An online artistic programme to reduce isolation and loneliness, alleviate fear, stress and boredom, and build community networks in Pembrokeshire.
This programme had its roots in Span Digidol, enabling us to respond quickly to the COVID crisis.
An online artistic programme to reduce isolation and loneliness, alleviate fear, stress and boredom, and build community networks in Pembrokeshire.
This programme had its roots in Span Digidol, enabling us to respond quickly to the COVID crisis.
Over the Summer of 2021 Span Arts worked with PLANED and artist Rowan O’Neill to produce a Radio Ballad in response to the Preseli Heartlands from Crymych to Cwm Gwaun. The Ballad titled The Song of the Golden Road was launched at a listening party at Tafarn Sinc on the 6th November 2021. A radio ballad is an extended sound piece weaving together oral speech, ambient sound, traditional songs and newly created music and lyrics. The work was created between May and October 2021 through a series of talks, walks, interviews and music workshops with sound material recorded at each event. The events took place at different locations throughout the Preselis encircling the Golden Road, a name given to the ancient trackway that runs across the Preseli ridge. The final bilingual programme is an hour in length and draws from the rich and deep material recorded, skilfully weaving together the lived lives and languages of the Preseli area. Artist and Community Producer Rowan O’Neill said, “It’s been incredible to be able to realise this wide-ranging project with the support of Span Arts and PLANED. It has engaged so many different people all connected by their love of the Preselis, the landscape and
Criw Celf Primary is an Arts Council of Wales funded project for children who have shown a talent or special interest in art. Young people from Pembrokeshire, aged 9-11 applied to become part of this exciting creative project with SPAN. https://youtu.be/GCK-ZmkRz6k Now in it’s third year, the programme has featured in-person, outdoor sessions with local artists. Participants had the opportunity to enjoy five master classes led by professional artists, exploring a range of art techniques and skills. It is an amazing opportunity for the children to be part of an exciting creative project where they made new friends with similar interests and learnt new skills. Over a series of sessions the children stepped out into nature, focused on their surroundings, took what they discovered and turned it into a poem. They practiced new drawing and mark making techniques, as well as creating exciting textures with a variety of materials. Using their poems and textured materials they created their own fantastical 3D worlds within a box. At the end of the project, family and friends of these talented young artists gather for a very special private exhibition at the SPAN Arts building, Narberth. The exhibition also opened to the local community, who enjoyed the colourful displays that featured a wide array of techniques by
Between 2015 – 2019, SPAN co-presented an annual River of Lights Lantern Parade in Haverfordwest. Initially, founded by spacetocreate, and presented in partnership with SPAN as part of The Lab; an arts and regeneration project for Haverfordwest, The River of Lights lantern parade grew into a spectacular and much loved event presented by SPAN in partnership with others. Haverfordwest has enjoyed 4 spectacular lantern parades since 2015 which have brought thousands of people together to share in a memorable, uplifting, much loved, family friendly event. This extraordinary participatory arts event quickly became a popular annual event on the Pembrokeshire calendar where artists and the community were brought together to create a memorable parade shaped by a new theme or story each year . River of Lights Lantern Parade was conceived to inspire a sense of community pride and belonging in Haverfordwest, through a large scale event that celebrated the river, the county town, the creativity of its people and its connections with the coastal communities that it serves. As part of each Lantern parade, drop in Lantern making workshops were held in a variety of settings in Haverfordwest and across the county, where hundreds of people together with artists and
Map Digi Penfro is an online deep map created by SPAN on which you can record information that is important to you about the places you live in and pass through. Text, data, photographs, drawings, audio recordings and even short films can be placed on the map capturing perspectives, memories, conditions, stories, data, etc about that site. See the map The project was developed throughout 2019 as part of Span Digidol, our 2 year digital art project starting with an intensive weekend at Garn Fawr in July 2019 followed by workshops in Narberth, Broad Haven and Newport. On each day, a group of school children and/or local residents went on a walk in their locality and recorded material on the map about local history, nature, geology, and their own memories and impressions. The result is a fascinating multi-faceted view of the place. And it was fun to do! The map remains online and can still be added to. It is very easy to use and there are instructions on the site. How to get involved If you are stuck at home looking for something to do why not have a look at the map? There is much of interest to see and hear. Equally you may have
An online artistic programme to reduce isolation and loneliness, alleviate fear, stress and boredom, and build community networks in Pembrokeshire.
This programme had its roots in Span Digidol, enabling us to respond quickly to the COVID crisis.
A 3 year Big Lottery Funded Project to reduce isolation and loneliness through the arts and creative social activities. SPAN received £218k from Big Lottery Cheerful to reduce social, rural and economic isolation through engaging people in the arts. It was a huge success reaching over 7,000 people (including 2,102 named individuals), with 12,282 separate engagements over the last 3 years. We put on 373 activities (including workshops, outreach sessions, community events and workshop sessions in people’s homes) totalling 42,987 participant hours, generated 572 volunteer opportunities totalling 2002 volunteer hours and created a body or work and partnerships that have left a lasting legacy on SPAN and helped us to shape a new vision for Arts as Social Change in Pembrokeshire. “The program put together by SPAN has helped me by giving me a reason to keep my life as normal as possible, a reason to get out of bed get dressed and have a shave!” “I felt shut away but the project has given me a whole new lease of life”
An online artistic programme to reduce isolation and loneliness, alleviate fear, stress and boredom, and build community networks in Pembrokeshire.
This programme had its roots in Span Digidol, enabling us to respond quickly to the COVID crisis.
Caring Choirs is a programme of singing workshops in care settings in Pembrokeshire targeted at older people and people living with dementia that have been running when funding allows since 2015. The project capitalises on the restorative power of singing to deliver positive physical and mental health benefits. This singing workshop programme has proven to be hugely successful and a powerful tool in improving wellbeing. “Having the singing in the lounge has been like a ray of sunshine on a grey day.”
An online artistic programme to reduce isolation and loneliness, alleviate fear, stress and boredom, and build community networks in Pembrokeshire.
This programme had its roots in Span Digidol, enabling us to respond quickly to the COVID crisis.
You can now watch the fantastic performance of: Tales from the New Normal: Finding Me in a Sea of Change. Below are two screenings, both with Welsh subtitles and the second with a BSL interpreter. https://vimeo.com/829007447 If you would like to view the footage with English subtitles. Click the ‘CC’ button nect to the volume button in the bottom right corner. Please note that this play is suitable for ages 14+ and contains the following trigger warnings: discussion of death, discussion of COVID-19 measures and vaccinations, discussion of caring responsibilities and long-term health conditions, discussion of mental health, discussion of cancer, swearing. The world has changed (again) but we’re all expected to act like it’s the same… Over the Autumn of 2022, SPAN embarked upon exciting process of working with a small group of people from all walks of life to discuss what the “after times” of the pandemic have meant for us and our mental health – the struggles, joys, revelations, and challenges. Actor and playwright Ceri Ashe (Bipolar Me, Lockdown Tales: Making Bread and Babies) led these sessions, using storytelling and simple exercises to create a safe environment for these stories to breathe. These stories were shared anonymously with
Côr Pawb In 2015, SPAN created Côr Pawb, a mass community choir made up of singers of all ages from the local community. Côr Pawb translates as Everyone’s Choir and aims to be a community celebration, accessible, equitable, and life-affirming. People of all ages and abilities from across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, and Ceredigion rehearse and then come together to create something that is greater than the sum of its parts. The mass choir is a statement of solidarity that shares its joy through performing at community events and concerts across the year. Founded upon the principles of community strength and resilience, Côr Pawb welcomes all voices, regardless of singing ability, to come together for an uplifting celebration of song. Thanks to the support of the Ashley Family Foundation and the Colwinston Trust Côr Pawb is back and working toward a programme of unique community-focused performing opportunities. Over the last year, the mass choir has had the opportunity to sing on the main stage at the Narberth A Cappella Voice Festival and in St David Cathedral and the Bishops Palace in St Davids. Over the coming months there will be a series of events that Côr Pawb will be taking part in.
https://youtu.be/A9Ncp3_RG24 In January 2019, SPAN embarked upon Create and Connect, a volunteer project funded by Enhancing Pembrokeshire. Enhancing Pembrokeshire is a fund generated by Pembrokeshire’s Second Home Tax, enabling SPAN to widen the reach of its existing volunteer outreach programme into new areas heavily affected by second home ownership. At the time of the project, 45% of SPAN’s volunteers were: living with a mental health condition aged over 65 living alone Create and Connect created more opportunities for volunteers to get involved in the arts through interesting volunteering experiences and helped people to contribute to the regeneration and enrichment of life in their communities. “I’d just like to say that I’ve volunteered for a couple of other organisations and that the experience as a volunteer with Span has been by far the best. I feel appreciated, part of a team, and confident in the work Span is doing. Onwards!” Span Volunteer
https://youtu.be/aJuuVDR61WM A singing project for care homes and residential settings. People around Pembrokeshire were invited to participate in SPAN’s ‘Remote Choir’. Remote Choir was a singing project using technology to bring people in different residential locations together in order to improve health and wellbeing. Over 130 people have been involved in the Remote Choir project, 10 of whom were housebound. Health conditions included dementia, autism, COPD, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, ME and depression. Image credit: Ruth Jones We were very proud when this project was used as a case study on Wales Arts Health & Wellbeing Network website and also cited in an NHS briefing paper. Image credit: Ruth Jones Through 40 1:2:1 sessions and 2 celebration events the project met its aims and was described as “life-changing”, “important”, and “positive”. People experienced measurable increases in: Wellbeing Quality of life Digital skills Community connections Feelings of worth Confidence in singing
An online artistic programme to reduce isolation and loneliness, alleviate fear, stress and boredom, and build community networks in Pembrokeshire.
This programme had its roots in Span Digidol, enabling us to respond quickly to the COVID crisis.
SPAN’s creative technology club for children aged 8-16. SPAN trialled a monthly creative technology youth club from February 2019 to April 2020 encouraging young people to “get stuck in” to creative technology guided by artists and experts. Sessions included stop-frame animation, app-making for beginners, an introduction to robotics, Raspberry Pi computers and simple programming, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Digital Mapping, electronic music making and vocal looping—and more! All were well attended with excellent feedback showing a desire for more. ‘I liked everything…the right amount of challenge.’ ‘Very entertaining and easy to follow’
The digital act of kindness could come in many forms, and people were invited to think of something they could make that brings them happiness. Here are the results… A unique opportunity for children and/or young people in Pembrokeshire to be part of a digital creative community reaching out to people of all ages who are socially isolating, both in the community and in residential settings. The digital act of kindness could come in many forms, and people were invited to think of something they could make that brings them happiness. Here are the results… A unique opportunity for children and/or young people in Pembrokeshire to be part of a digital creative community reaching out to people of all ages who are socially isolating, both in the community and in residential settings.
SPAN Digidol was a 2 year Leader and ACW funded project designed to open up culture across the whole of Pembrokeshire through developing a new way of delivering cultural services via digital technology to rural communities. The project reached over 2000 live audiences and over 27,000 digital audiences from right across the county and beyond with representation from all ages. Through an innovative programme of 10 pilot projects SPAN Digidol engaged some of the most vulnerable , or traditionally/stereotypically less digitally confident/competent people through projects such as Map Digi Penfro, Memortal, Cân Sing online, Theatr Soffa, e-ticketing, Pisga Chapel Advent Concert audiences. The project also provided SPAN with the capacity to rapidly adapt to the COVID crisis and be able to contribute to the community response in Pembrokeshire by providing an online programme for the 3 months of Lockdown serving the community with online arts experience to alleviate boredom, stress and loneliness and to improve people’s wellbeing. People reported an increase in health & wellbeing as result in engaging in projects and demonstrated that participation in arts activities is a strong motivating factor for people to develop their digital skills. SPAN Digidol successfully supported the digital inclusion agenda in Pembrokeshire
The Span Arts building opened its gallery space in September 2013. There’s now a great variety of different work on display, currently including pieces by Tom Kelly, Sian Lester, Carolyn Young, Jennie Shales & The Puffin Painter. The Gallery also features cards and postcards on sale from Dorian Spencer-Davies, Claudia Myatt & Susie Grindey. All the artists have been inspired by the diverse beauty of Pembrokeshire and this can be clearly seen in each of their pieces and in the range of different styles on display. The artists on display in Span Arts’ Gallery will often change so it’s worth coming in regularly to enjoy the diversity of Pembrokeshire’s art scene. The gallery is open five days a week and has a great selection of affordable pieces including mini-prints and cards. A percentage of all sales will go to the Span Arts charity fund which allows us to continue running the gallery and putting on various events and workshops for everyone to enjoy throughout the year. Feel free to take a break from the hustle of the high street, pop in, and take in the art. With a selection of affordable pieces to peruse, you might even find one to
SPAN Arts Ltd, Town Moor, Narberth, Pembrokeshire, SA67 7AG
info@span-arts.org.uk
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