inequalities for Deaf and disabled people although BSL has eventually been officially recognised, it’s still not accessible everywhere or on the school curriculum. Projects like this are useful to raise awareness of such issues - framed in a creative, fun and interactive way.”
“It was great to have the opportunity of working with the young people at the Deaf Resource Base at Warstones School. We were able to borrow some archive hearing equipment from the Wolverhampton Sensory Team which the pupils had a great time learning about and interacting with.
I spoke with the children about how technology has advanced since I was a pupil myself at a school for deaf children in the North East in the 1980s.
In recent times there have been huge advances in digital hardware for deaf people and smart phone technology now features deaf inclusive apps such as instant messaging, SMS texting, video calls and more specifically platforms such as Sign Video, Zoom, Facetime and BSL 999.
Unfortunately, there are still many inequalities for Deaf and disabled people although BSL has eventually been officially recognised, it’s still not accessible everywhere or on the school curriculum. Projects like this are useful to raise awareness of such issues - framed in a creative, fun and interactive way.”
Elinor Cole, former Arts and Heritage Co-ordinator at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, said:
“We have seen some thought-provoking work produced by participants in these workshops – work that really allowed them to immerse themselves in the project. And the resultant artworks will help us to raise further awareness of our Heritage Centre and spark greater interest across our communities, as well as prompt reflection.”
“We have seen some thought-provoking work produced by participants in these workshops – work that really allowed them to immerse themselves in the project. And the resultant artworks will help us to raise further awareness of our Heritage Centre and spark greater interest across our communities, as well as prompt reflection.”
Alex Vann from RAW added:
“We found this such a rich and rewarding experience, and it was fascinating to see the artworks develop along the way. But it’s important to appreciate the wider benefits of these projects as we saw people of all ages developing new skills and gaining a real sense of satisfaction. They also benefitted from positive, social interaction with others and enjoyed working as a team. Projects like this help to break down barriers and challenge perceptions and remind us all that by looking back at the past we learn how to do things better in the future.”
“We found this such a rich and rewarding experience, and it was fascinating to see the artworks develop along the way. But it’s important to appreciate the wider benefits of these projects as we saw people of all ages developing new skills and gaining a real sense of satisfaction. They also benefitted from positive, social interaction with others and enjoyed working as a team. Projects like this help to break down barriers and challenge perceptions and remind us all that by looking back at the past we learn how to do things better in the future.”
This project has demonstrated the power of art to explore our shared heritage, build bridges between communities, and promote understanding and inclusion. We at RAW are incredibly proud to have been a part of it and you can watch our end of project video below.
Customer survey results
The Care, Create, Conserve exhibition can now be found at Wolverhampton City Archives, Molineux Hotel Building, Whitmore Hill, Wolverhampton, WV1 1SF.
Useful links
https://www.rwtnhscharity.co.uk/arts-heritage/care-create-conserve/
https://www.rwtnhscharity.co.uk/news/rich-and-rewarding-workshops-bring-many-benefits/
#NHS #CareCreateConserve #GivingPeopleACreativeVoice #Healthcare #Wolverhampton #RoyalHospitalTrust #WestParkHospital #PennFieldsSchool #WarstonesSchool #DeafAwareness #BSL
Useful links
https://www.rwtnhscharity.co.uk/arts-heritage/care-create-conserve/
https://www.rwtnhscharity.co.uk/news/rich-and-rewarding-workshops-bring-many-benefits/
#NHS #CareCreateConserve #GivingPeopleACreativeVoice #Healthcare #Wolverhampton #RoyalHospitalTrust #WestParkHospital #PennFieldsSchool #WarstonesSchool #DeafAwareness #BSL
A Springtime Burst of Creativity and Connection!
What a truly fantastic Easter HAF (Holidays Activities and Food) scheme we've had this year! We were really pleased to be funded by the Department for Education and Wolverhampton City Council once again to provide this range of enriching art, craft, and BSL experiences.
The HAF scheme is invaluable, providing funded places for eligible families of children and young people aged 7-16 (25 with EHCP) and recognising the profound impact holiday clubs have on them. These schemes are designed to help young people stay active, eat healthily, take part in enriching and engaging activities, and reduce social isolation.
We are incredibly proud to design our activities based on previous feedback from young people, ensuring they are relevant, exciting and inclusive. Building on the success of previous years, our workshops once again offered a vibrant mix of activities, foster a strong sense of creativity, community and support for every participant.
The HAF scheme is invaluable, providing funded places for eligible families of children and young people aged 7-16 (25 with EHCP) and recognising the profound impact holiday clubs have on them. These schemes are designed to help young people stay active, eat healthily, take part in enriching and engaging activities, and reduce social isolation.
We are incredibly proud to design our activities based on previous feedback from young people, ensuring they are relevant, exciting and inclusive. Building on the success of previous years, our workshops once again offered a vibrant mix of activities, foster a strong sense of creativity, community and support for every participant.
Day 1: Art, Healthy Living & BSL Basics
Our Easter HAF kicked off with a creative explosion! Young people dived into Minecraft drawings (including a fab 'Steve'!) and even a brilliant Jack Black portrait.
We then explored the weird and wonderful art of Giuseppe Arcimboldo, inspiring participants to create their own unique characters from fresh fruit – which they happily ate afterwards!
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Our wonderful Deaf role model, Gary, taught the children some valuable British Sign Language (BSL) vocabulary linked to healthy food, followed by an insightful presentation on living healthily by Alex. It was truly educational creative fun with a purpose!
Day 2: Clay, Charcoal & Creative Exploration
Day 2 brought more hands-on artistry! Clay modelling proved incredibly popular, and we loved seeing the fantastic creations take shape. Many young artists also experienced charcoal drawing for the first time, producing captivating pieces.
Day 3: Escher's Magic & Classic Designs
Mid-week, we challenged imaginations by delving into the ingenious works of M.C. Escher. Participants were inspired to create their own impressive tessellation art.
Later, we journeyed back in time to the 1800s, exploring the famous Blue Willow Pattern plate design. Young people then created their own stunning Willow Pattern designs on plates – with a few cheeky Jack Black features making an appearance!
Day 4: Music, BSL & Performance!
Our final day was a crescendo of music and sign language! Gary taught the children more British Sign Language (BSL), leading up to them learning how to sign our original song, "We Shine Together."
The creativity continued as they made their own instruments – Guiros, Tin Can Drums, Tambourines, and Maracas! The day culminated in two wonderful performances of the song: one with their handmade instruments and another entirely in sign language. What a powerful display of communication and teamwork!
The smiles, laughter, and incredible creations speak for themselves that took place over our Easter week. We're really proud of the energy and talent shown by everyone who joined us.
A huge thank you to All Saints Action Network Ltd for graciously hosting our activities.
Most importantly, our heartfelt thanks go to all our brilliant staff and dedicated volunteers, whose passion and hard work truly made this Easter HAF scheme unforgettable. You are the heart of REAL ARTS WORKSHOPS!
We're already buzzing with ideas for our summer HAF activities and can't wait to see you there for more creative adventures!
A huge thank you to All Saints Action Network Ltd for graciously hosting our activities.
Most importantly, our heartfelt thanks go to all our brilliant staff and dedicated volunteers, whose passion and hard work truly made this Easter HAF scheme unforgettable. You are the heart of REAL ARTS WORKSHOPS!
We're already buzzing with ideas for our summer HAF activities and can't wait to see you there for more creative adventures!
Participant Feedback from Easter HAF 2025
We were thrilled to hear what the young people had to say about their experience:
I enjoyed everything and I had a lot of fun drawing Minecraft Steve. If I had to rate it, I would rate it 5 stars!"
" I think it was a great experience to be here. I loved that we did art and drawing colouring."
" I liked art and your staff are very helpful and thank you."
I learned about the blue Willow Pattern plate and it was great learning about something new.
"I enjoyed everything today."
"I enjoyed all the activities equally since it was equally enjoyable"
"I loved everything and I love coming here."
"I enjoyed the Escher art as it was very fun and unique."
Survey Data
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#EasterHAF
#Wolverhampton
#YouthActivities
#CreativeFun
#BSL #Inclusion
#ArtWorkshops
#HAF2025
#RealArtsWorkshops
#Wolverhampton
#YouthActivities
#CreativeFun
#BSL #Inclusion
#ArtWorkshops
#HAF2025
#RealArtsWorkshops
Spreading a little Joy at The New Art Gallery, Walsall
RAW's directors, Gary O'Dowd and Alex Vann
As members of the Collections Community Panel at New Art Gallery Walsall, we were delighted to be involved in working with 2 groups of young people to create new artworks for inclusion in the The Joy Project leading up to the Gallery’s 25th birthday in 2025.
The exhibition can be been in the Community Gallery on the ground floor until 6th July 2025.
The exhibition can be been in the Community Gallery on the ground floor until 6th July 2025.
 The Joy Project branding created by Kat Tromans |  |
The Joy Project seeks to find positivity in the everyday and aims to advocate for, and support, young people in Walsall and the West Midlands. The fab branding has been created by Katherine Tromans.
A Collections Youth Panel of under 25s was recruited by an open call out by Collections Curator Julie Brown and our involvement on the project was with Funky Kids and Braidwood Trust School for the Deaf to produce different artworks that celebrate joy within the young deaf and hard of hearing communities and BSL. For the other themes, the panel decided on the following sections: the ‘Joy of Celebration’, ‘Joy of Music’, ‘Joy of Hobbies’, ‘Joy of Nature’, ‘Joy of Colour, ‘Joy of Community’ and ‘Joy of Everyday Surroundings’
Public launch event of the Joy Project with video filming at the 2 RAW projects. The People's Show photos are on the right
The young people were also photographed by Sherrie Edgar with items they like to collect as part of a reimagining The People’s Show project which pictured members of the Walsall public alongside their collections in the 1990s.
Working with Funky Kids
In November 2024 we met with the young people at Funky Kids a Walsall based charity supporting families affected by hearing loss by providing recreational activities.
We asked the group about what brings them joy, what sort of art they’d like to create and what things they like to collect.
We asked the group about what brings them joy, what sort of art they’d like to create and what things they like to collect.
Originally, we considered making a sculpture then we decided on a collaborative paper collage resembling a dartboard as darts came up as a source of joy by many members of the group.
Each segment of the Funky D:Art Board was created by a Funky Kids youth member at a workshop at the Art Gallery in January. These were then all pieced together to create the finished artwork.
Each segment of the Funky D:Art Board was created by a Funky Kids youth member at a workshop at the Art Gallery in January. These were then all pieced together to create the finished artwork.
Our original design work
Photos from the Funky Kids session in Jan 2025 at the New Art Gallery, Walsall
Working with Braidwood Trust School for the Deaf
In December 2024 we led an ideas workshop with a group of students from Braidwood Trust School for the Deaf, Birmingham, at the gallery. Our director Gary O’Dowd worked as a teaching assistant at the school for many years before his role at Real Arts Workshops. Similarly to the Funky Kids sessions, we asked the young people about the things that brought them joy and what art they’d like to create.
Hands (signing) were a common theme in the young peoples' drawings, and we devised a Tree of Joy with individual hand shapes to form the foliage decorated by a student in bright colours and designs.
 Digital mock up of the Tree of Joy |  The BSL sign for 'JOY'  Plan for Braidwood branding |
We visited the school twice in January for the making sessions which involved painting the tree trunk to echo the Braidwood School branding and hands which had been profile cut out of wood.
At the base of the tree 2 larger hands make the BSL sign for ‘Joy’ and are decorated in the colours of the Deaf flag designed by Arnaud Balard.
At the base of the tree 2 larger hands make the BSL sign for ‘Joy’ and are decorated in the colours of the Deaf flag designed by Arnaud Balard.
Photos from workshop session at Braidwood Trust School 24.1.25
Photos from workshop session at Braidwood Trust School 31.1.25
Private 'Joy Project' Launch Event 20.2.25
It was great to see the 2 artworks mounted and on show at the exhibition
other works...
 Model of the gallery made by Jeremy Hunt in the late 1990s (he also made the profiles for our Tree of Joy)  Wonderful Blue Lights Choir mural |  Blue Lights Choir performing  Chocolate cake acrylic painting by Areeba, a member of the Collections Youth Panel |
The Blue Lights Choir, set up by Jorja Smith did a fantastic performance and there is a mural made by choir members working with Yasmin Agilah on the wall of the Joy Project exhibition.
Pictures from the Public Launch Event 22.2.25
The Joy Project exhibition is currently on show to the public and runs until 6th July 2025 in the Community Gallery on the ground floor of The New Art Gallery, Walsall.
#braidwood #braidwoodtrustschool #thejoyproject #GivingPeopleACreativeVoice #funkykids #ArnaudBalard #Deaf #BSL #BritishSignLanguage #artworkshops
#braidwood #braidwoodtrustschool #thejoyproject #GivingPeopleACreativeVoice #funkykids #ArnaudBalard #Deaf #BSL #BritishSignLanguage #artworkshops
The Collections Community Panel and RAW
We have been part of the Collections Community Panel (CCP) since the start of 2023.
The CCP is perfect for us because we have met and worked with a diverse team of practitioners and have been able to get involved in selecting works from the gallery’s collections for temporary themed exhibitions, which fall under the umbrella of embedding diversity.
The aims of which are the give more power to the people that own the collections (ie the public), represent the people of Walsall and give them a voice, build stronger links to the wider community, make the collections more accessible and create digital content. We feel all of these aims are being met by this project.
The CCP is perfect for us because we have met and worked with a diverse team of practitioners and have been able to get involved in selecting works from the gallery’s collections for temporary themed exhibitions, which fall under the umbrella of embedding diversity.
The aims of which are the give more power to the people that own the collections (ie the public), represent the people of Walsall and give them a voice, build stronger links to the wider community, make the collections more accessible and create digital content. We feel all of these aims are being met by this project.
Book RAW & bring some JOY to your group!
Our key takeaway from this project is that bringing some joy to others brings us joy too!
If you are (or know of) a group or organisation that has been successful in securing funding for some engaging and meaningful creative/cultural activities ...
If you are (or know of) a group or organisation that has been successful in securing funding for some engaging and meaningful creative/cultural activities ...
Amazing Christmas and New Year HAF Creativity
We were really pleased to be funded by Department for Education and Wolverhampton City Council to provide a range of enriching art, craft and BSL experiences for young people aged 7-16 (25 with EHCP). The HAF scheme provides funded places for eligible families, and recognises the impact holiday clubs have on children and young people. These schemes help young people stay active, eat healthily, take part in enriching and engaging activities and reduce social isolation.
We design our activities based on previous feedback from young people and foster a sense of community, inclusion and support. Our sessions are generally staffed by a sign language interpreter making them accessible to BSL users.
We design our activities based on previous feedback from young people and foster a sense of community, inclusion and support. Our sessions are generally staffed by a sign language interpreter making them accessible to BSL users.
Chinese lanterns created by the young people adorn the foliage in the atrium at All Saints Action Network
We ran our sessions on 4 days, on 23rd December 2024 and then again on 2nd, 3rd and 4th of January 2025. We were hosted by All Saints Action Network, and would like to thank all our staff and volunteers for making this another memorable scheme.
Here's a little snapshot of what the young people got up to on our scheme...
Here's a little snapshot of what the young people got up to on our scheme...
Day 1 : Christmas Crafts and Healthy Lifestyles
We took the opportunity to do some Christmas Crafts as there were still 2 days left until the big day! This included pinecone trees, tea-light snowmen, decorated cardboard baubles and wood slices and drawings. Here's what the young people told us in feedback about the activity:
- I like making the baubles because it was fun.
- I felt happy and excited. I really enjoyed with RAW. I liked the Christmas activity.
- I found today activities really fun.
- I felt happy, enjoyed and safe. I enjoyed the most the arts and crafts.
It is a requirement of our funding that we deliver some information about healthy lifestyle choices, including about diet, and so we thought it would be fun to encourage the children to make their own Christmas characters using fresh fruits - which they could then eat.
Here's what they told us about this activity:
Here's what they told us about this activity:
- I liked doing the fruit activity and I felt happy with RAW staff
- I enjoyed doing the Christmas activities and the food activities as you got to taste and design fruits.
- This is the best day!
Day 2 : Tee Shirts and Cardboard afternoon
The children had a morning of creating their own tee-shirts. As you can see there were all sorts of different designs.
This was followed by an afternoon learning about RAW's founder, artist Alex Vann's journey from a final year university project to Real Arts Workshops, via the Wolves in Wolves public art project, painting the mayor of Wolverhampton and publishing his book 'Joseph The Useful Cardboard Box' which led onto some cardboard crafts including about healthy eating etc. The message being that from a seemingly small idea can come a whole business idea! Here are a few pics...
Here's what the young people said about this day...
- It was a great activity, and I loved making the T-Shirt.
- The staff are the best and I loved making my T-Shirt.
- The activities were exquisite today.
- I enjoyed doing cardboard stuff today.
- I feel really happy doing everything. I enjoyed making T-shirt and cardboard. The staff are kind.
- I liked the mermaid cardboard decorating and the T-shirt that we own design.
Day 3 : wooden model making, optical illusions and snake drawings
This was a busy day of creativity! Starting with assembling wooden models of animals, insects and dinosaurs - a good test of following instructions, patience and fine motor skill work!
This was followed by our volunteer Wayne leading some mind-bending optical illusion type drawings on gridded paper.
As 2025 is Chinese year of the snake, some young people tried out their sketching skills on a drawing of a King Cobra - aren't they amazing?
Here's what the young people told us about this day...
- I liked the snake drawing. I like doing the illusion drawing.
- I like building my own butterfly.
- It was very fun and exciting.
- I liked doing the optical illusion and liked snake drawing.
- I enjoyed making the wooden crafts because it was fun.
- I really like today, it was really fun. I really enjoyed everything today. I really enjoyed 3D shapes today. Was the best day for me.
Day 4: Chinese New Year and BSL / Deaf awareness and games
The young people took part in a wide range of Chinese New Year activities, icluding making lanterns (using baubles), snake origami, painting Chinese characters on a 'magic' disappearing paint mat and making good luck Spring Couplets.
Then our very own Deaf role model, Gary, explained about his own journey as a Deaf person growing up in a hearing environment, including, meeting ambassador for the Deaf community and level 2 signer, Princess Diana; campaigning for BSL recognition by the Government and being a TV presenter (even appearing in hit TV show Byker Grove). Followed by BSL game of bingo, which included vocabulary about physical activities.
Lunch time runarounds!
We are lucky to work at a venue with its own football pitches and our young people love to get some fresh air and exercise at lunch times.
Survey results
We always ask for online feedback on the last day of the scheme. This is anonymous and gives us an insight into what the young people enjoyed most, how they rate our staff and our activity and helps us build and plan for future activities.
As you can see, we get an almost 5 star rating, which we are very pleased with.
100% of participants said they enjoyed taking part ans 90% told us that they learnt something new.
90% told us that they felt more creative/ inspired after attending our scheme.
End of scheme feedback (including volunteers and parents):
Thank you all for your kindness and support
Amazing work all through the week. Hopefully the HAF doesn’t finish as these kids need a place to go and in some cases some food too
Real Arts Workshops are great as usual privilege to volunteer for them
Amazing!!😀
It is very nice when we get to go out to football also 👍
Fruity Fun on our Summer HAF in Wolverhampton!
Thanks to Department for Education and City of Wolverhampton Council for funding our Summer HAF scheme in Wolverhampton #HAF2024. We loved working with the young people and seeing their amazing imaginations create new art in the world that didn’t exist before.
Thank you also to our wonderful hosts All Saints Action Network Ltd.
See some photos below of what the activities they took part in:
Thank you also to our wonderful hosts All Saints Action Network Ltd.
See some photos below of what the activities they took part in:
Huge Cardboard Fruit Sculptures
British Sign Language: Healthy Lifestyles
CD Weaving a la Kandinsky with Becki
Circle Marker art and ceramic tiles with Sarah
Clay creations including Greek Style Pots
Elizabeth Catlett - biro poster in sections and clay printing
Festival Day with Jen
Akira Toriyama - Kid Goku drawings
Matisse Style Paper Cut Outs
Pop Art Greetings Cards
Plant Pot Designs
Qigong movements with Sue
Expressive Watercolours
One of the parents made us a cake!
Survey Data Report: Week 1
Survey Data - Week 2
Quotes from the young people
- I loved it. It was great and I like it and I would come again.
- My favourite bit was when we painted an apple and it was very fun.
- I liked sign language because we could learn how to do it and how is communicate with Deaf people.
- The drawing I did was epic! At first I thought It was bad, then it come out good.
- I loved today and it was the best.
- My favourite part was when we done pop art.
- It was very fun.
- I want to do clay everyday.
- I enjoyed the clay printing as we learnt a new technique and I enjoyed the drawing as the results were good.
- Today, very fun, I really liked when we did the Biro artwork.
- I liked to do Qigong.
Captivating Creativity: Easter HAF Scheme 2024
We loved working with the young people who attended our Wolverhampton Easter HAF Scheme 2024.
These and many other schemes are funded with thanks to Wolverhampton City Council and Department for Education and are offered under the council’s ‘Yo Wolves’ scheme. This holiday provision is for school aged children from reception to year 11 (inclusive) who receive benefits-related free school meals.
As usual we were blown away by the amazing creations the children made. Here is a snapshot of just a few examples of their work.
These and many other schemes are funded with thanks to Wolverhampton City Council and Department for Education and are offered under the council’s ‘Yo Wolves’ scheme. This holiday provision is for school aged children from reception to year 11 (inclusive) who receive benefits-related free school meals.
As usual we were blown away by the amazing creations the children made. Here is a snapshot of just a few examples of their work.
Drawings in a circle, with Wayne
Eid/Ramadan/Vaisakhi / General greetings cards
Clay Creations
'Iris' folded Easter Cards, led by Sarah
Claude Monet Painting Session: Bridge over Pond of Waterlilies
Paper Lanterns
BSL learning and games with Gary
Monitoring Data
As we always do, we surveyed the young people at the end of our scheme and we are delighted with the results. 100% said they enjoyed taking part, 100% said that they learnt something new, 100% felt more creative and inspired. We got a 4.88 star rating and 100% of young people said they'd like to come to our sessions in future.
Here is a link to the full report.
Here is a link to the full report.
Here's what the young people told us:
I love being here"
"You guys keep improving each time"
I enjoyed the Ramadan cards because it was fun and colourful. Indigo
"I have enjoyed myself"
Very chill and relaxing making cards. Nikhil
I enjoyed the circle pictures. I was very proud of what I created. I had a lots of fun. Leah
It was very fun and exciting and we were drawing pictures and we also went outside to play football.Junior
I enjoyed the painting, and it was easier watching Alex doing it on the board. Indigo
"I really like RAW"
"I would love to do any other activities that you guys have in mind!It would not matter to me as I always enjoy activities with RAW"
"Liked clay as it was challenging to get tiny details." Nikhil
"I loved doing clay work with Gary. It was really creative in the afternoon we did Easter cards with Sarah. It was really mesmerising and fun to do". Ashli
"I liked learning about Monet." Mara
"I only came for one day but I enjoyed it."
"We painted a painting by Claude Monet. The painting have a bridge and bushes, flowers and reflection of the sky. We had so much fun." Ashli
"It was very interesting because we did painting in the style of Claude Monet". Junior
Winter HAF scheme Jan 2024
We were pleased to be able to offer a varied programme of creativity to young people in Wolverhampton in January 2024, thanks to HAF (Holiday Activities and Food) funding from Wolverhampton City Council and Department for Education. This holiday provision is for school aged children from reception to year 11 (inclusive) who receive benefits-related free school meals and as we were delivering after Christmas we decided to focus on Chinese New Year for some of the sessions.
Gary, our Deaf role model, also taught some basic British Sign Language, including signs for food: healthy options like fruit and vegetable, and not so healthy options, as part of a balanced diet, as some education such as this is part of the HAF scheme.
Children had the opportunity to decorate their own canvas pencil case
Our visiting artist Jen delivered a life affirming session on goal setting and 2024 calendars, started with a presentation by Olivia who spoke about her early years, primary & secondary education, University, traveling and landing her dream job starting this month.
Online Survey results:
100% of attendees told us that they enjoyed taking part in our activity.
100% of attendees said that they learnt something new.
100% of attendees said they would like to attend RAW sessions again in future.
4.84 out of 5 star rating 🤗
100% of attendees said that they learnt something new.
100% of attendees said they would like to attend RAW sessions again in future.
4.84 out of 5 star rating 🤗
Quotes from the Young people:
“It was amazing because I met new people and doing activities was fun so thank you!”
“I made a new friend”
“I enjoyed everything it was so much fun”
“It was very fun, I liked the food and the activities were very creative and fun. Thank you!”
“The activity I have liked the most was painting the dragon”
“BSL was amazing and I enjoyed doing the pencil cases as they were calm slow paced, and I was guided/helped”
“I loved everything we did and loved how Gary taught us BSL.”
“Thanks for everything and extra support”
“I would like to come here again and I could have fun again”
“I loved all of the things we did”
We have been successful in securing funding from the Youth Engagement Strategy board in Wolverhampton to deliver a week of arts, crafts and BSL activities for all young people aged 8-16 (25 with an EHCP) living in Wolverhampton. The dates are: Monday 30th October to Friday 3rd November 10am - 2.30pm each day. See advert for details and you can book places for young people using the link below.
- Meet new friends and try something new!
- Previous art skills are not essential
- High quality art materials and tuition provided
- Packed lunch included
- Deaf friendly sessions
A Wave of Creativity!
We were delighted to receive HAF (Holidays Activities and Food) funding from City of Wolverhampton Council and Department for Education, to deliver 2 weeks of activities over the Easter Holidays. There were many other providers in and around the city too.
We worked with 8-16 year olds (18 with an EHCP) on a wide variety of creative projects and included some BSL (British Sign Language) teaching too and delivered our sessions from All Saints Action Network.
Feedback from the sessions was very positive. We've included young people's feedback and results of online surveys below.
We worked with 8-16 year olds (18 with an EHCP) on a wide variety of creative projects and included some BSL (British Sign Language) teaching too and delivered our sessions from All Saints Action Network.
Feedback from the sessions was very positive. We've included young people's feedback and results of online surveys below.
Here is a snapshot of what they got up to:
Optical Illusion Drawings
Our volunteer Wayne led some 'Howard Lee' style optical illusion drawings on grid paper which the young people really loved. We connected a phone camera to a projector so that they could follow Wayne's drawing on screen.
Nature Art with Gary
Using leaves found outside, the young people made cards with acrylic paints
JMW Turner landscapes
Turner was the inspiration for this watercolour landscapes session. We think they look brilliant and atmospheric.
Hokusai meets Van Gogh!
This was our most ambitious ever large sectioned artwork. Each person had a square on which to create a section of a specially made reference image. The image is Hokusai's famous 'Great Wave of Kanagawa' print mixed with the background from Van Gogh's 'Starry Night'. The first painting influenced the second so it all made sense. We think the end result is spectacular.
Clay work
Some amazing sculptures shown here. It's always nice to see new versions of our logo!
Elizabeth Catlett style 'negative' drawings
We looked at the work of African American artist Elizabeth Catlett and the young people created art in a new way: drawing white on black (instead of traditional black on white). Here are just a few examples:
Easter Cards
Our volunteer Sarah led an Easter Card making session. The YP made a variety of brilliant designs, some shown here:
British Sign Language (BSL)
Our very own Deaf role model Gary taught the young people some conversational sign language so that if they ever meet a Deaf person they will know how to communicate and not run away!!
Tin Can Planters
We encouraged some healthy eating by decorating tin cans and filling them with soil and seeds. The YP took these away to look after and see the herbs growing at home!
The fabulous Lucy visited the from Custom Junkies and got the YP to create personalised caps and T-shirts. Amazing!
Cardboard Hogwarts Castle and Express
Everyone loves cardboard! On the final day of our project we took a load of cardboard and paints and some asked them to create the castle and locomotive from the Harry Potter stories. So much fun!
Extra 'stuff'
Some other artworks created by the YP, including some colour theory led by our volunteer Donna, graffiti lettering, jar designs and grid and dot drawings.
Results of Online Survey
“I think it was very cool to learn a new language that will help me communicate with others in the future and I hope I will learn more.”
“Everything was enjoyable and creative”
“It’s fun and versatile”
“The staff are amazing and they all teach us a lot, they are patient and fun and very helpful. RAW is an excellent Group and should continue their good work”
“I want to say a big thank you to all of the people that come here with us to ensure us to do more! THANK YOU!”
“I like RAW staff because they are kind.”
“I liked graffiti because it was fun write my name in a different way I haven’t tried before.”
“Because it showed me newer skills that I can use into my GCSE artwork and it brought out my creativity that I kinda have to ignore within the school and show a lot of teamwork today.”
“Because it made me ecstatic about the activities that I have done and it is interesting.”
“Because it makes me feel happy and the staff were so kind. I learned new things like BSL.”
“I enjoyed them because they made me feel creative and it was really fun at the same time! I would really enjoy to take part of this in the next half term 🙂”
“Because it’s fun. Making new friends Boring at home better here I like playing and making things.”
“Because it was fun and taught me that Art is what you can achieve.”
“Good, painting, calm and experimental”
“I enjoyed how easy the steps were and how my work turned out in the end”
“Today these activities made me feel concentrated and it helped me to interact with others. I would really like to do it again”
“My favourite was doing sign language with Gary”
“Yesterday we had special people come over to help us customise our own caps and T-shirts which was really fun and exciting. At the end I learnt sign language (BSL) which was fun”
I liked painting the clay models and having fun with the clay. Also we created easter eggs, it was really fun and fascinating
“I felt so happy – this is so much fun, I loved it”
From a volunteer:
“RAW is a great team/company to volunteer for, their ethos is fantastic, and they work great with all ages and abilities. All needs are thought of, and everyone is inclusive not only do I love volunteering for them but I would also recommend RAW to others”
Author
Real Arts Workshops is an independent arts company based in the Black Country, providing bespoke workshops for various organisations and groups.
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