Isle of Wight Charity Independent Arts is used to delivering workshops to communities and residential homes across the Isle of Wight as part of their programme to improve health and wellbeing using the arts. Government regulations to prevent the spread of Covid-19 has stalled their work, but not for long.
The team of staff and practitioners supported by their team of volunteers began planning how they could do things remotely to help reach some of their participants. This has involved looking at how technology can bring their practitioners to the people who need them most.
Operations Manager Hannah Griffiths says,
“From the day that the new Government regulations came into place to ask those who were vulnerable to self-isolate for twelve weeks, we started planning ways we could reach those who would be stuck behind closed doors for many weeks.
“It’s taken us a bit of time as we wanted to make sure that our workshops continued to be as good quality and accessible as always.”
Virtual Anxiety Cafe sessions via Zoom
Hannah went on to explain,
“We are pleased to announce that we are now running virtual Anxiety Cafe sessions via Zoom, we are planning to start virtual SingAbout next week and virtual DanceMakers sessions very soon.
“Our care home workshops are also going digital with our practitioners being beamed from their home into the care home. We are also putting daily content on our You Tube channel including poems, talks and songs that anybody can watch and enjoy.”
Hear Hanna’s ‘We’ll Meet Again’
We will meet again, we know where, we just don’t know when. Hopefully we can see many of our regular participants and some new faces online very soon.
SingAbout practitioner Hanna Nixon is helping is spread the message, with her beautiful signed and sung rendition of We’ll Meet Again.
Find out more
Everyone is welcome to come along to our virtual sessions.
To find out more about any of our virtual sessions or book a place, please call 01983 822437 (between 10am and 3pm) or visit the Independent Arts Website.
Government Covid-19 guidance: Stay alert and stay safe
Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently (video tips).
Social distancing
It is recommended that you maintain at least a two metre gap (about 6.5ft) from people who are not from your household.
Seeking advice
Use the NHS 111 online coronavirus service that can tell if you need medical help and advise you what to do.
News shared by Hannah on behalf of Independent Arts. Ed
