Gup Shup community group reveal their artistic side with Creative Minds
Women from the South Asian community in Calderdale are inviting people to the unveiling of a new piece of artwork at the King Cross Library in Halifax.
The women are part of the Gup Shup community group, which is facilitated by the Calderdale Council’s Neighbourhood Schemes Team.
Gup Shup helps Asian women take part in healthy, meaningful activities to improve their wellbeing and feel connected to their local community. As part of the activities delivered the group have teamed up with the local NHS Trust as part of its Creative Minds programme.
Gup Shup was chosen as a creative partner by South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and as a result is part of a growing infrastructure of community organisations who are working with the Trust to provide creative projects to local people.
As part of Creative Minds the Trust aims to support voluntary and community organisations, like Gup Shup, to deliver a variety of creative projects to help improve the health and wellbeing of local people.
With Creative Minds funding locally based art company Kawa Creative, was commissioned to produce a single piece of artwork utilising the existing needlecraft skills of the women in Gup Shup, whilst introducing them to different textile medium to which these could be applied.
Sue Walpole, creative practitioner from Kawa Creative, said, “Working with the ladies has been a totally fulfilling experience, the progression they have made is evident; the older women have shown increased confidence with existing and new skills, and there are now many more younger women in the group. It has been a pleasure to work with them. One of the best comments came from the daughter of one of the older ladies who had come up from London, she expressed deeply how good the group was for her mother, that she talked often on the phone about the creative sessions and that the increased social element was a lifeline for her.”
The wall hanging, which reflects their lives and their identity within the community, will be unveiled at its new home of King Cross Library on Thursday 30th August at 11.30am. In addition to the unveiling, there will also be a photography exhibition downstairs in the library foyer.
Steven Michael, Chief Executive of South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, said, “The use of creative activities in healthcare has been shown to increase self-esteem, provide a sense of purpose, develop social skills, help community integration and improve service users’ quality of life. We recognise these benefits and the Creative Minds strategy underlines the Trust’s commitment to having a creative approach to service delivery as well as promoting more opportunities for individuals/groups to develop and grow creatively.
We have been delighted to have been part of the Gup Shup project helping to improve the health and wellbeing of women in the Calderdale community. This is a great example of how we hope our Creative Minds strategy can bring positive benefits to local people; using creative partnership approaches to healthcare not usually associated with the NHS.”
More information about Creative Minds can be found on the website.
