Housing Advisory Panel (HAP) Residual Levy Grants

The project aims to offer a much-needed activity for residents of Southey who have learning disabilities, as currently there is no local activity available for them to attend. The Open Door Art Project will provide a safe welcoming space and will be delivered by Sara Beavan-Widdowson, a freelance artist who worked with Ignite Imaginations. Sara will organise each class, bringing along all the materials and supplies needed to deliver a variety of engaging and inclusive sessions. Some of the activities may include pencil/painting art, flower arranging, jewellery making, cards, candles, and printing. The sessions will be delivered in our Community Centre and run for 2 hours monthly. There is great evidence that arts and crafts projects can benefit individuals, especially those with learning disabilities and we know that people with high support needs are often denied access to community activities. Much more needs to be done to help include them, and this art project will play a key role in this.  

Art often provides an opportunity to work in groups and encourages the development of useful social skills, such as taking turns, listening to others, eye contact and other forms of interaction. These skills form the basis of valuable and meaningful relationships, as statistics show that over half of disabled people reported feeling lonely, rising to over three-quarters (77%) for those aged 18-34 (Census 2017). As studies show, loneliness is associated with physical and mental health problems and poorer quality of life; so by participating in our sessions, we hope those attending will forge new friendships, help reduce social isolation, loneliness and enable them to reach their potential. 

 The people who will be attending are from the local area of Parson Cross and the Southey Ward and will come along with a carer for additional support. They can attend as often as they wish, and new people will always be welcomed into the group. Whilst our benchmark for attendance will be 10-12, we believe that as the project continues to develop, the actual number attending will be 18-20 with carers.

We would like to host a Christmas Pantomime in our Community Centre on Tuesday 2nd  December 2025, This will be an evening event from 5.30pm – 8.00pm and open to people of all ages in our local community. The pantomime aims is to bring our community together in a safe and fun environment at an affordable price due to the cost of living crippling many of our family's finances. We will also take this opportunity to promote what else is happening in our local area. 

We have hosted community pantomimes over the last few years and distributed over 140 tickets to each show. Just like in all previous years, we are already receiving enquiries as to whether we will be hosting another Pantomime this year, showing a need for this in our local community. 

To reduce waste to landfill and increase creativity also reduce social isolation. This also nurtures both mental and physical health. It sharpens cognitive skills, enhances creativity, promotes mindfulness, and provides a sense of achievement. We will be delivering arts and crafts sessions including card making, sewing, knitting, crotchet, The first session, focused on sewing, will begin at 10:00 AM. Following this, our crochet session is set to commence at 11:00 AM. The knitting session will take place at 1:00 PM.  

After the knitting session, we will host a drop-in period where attendees can choose to engage in various recycling and creative activities. Participants will have the opportunity to work comfortably on projects that interest them, supported by our dedicated volunteer teachers. These teachers are committed to ensuring that everyone feels welcome and supported. They are prepared to assist newcomers by providing instruction on knitting, crocheting, and the use of sewing machines.