Posted on Thursday 6th August 2020
Victoria Wilson, with teenagers Charlotte and Daisy Blatchford
People of all ages are invited to take part in a summer programme of creative activities organised by Staffordshire’s libraries Service.
The resources are designed to get people interested in the arts, help them learn new skills and connect with others in library spaces, online or at home.
There are two programmes, ‘Creative Explorers’ for children & young people and ‘Createspace’ for adults.
‘Creative Explorers’ is led by professional artists and will encourage children to experiment with a range of creative arts. Each session links in with a library theme which kicks off with this year’s Summer Reading Challenge ‘Silly Squad’. Different activities are posted every Monday morning on the Libraries Facebook page with children invited to share their creations in an online gallery.
‘Createspace’ is an online resource with activities to help encourage adults to be creative in their everyday life and to improve mental wellbeing. New activities are posted every Friday on www.facebook.com/groups/StaffordshireCreateSpace and the group has over 80 members.
Victoria Wilson, Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture at Staffordshire County Council said:
“Being creative is a great skill and can be really good for our health and wellbeing.
“Our two new projects will help people of all ages discover exciting ways to express themselves through a range of art forms. Each week over the summer, libraries will be posting weekly creative activities for people to join in with. Using objects and materials easily found at home, activities will show you how to make time for a bit of creativity in your everyday lives and encourage you how to share what you have done with others and make friends online.
“As well as getting hands-on making stuff, Families can also learn about different artists and art forms and broaden their understanding of arts and creativity. There’s loads of activities to get involved in and they can be viewed online or downloaded and printed out. They’re great projects that will keep the whole family occupied over the summer holidays and I would encourage people to sign up.”
People can find out more about the projects and sign up at https://staffslibrariesculture.wordpress.com