Funding Content

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Space2Create would like to sustain and strengthen its creative, supportive group activities for people experiencing poor mental wellbeing. We currently provide sessions for around 100 people each week, including sewing, crafts, art, printmaking, art history, photography and writing. These well-established, well-attended groups make a real difference to people’s lives. This project would enable us to continue providing activities, alongside the staff support, premises and resources needed to deliver them. Our four part-time staff work with 18 volunteers, whose contribution is vital to running groups and creating a welcoming, supportive environment. Funding would help maintain this team and infrastructure, reducing the risk of financial pressures leading to the loss or reduction of activities people rely on. The main beneficiaries are people using Space2Create’s services, including those experiencing isolation, low confidence or mental wellbeing difficulties. The wider community also benefits through volunteering and opportunities to connect, contribute and develop skills. We also provide practical support through a weekly food store, offering reduced-price food to users and local residents. Sessions make extensive use of donated and recycled materials, encouraging people to repair and repurpose items. The project would initially run for six months. We will promote activities through existing networks, social media, our website, community contacts, word of mouth, service users and volunteers. We will gather regular feedback from participants, volunteers and staff, coordinated by our Service User Support staff member. This will help us understand which activities have the greatest benefit and shape future programmes and funding applications. This continues work that has already proven successful: our groups are established, valued and make a measurable difference.

Space2Create brings people together in a welcoming inclusive environment where they can build friendships, develop confidence and feel part of a supportive community. Our creative groups provide regular opportunities for people to connect with others, learn new skills and reach their potential at a pace that feels comfortable for them. All of our users are vulnerable and many experience financial difficulties and the additional pressures of the cost-of-living crisis. Alongside our creative activities, we run a weekly food store through the FairShare scheme, providing food in return for a small donation from our users and the wider community. This helps people make their money go further while providing another opportunity for people to meet and connect. Our project therefore supports people facing multiple challenges by providing practical support, meaningful activity and a strong sense of community. It also provides opportunities for volunteering enabling people to give back to their community.

Our project has grown directly from the needs and interests expressed by the people who use Space2Create and the wider community. We have regular conversations with participants and volunteers about the activities they enjoy, what they would like to try and what support would help them continue attending. We also have regular discussions with members of the local council about how we can deliver programmes that encourage wider community engagement. We have run exhibitions open to the public and recently held a successful Open Weekend (with another planned for autumn) inviting visitors to experience and sample our group activities and enjoy food and drink offerings in our welcoming kitchen space. We run regular art and craft evenings open to all, alongside sales and events at our premises. We also attend local fayres, giving us opportunities to promote Space2Create, meet new people, invite potential new service users and sell art and craft items made by our participants. Our service users and volunteers are involved in shaping ad delivering activities, sharing their ideas, skills and feedback. We will continue to listen to participants, volunteers and the wider community throughout the project and use their feedback to shape future activities and programmes.

Can remove the reference to any particular funding or specific project here, but note the general wording that we use and the kind of things that we do: This grant will support an arts-based community project promoting creativity, wellbeing and social connection.

Through fabric and fibre art workshops, participants will transform recycled hi-vis clothing into wearable items such as brooches & bag charms with a view to extending into clothing & other accessories. Funding will cover a skilled workshop coordinator to deliver sessions, ensure safeguarding and develop a volunteer leader to sustain the project long-term. The initiative encourages confidence, skill-building, environmental responsibility and community engagement, while culminating in a public exhibition and fundraising sale. Partnerships with local businesses and schools will strengthen community involvement and promote safety awareness.

Space2Create exists to improve the mental health, wellbeing and quality of life of people across Cumbria whoare experiencing challenges such as poor mental health, isolation and loneliness, recovery from illness, substance misuse, domestic abuse, social anxiety, and poverty.

Our charitable aim is to provide an inclusive, supportive creative environment where people can connect with others, develop new skills and build confidence through participation in arts and crafts activities. The wellbeing benefits of creative engagement are widely recognised, helping to reduce stress, improve self-esteem and promote positive mental health.

Our beneficiaries are adults across Cumbria who may be socially isolated, vulnerable, or facing barriers to participating in community life. Through regular creative sessions, we provide a sense of belonging, friendship, purpose, and personal achievement. Participants become part of a supportive community where they are valued and encouraged to grow.

We are particularly proud that many of our service users progress into volunteering and even paid

employment within the organisation, demonstrating increased confidence, improved wellbeing and a greater sense of independence. By nurturing creativity and community Space2Create helps people build more positive, connected and fulfilling lives. his project strongly aligns with several of the Hadfield Trust's funding priorities, particularly Social Needs,

Youth and Employment, Help for Older People, The Arts and The Environment.

Our beneficiaries include people across Cumbria experiencing mental health challenges, social isolation, loneliness, poverty, recovery from illness and other barriers to participation. The project will address these social needs by providing a welcoming, creative space where individuals can build confidence, develop friendships, improve wellbeing, and become part of a supportive community.

The project is rooted in the arts, using fabric and fibre-based creative activities to engage participants in designing and producing attractive hi-vis wearable items. Creative activity is a proven way to improve mental health and wellbeing, while also providing opportunities for self-expression, achievement and skill development.

The grant will also support youth and employment by enabling us to recruit and train volunteers, helping participants develop practical creative, organisational and teamwork skills. Our longer-term aim is to support a volunteer to progress into leading the group, increasing confidence, employability and community involvement. We will also engage local schools through a road safety design competition, encouraging young people to contribute creatively to the project.

Many of our participants are older adults who experience loneliness and isolation. The workshops will provide meaningful activity, social connection and a sense of purpose, helping to improve mental wellbeing and reduce social exclusion.

The project has a strong environmental focus. We will work with local businesses, organisations and the council to collect end-of-life hi-vis clothing and other textile materials that would otherwise be discarded. These items will be creatively repurposed into new products, reducing waste, promoting recycling and diverting materials from landfill. Finally, the project will culminate in a community exhibition and fundraising sale, celebrating participants' achievements, strengthening community connections and helping to sustain our services for vulnerable people across Cumbria.