New Mills art sessions for elderly to combat social isolation

High Peak Community Arts and New Mills and District Volunteer Centre are hosting weekly Together through Art sessions, starting on Wednesday, March 7, at the Volunteer Centre, Union Road, New Mills.

Funding for the new initiative comes from generous shoppers at the town’s Co-op store on Church Road.

The aim of the sessions is to help local elderly people get out of the house to meet new friends, have fun and be creative.

Artist, Amanda Whewell who is from New Mills, will be leading activities, to create a wall-hanging which will take pride of place in the volunteer centre.

Ed Mountifield, centre manager, said: “We want to reduce loneliness and isolation amongst older people in our community. When the opportunity arose to work alongside another local organisation to do this, we were delighted to be involved. We’d like to say a big thanks to Co-op members and shoppers, who’ve raised the funds for the sessions to take place.”

Alison Bowry is creative programme manager at High Peak Community Arts, based at High Lea Park. She added: “We know that being creative, getting involved in arts and crafts is great for our health and wellbeing, and a wonderful way to relax and engage with other people. We always love doing collective projects – everyone working together to make a work of art; so teamwork plays a large part in what we do.”

Together through Art will run for ten weeks.

The centre can provide transport services for local people to get to and from the sessions.

To find out more, please call Alison on 01663 744516, or, if you have access to the internet, email her on: [email protected].