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.  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. Who We Worked With
What We CreatedThe 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.  
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.    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.
 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.”   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.”  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.” 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
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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. Day 1: Art, Healthy Living & BSL BasicsOur 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!
 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 ExplorationDay 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! 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!" Survey Data
#EasterHAF
#Wolverhampton #YouthActivities #CreativeFun #BSL #Inclusion #ArtWorkshops #HAF2025 #RealArtsWorkshops Amazing Christmas and New Year HAF CreativityWe 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.  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... Day 1 : Christmas Crafts and Healthy LifestylesWe 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:
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:
Day 2 : Tee Shirts and Cardboard afternoonThe 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...
Day 3 : wooden model making, optical illusions and snake drawingsThis 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...
Day 4: Chinese New Year and BSL / Deaf awareness and gamesThe 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 resultsWe 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 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: Huge Cardboard Fruit SculpturesBritish Sign Language: Healthy LifestylesCD Weaving a la Kandinsky with BeckiCircle Marker art and ceramic tiles with SarahClay creations including Greek Style PotsElizabeth Catlett - biro poster in sections and clay printingFestival Day with JenAkira Toriyama - Kid Goku drawingsMatisse Style Paper Cut OutsPop Art Greetings CardsPlant Pot DesignsQigong movements with SueExpressive WatercoloursOne of the parents made us a cake!Survey Data Report: Week 1 Survey Data - Week 2 Quotes from the young people
GREAT NEWS! We are pleased to have been funded by City of Wolverhampton Council and the Department for Education to provide Summer HAF (Holiday Activities and Food Programme) Specialist Arts, Craft & BSL (British Sign Language) Activities. These are FREE sessions for eligible* young people in Wolverhampton aged 7-16 (25 with an EHCP).  We are holding our sessions at The Workspace at All Saints Action Network (ASAN), All Saints Road, WV2 1EL between 10am prompt and 2.30pm on 10 days:
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. Drawings in a circle, with WayneEid/Ramadan/Vaisakhi / General greetings cardsClay Creations 'Iris' folded Easter Cards, led by SarahClaude Monet Painting Session: Bridge over Pond of WaterliliesPaper LanternsBSL learning and games with GaryMonitoring DataAs 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's what the young people told us:I love being here" EASTER HAF - for Young People in Wolverhampton We are pleased to have been funded by Wolverhampton City Council and DfE to provide Easter HAF* Specialist Arts,Craft & BSL Activities (*Holiday Activities and Food Programme).
These are FREE sessions for eligible* young people in Wolverhampton aged 8-16 (25 with an EHCP). We are holding our sessions at The Workspace at All Saints Action Network (ASAN), All Saints Road, WV2 1EL between 10am prompt and 2.30pm on 4 days:
A Grand Year! - 2023 ReviewDear colleague Happy New Year and welcome to the latest newsletter of RAW (Real Arts Workshops) looking back at our projects in 2023 with a range of people and groups of all ages and abilities. If you view the attached PDF version of the newsletter in a reader that supports links, you will be able to click relevant web links to find out more information about a particular story - and our own website has many resources and information too. We have a series of free to attend sessions coming up as part of the Pride & Privilege exhibition at New Art Gallery in Walsall, check out our website and social media for links to those. We're also currently delivering free sessions for Mossley Community Connections in Walsall, see their FB page for updates: https://www.facebook.com/MossleyCommunityConnections/   
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 🤗 Quotes from the Young people:“It was amazing because I met new people and doing activities was fun so thank you!” It was an extremely busy summer! Our latest news is out - read all about what we've been doing and also about what's coming up. We're working on some exciting projects: keep an www.facebook.com/MossleyCommunityConnections/ : Mossley Community Connections Facebook for a project we are starting in Walsall soon, October Half term activities with young people (link for families to sign up here: https://form.jotform.com/231053932879362 and a lovely Arts Council funded project with Wolverhampton based Sri Lankan artist Kanjana Nicholas. Exciting times!   |
AuthorReal Arts Workshops is an independent arts company based in the Black Country, providing bespoke workshops for various organisations and groups. Archives
July 2025
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