Join us to celebrate the importance of art!
Artistic rainbows have adorned windows up and down the country this year quickly becoming a celebration of our hard-working nurses, doctors and carers. Shows such as Grayson Perry’s Art have brought the nation together through art and have provided us with masterclasses on how to unlock our own creativity. Whether we consciously noticed it or not, art and being creative has had a huge role in how people have coped with the stresses of the last year or so.
A report by The Independent has found that of 2,000 adults t a third took up a new hobby during the Covid-19 pandemic. The majority chose an activity involving some form of mindfulness to help keep them calm and improve their mental wellbeing during what was, a very stressful and anxiety-inducing period of time.
Here at 217 Harrow Road, we are very much looking forward to getting creative ourselves and are hosting a mural painting workshop for children on Saturday the 5th and 12th June. We are busy gathering all our equipment to create a large mural based on the history of the local area. Spaces for children aged 4-11 are still available, sign up to attend here.
Whether it’s learning to knit, having a go at painting or perhaps even trying something completely new like sculpting, having a creative outlet has been a lifeline for many over the past twelve months. Research from The Mental Health Foundation shows that art engagement alleviates anxiety, depression and stress. Medical professionals are now even prescribing art, in various forms, as a means of illness prevention. Arts on Prescription, a project backed by Arts Council England, has shown that GB consultation rates drop by 37%and hospital admissions decrease by 27% when people actively attend galleries and museums. As museums and galleries now begin to reopen, we can now attend knowing we are not only learning new things, but looking after our mental health too.
If art isn’t really your thing, we are also hosting some free skateboard sessions on Tuesday 1st June at the Royal Oak Skatepark, just behind the 217 Harrow Road building. Children aged under 11 will be able to join a highly trained coach and have an hour of real street skate experience to explore different tricks or just learn the basics of skateboarding. Sign up to attend here.