Our mission is to bring the UK's lonely and isolated population back to the heart of their communities, using creative connections. Since May 2020, we’ve been working to help provide individuals with access to the technology, and to deliver programmes which unite the arts world with the wider community. We have recruited almost 100 volunteers from creative industries, and we provide flexible volunteering opportunities for them, all of which support isolated or marginalised groups. We run a befriending scheme which pairs volunteer artists with individual care home residents for weekly video calls. We’re also working on a programme to support disadvantaged 16-25 year olds with their confidence and communication skills using acting-based techniques.
We have so far donated 319 digital devices to care homes across the UK, supporting 165 homes and around 8000 (!) residents in the process. We offer our befriending scheme to all of these homes, and have so far created over 100 connections between residents and volunteer artists - a number which is growing every day. We are developing a wing of this programme specifically aimed at supporting those living with Alzheimers and dementia, which will see our volunteers using their musical talents to sing, play and perform to their companions. The programme which we are currently developing will support disadvantaged 16-25 year olds across the UK, with pilots of this scheme mooted in Liverpool, Leeds and London. This programme will see our artist volunteers delivering workshops aimed to improve the young people’s confidence, self-expression and communication skills, and will be based around established acting techniques and exercises.
