The art of small and personal has never being bigger!

In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures ,

For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed Khalil Gibran

 Our Arts Centre is small. We know that. We like that

Right from the start our vision was to offer a range of creative and social workshops , events and community gatherings where people could be known and welcomed . A place where you could try something  new  - meet both new and familiar faces.

Our insistence on small and personal  has pervaded all our work and particularly in our approach  to those living with dementia . Our first 18 months in Amble have been amazing....a combination of hard work  and real delight  in getting to know so many lovely people. who have welcomed us and supported us

In fact our Heritage Lottery project reached 1052 people in 2380 attendances

Then came Covid 19

In the middle  of what can only be described  as a very strange and scary time we continue to find both comfort and inspiration in our smallness . Really knowing people and their needs means we can be of service and to support our community in practical as well as creative ways.

Knowing  our community has meant that  our Covid community support programme is growing day by day and we are currently supporting 61 people in different and individualised ways. 

With the support of Karbon Homes we entered lock down intensively supporting a group of 14 isolated and vulnerable people, some of whom are living with dementia and who attended existing groups at Dry Water with shopping and delivering food, collecting and delivering essential medications, daily phone calls, emails and texts, creative tasks and activities. This quickly grew to 24.

Now with support from Ballinger Charitable Trust and Age UK we have been able to widen our support for food and medicine deliveries to help an additional 37 people. We are so grateful for the support we have received to help us help others as those in need keeps growing as the long term effects of being isolated start to arise.

People need people

We are making bespoke resources  to help support  individuals and groups  and Frances has set up Amble Sewing For The NHS group - utilising the skills of local sewers to make scrub bags, protective gowns and scrubs for hospitals, care homes, paramedics and community health teams. It is amazing what this group of sewers have achieved and the time and resources given so generously, it warms our hearts.

As far as possible we are using materials we have collectively , sharing our resources and skills and investing in up cycling and re-purposing to support those on the front line who are giving so much.

Whilst not able to travel to Amble Paula is busy every day connecting older people and those living with dementia with school children via a range of activities and tasks - making community Intergenerational dance videos, hosting chair yoga and relaxation classes online and having poetry and letter exchanges.

So yes we are a small organisation but with a big heart and we remain committed to adapting and responding to needs as they arise. We very much hope that a positive outcome of the Covid experience is a change toward investing and appreciating the small and personal and the power of the local community to bring about changes that fundamentally are about sharing and caring. People before profit

We are grateful to everyone who is supporting us and members of the team who are working hard every day keeping people connected.

If you need help, if you need someone to talk to then please contact us

Telephone - Call or text 07542 141411

email info@drywaterarts.uk

With every good wish

The Dry Water Team