ART has been helping vulnerable adults to overcome the pandemic, thanks to a Slough-based charity.

Slough Council for Voluntary Service (Slough CVS), based on Church Street, has been delivering the Thriving Communities Project.

With the support of the Thriving Communities Fund, the project has assisted people in the area to recover from the various lockdowns.

And last week individuals took part in arts and crafts at the Art Club in the Observatory Shopping Centre.

Slough Observer: Pictured from left: Andrea Sparrow from Art Beyond Belief, Kinder Bassi and Asma Aziz from Slough CVS and Dulcie Alexander from National Academy for Social Prescribing. Picture: Mike SwiftPictured from left: Andrea Sparrow from Art Beyond Belief, Kinder Bassi and Asma Aziz from Slough CVS and Dulcie Alexander from National Academy for Social Prescribing. Picture: Mike Swift

Art teacher Marinella Caldarus, who hosted the session, was impressed with her artists.

She said: “It is amazing the stories we hear from people how this course has changed their lives and changed my life as a teacher too.”

Ms Caldarus explained it is a joint programme where everyone involved is benefitting from it.

“Many people have been referred by GPs or self-referred and some have said that we have literally saved their lives,” she said.

“A service user said to us, if there is another pandemic with lockdowns, now she knows what to do and that was a great thing to hear as an art teacher.” 

The class saw chatting, laughing and socialising with everyone in good spirits.

And there was even a special visit from Dulcie Alexander, Thriving Communities Fund manager, seconded to The National Academy for Social Prescribing from Arts Council England.

She said: “It has been an incredible visit, hearing participants reflect how the social prescribing offer has enabled them to feel they are living again, rather than existing.

“Finding new-found confidence and talents through creative activities that have been prescribed through the support of a link worker or through self-referral through community relations across Slough.”

Ramesh Kukar, CEO at Slough CVS, said: “We are delighted to have received this funding through the Thriving Communities Fund to increase social connectedness in Slough.

“At the heart of Slough CVS is the desire to help Slough thrive and this has never been more important than now as we start our recovery as a community from the COVID-19 pandemic, with more of our resident’s experiencing anxiety, depression, isolation and loneliness than ever before.”