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Our Pilot Project was a huge success! Some wonderful friendships were made, people tried some things for the first time, and we shared laughs together every week. We had a fantastic session with our first Visiting Guest Artist, Little Peaches and put together a fun, thought-provoking, and life-affirming Sharing. Our audience of invited guests loved it and we're excited about the future!
Our Pilot Project: 2022
Sharing: November 2022
Our very first Sharing was held at Ffordd Las Community Centre for 45 invited guests. The evening included varied performances by our members including solo and company musical numbers, devised drama pieces, poetry, text readings, and personal thoughts and insights.
We also held an exhibition of other ways our members express themselves creatively, which included crafts, paintings, jewellery, crochet, and more. Even family recipes were shared! There were also two interactive exhibits: 'Help Us Weave Our Story', where guests could add their own original portion of weaving on a loom, and 'Wings of Freedom', created by our friend Gobaith Galeri and inspired by a section in our Sharing. Guests could add their personal thoughts on feathers about what makes them feel free and add their feathers to the Wings of Freedom selfie station.
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Our audience left written feedback for us, which really meant a lot to us. It showed that what we were doing was enjoyable, helpful, inspiring, thought-provoking, and FUN! Roll on 2023!
Guest Artist: Little Peaches
We were so fortunate to host a Visiting Guest Artist during our Pilot Project! Little Peaches is an award-winning performing artist who dances in her wheelchair. She is also the creator and producer of DisabiliTease, an accessible and inclusive online showcase for disabled performers from all over the world. She delivered a meditative and adaptive dance and choreography workshop with our members, showing how movement and dance is accessible for all. During her workshop she empowered our members to create their own choreography, and she even performed for us! Our members loved working with her (and of course her assistance dog Possum!). We were thrilled that not only did she attend our Sharing, but she performed with us, too!
Funding from the Welsh Churches Fund!
In September 2022 Work in Progress was fortunate to receive funding from the Welsh Churches Fund! This much-needed funding enabled us to start our adventure! The funding went toward room hire and insurance. We needed an accessible space for our weekly sessions, a room with a hard floor (for ease of movement during Little Peaches' workshop), and a large room for our first Sharing and Exhibition.
We are so thankful to the Welsh Churches Fund.
Without their support we wouldn't have been able to start!