Impact Arts

It was a fairytale finish to Creative Pathways Barrhead last week, as young people working on our employability programme donated fantasy-themed artwork and handmade toys to a local nursery school!

The group, who have been working at the ARC Centre in Auchenback, visited children at the nursery to present a handmade fairy garden and plant pots created from recycled wood.

They also taught the children how to make their o­wn fairies from glitter, string, wool and clothes pegs, while showing them how to plant flowers for their new garden.

It marked the end of a 12-week block of Creative Pathways, where unemployed young people have worked with artists Rosanna, Portia and Hannah on creative writing and craft projects, while getting help to find work.

Funded by the Big Lottery Fund’s Our Bright Future initiative and Barrhead Housing Association, the young people also learned more about their community, their environment and how to reduce waste.

For their final project, the group were set on doing something for the community. They decided to consult with children, parents and staff at the nearby Family Centre, asking them to vote on a range of ideas.

The winner was the fairy garden, and so the group set to work making things for the children using the creative skills they had developed during their time with Impact Arts.

Scott McCorkell, 17, is one of the participants on the programme who created pieces for the Family Centre:

“It’s been really fun getting to expand my skills, interact with new people and do something useful as well.

“It feels great doing something that people will like and that will actually be useful – it feels really fulfilling.”

Scott also spoke of how useful he found the project as a whole:

“I’ve learned how to make a CV, learned how to word myself in interviews better and also just generally becoming more confident. It’s been great.”

Frances Cathcart of Arthurlie Family Centre was delighted with the young people’s work.

“Our partnership with Impact Arts has been a great experience for the children.

“The planters the group have made are beautiful, and we now have a wonderful sensory area in the garden where children can learn and explore.

“The children also love playing with the little fairy garden, and making stories and fairies to play with.”

Heather Gault was Project Co-ordinator for Impact Arts on the programme. She says the young people’s work has paid off.

“I could not be more impressed by the work the participants have put in throughout the programme.

“The handover event was a brilliant day and it was so lovely to see the kids getting involved with making their own peg fairies and planting the sensory plants.

“The group and the artists should be very proud of themselves.”

Our next block of Creative Pathways in Barrhead, in partnership with Barrhead Housing Association, will begin in January 2019 and run for 12 weeks at the Dunterlie Resource Centre. More details to come…

Thanks to Barrhead Housing Association, the Big Lottery, Our Bright Future, Inspiring Scotland and the Scottish Government’s People and Communities Fund for their funding and support on this programme.