In April this year we awarded funding to Time Out Group (North West). They are a charity based in Handforth, East Cheshire, who provide a range of supported activities for people living with Autism and Learning Disabilities.
The funding has been used to provide new and interesting craft items for the activities their members do at their Craft Saturday sessions. The sessions are run by their activity co-ordinators at their Hub in Handforth each week, from 11am to 2.30pm. Since April they have had between 6 to 12 people joining the session each week. Activities since April have included crafting greeting cards and thank you cards, making felt roses, having messy fun making clay models and creating paper craft flowers to decorate the Hub with.
The funding has allowed them to purchase a variety of materials and enabled their members to try new creative techniques in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. Their members are learning disabled and have various sensory and physical disabilities. The craft sessions allow them to be creative and experience the texture of different materials, be messy and produce different creations each week. The increased range of activities helps keep theme engaged and provides the opportunity for them to learn new skills.
The group take part in a different activity each week – activities coming up for the summer include candle making and printing. The work produced has been displayed around the Hub, allowing members to share their work and create a bright atmosphere at the Hub, full of colour and creativity.
The charity provided feedback which reported that 56% of members said they would like to try relaxing activities at Time Out Group over the next 6 months and they anticipate their craft sessions will continue to grow in popularity.