Council helps partially sighted residents’ creativity to bloom

Posted on: Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Local people with sight loss enjoyed a creative flower-making workshop last month, thanks to funding from Newark and Sherwood District Council. Artist Elaine Winter led the workshop at My Sight Newark on Tuesday 24 January.

The aim of the session was to expand the group’s artistic skill sets and enable them to express their creativity. Each participant produced a flower made from sculpted wire covered with paper and adorned with leaves.

The activity was designed to be accessible, focusing on touch. This meant that even a new member to the group, who was worried that she would not be able to get involved, was able to complete her very own flower.

Councillor Tim Wendels, Portfolio Holder for Homes and Health at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “It’s fantastic to hear feedback from the session that participants were clearly proud of their results and felt positive about what they had achieved. I was also told that several of the group asked where they could purchase the materials from themselves in order to do more of this activity independently; this was wonderful to hear as empowering people in this way is exactly what we hope to achieve when supporting local charities.”

A second funded workshop with Elaine Winter is due to take place at My Sight Newark later this month, teaching another new skill.

My Sight is a local sight loss charity working to make sure blind and partially sighted people in Nottinghamshire get the support they need, helping them to beat loneliness, stay connected and live independent and fulfilled lives.