Clown Round

The Clown Doctors have been winding down for a few weeks off before sessions pick up again in mid-November. However, it hasn’t all been feet up and cups of tea for the Clown Doctors!

Dr Misschief and Dr Dizzy joined Quidenham Hospice for a busy sibling day at Mangreen Hall, Mangreen, Swardeston recently, bringing silliness, magic and mayhem to the event.

The play specialist from Quidenham said “They were amazing, the children and young people enjoyed their company and antics.”

Clown Round has just come to the end of its 8th year of bringing comfort and distraction to children and young people who are in hospitals and hospices. The Clown Doctors are very excited to be carrying on into the 9th year, and cannot wait to be back out on the wards again very soon. We are immensely grateful to all our funders, especially BBC Children in Need, who have supported the project year on year. We wish Children in Need the best of luck with their appeal night tomorrow.

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Rock Up

Congratulations to three of our regular participants, Marianna, James and Leeam, who played at Sam’s Cafe, Lowestoft, in October. Not only did they nail their songs, but when a guitar string snapped they just reached for a replacement guitar and never missed a beat. Brilliant.

The event was so successful that the organisers, Access Community Trust, are now hoping to run frequent open mic sessions at the Cafe, with Rock Up participants involved on a regular basis.

JumpstART!

All the JumpstART! students have been getting ready for making their films and bringing everything together with help from Lewis Wickwar who has been filming and animating their work. This is in preparation for their screenings which are now less than a month away.

The dates of the screenings are

13^th December Bury St Edmunds
14^th December Ipswich
15^th December Lowestoft.

More information about times and venues will be available soon.

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Suffolk at Play

Just before we complete Suffolk at Play, we’re taking the project into residential homes and sheltered housing units in Lowestoft, to share the wonderful animations made during the project and do some creative activities around the theme of childhood games and pastimes.

Dean Parkin will be leading the sessions and Amanda, our regular Suffolk at Play volunteer, will be supporting. By the end of November we will have visited five homes, and hope to have a selection of photos and poems to share with you in next month’s newsletter.

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Forget Me Not Visitors

The Forget-Me-Not Visitors have packed their bags full of reminiscence objects, musical instruments and beautiful scarves for their visits to patients at Ipswich Hospital. The autumn visits are now well underway, the sound of gentle singing coming from the Forget-Me-Not Visitors, patients and staff can be heard as you walk pass the ward. This week the song choice was a verse from the song, ‘You are My Sunshine’ as the winter days set in Milly and Kitty will continue to bring along their own ray of sunshine on a weekly basis offering comfort and distraction.

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Creative Company

We have now completed the artist supported sessions in Hadleigh; as of January there will be a new group for adult family carers, run alongside, but independent of the regular Together Tuesday sessions at the Pool and Leisure Centre.

Before we go we will be running a training session for volunteers, so that they can pick up some useful creative skills and ideas to support the group in the future. Artist Sara Harrington who has been the regular artist in Hadleigh will be leading the training, which is free to attend and open to any volunteer involved in running creative activity sessions for adult family carers.

Open Studios Winter event raising money for Suffolk Artlink

There is a Winter Open Studio event at the end of November. There will be art for sale, also ceramics, gifts and cards. There are 5 inspiring studios to visit from Lawshall to Ringshall and meet the artists.

All the studios have kindly organised raffles and festive refreshments in aid of Suffolk Artlink. They are open 12noon to 4pm 26th and 27th November.

The studios are:

Louise Chapman – Paintings
Hollyhocks, Heath Road, Hessett IP30 9BJ

Cally James – Ceramics and Watercolours
Roselen, The Street, Lawshall, IP29 4QA

Fiona Camp – Ceramics and Paintings
Popples Farmhouse, Brettenham, IP7 7PN

Lucy Perry – Paintings, Printmaking and Ceramics
Home Farm House, Bury Road, Thorpe Morieux, IP30 0NT

Rebecca Guyver – Pastels, Paintings and Fused Plastic
Nayland Farm, Mill Road, Ringshall, IP14 2LS

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Avenues Project

Things are starting to come together for our next project working with Suffolk Family Carers. This project is generously funded by Lloyds Bank Foundation, and will bring professional artists together with young adult family carers to explore new and exciting creative activities as well as provide opportunities to meet with peers and obtain an arts award.

The last few weeks have been spent in discussion with the carers themselves, Suffolk Family Carers, artists and the University of Suffolk, to plan out the workshops for the New Year. With a list of interesting artists to choose from, the carers will help form the project to suit them best. Watch this space for more information as the project unfolds over the coming months.

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Film Training Opportunities in Norwich December 2016

Although we have not been involved in organising this we thought some of you might be interested.

Signature Pictures is recruiting trainees into all departments of its latest short film production in Norwich: NO PAIN WHATSOEVER.
No prior experience is necessary, only genuine enthusiasm and the desire to work. This is your opportunity to turn your passion into a career!

APPLY NOW – Closing Date 25 November.
www.signaturepictures.co.uk/SP/training/
Or email: [email protected]

You must be 18 years or over and available for training and production from Friday 16 – Friday 23 December 2016. Post-production training dates TBC.

Travel costs will be covered for those who are registered with Jobcentre Plus.

www.suffolkartlink.org.uk/about-us