2025
Between June and September 2025, local artist Wendy Daniels led three workshops at The Harvey Centre, Minsterworth, working with older people with dementia and their carers to co-produce an art installation that will be displayed in the centre. Themed around birds, Wendy helped to create three separate works, including an outdoor bird house, a textile pew cushion and a mounted display of clay birds. It is hoped that these artworks will be used and enjoyed for many years, as a reminder of the voices and abilities too often overlooked. The project was coordinated by Artspace Cinderford and funded by The Arts Society West Gloucestershire.
2021
This autumn as part of our Arts Volunteering programme we are funding weekly art sessions with a professional art teacher at The Kimbrose Club in Gloucester, a dementia day service which allows those with dementia to come along and enjoy a friendly and safe environment while their carers are able to take a break, knowing their loved ones are being looked after. The modern purpose-built centre serves a wide area not just taking people from Gloucester but including others such as from Highnam and Newent. We have been successful in obtaining additional grant funding from The Arts Society for this. There is the opportunity for our members to assist at these sessions. Those who have found it an enjoyable and rewarding experience.
2020
Clay work projest at Innsworth Infants School
We have funded a project for the children to work with a potter to create decorated clay bird tiles to represent their classes. All children have worked with clay and produced elements of the tiles, which have now been installed outside their classrooms.
2019
Ukuleles at Innsworth Junior School
This year we have purchased a class set of ukuleles for Innsworth Junior School. All pupils will have an opportunity to learn the instrument in class lessons. The children are showing great enthusiam and enjoyment and were able to perform two pieces at a performing arts festival at the school.
2012-2017
In November 2012 Longlevens Infants school spent several session at Nature in Art supported by Our Young Arts programme. The project was based on Vincent van Gogh paintings, ‘Starry Night’ inspired a painting composed of 36 individual panels.
The children used van Gogh’s many paintings of sunflowers to produce a large sculpture (see Home page). Fir cones were used to make the seed heads at the centre.
The exhibition was opened at the end of November with children, teachers and parents at the ceremony, and continued through much of December
After various delays with projects for which the society has had the money to support, 2014 saw a very successful project at Staunton and Corse C of E Academy. This involved every pupil contributing to making a willow arch with the society paying for the materials and the expertise of a willow artist Helen Lomberg
This was followed by a productive association with ‘Nature in Art‘ at Twigworth. Committee member Wendy Davies met the education officer and three half-day sessions were arranged for three different Special Needs schools ( Battledown Centre, Alderman Knight and Milestones). They were taught wire sculpture, or did some pond dipping and younger children made ‘bear dens’.
In the past the fund has paid for:
- a primary school bus trip to a museum
- the materials for silk screen printing at another local primary school
- the materials for a mosaic pavement next to the playground at a third local primary school.