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Local people in and around Cambois, Northumberland, have been given the opportunity to engage with their creative side, thanks to a grant from EDF Energy Blyth Offshore Demonstrator Wind Farm Community Benefit fund at the Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland.
The £3,000 grant to the Dandelion Collective, who are based in Cambois, supported project costs for dance and writing workshops. Providing an artistic outlet for residents, the workshops encouraged creativity, promoted health and wellbeing and fostered new friendships.
Pete Barrett, Senior Programme Advisor at the Community Foundation said:
“Dandelion Collective have worked hard to improve the artistic offer available to local people, providing high quality activities and opportunities to an isolated community”.
The writing group met fortnightly and with the help of local authors and visiting speakers, were inspired to create their own book of short stories: ‘The Cambois Tales’. Through the dance group, members from 16 to 60, learnt how to dance as a means of self-expression, gaining confidence in their own body and its abilities. Their training culminated in a performance at the Cambois Gala as part of the Queens Jubilee Celebrations.
Alex Oates from the Dandelion Collective, explained how the grant helped local residents:
“The grant enabled the writing and dance group to continue to run and to build confidence, health and wellbeing in the local community of Cambois. Not only are the groups thriving but we’ve widened our ambitions and have teamed up with local Theatre company November Club to launch a larger two-year project. People who had always wanted to be creative were given a chance to try something new and find their voice. People who hadn’t left the house in 18 months entered into a joint social endeavour and found a new lease of life. It’s been massively appreciated and valuable”.
For Becca Sproat, a volunteer at Dandelion Collective, supporting and engaging in the activities made a significant impact on her life:
“If someone had told me that one day I would be helping out with a dance group I would still be laughing now because at one point I never in a million years would have even considered doing that.
“I had spend 16 months pretty much doing nothing and I had a desperate need to get out of my four walled prison. Throughout lockdown I reevaluated my entire life. I had done the same things for many years and I asked myself what I was getting out of them. I realised I wanted more from life and here was my chance to do something about it. As much as I didn’t want to do this, I am having fun. I may not be or ever will be the world’s best dancer but the people who are going to these workshops make it all worth it”.