Isle of Wight charity, Independent Arts improves quality of life and reduces social isolation for people of all ages on the Island.
Supported through funding from the Arts Council and Baring Foundation, their pilot project, Time and Tide, celebrates the ageing community, offering the older residents an exciting Island-wide programme of creative activities.
Residents took part in creative workshops ranging from photography and visual art to dance, theatre, music and creative writing, along with museum visits, pop-up exhibitions and touring collections.
Speaking to Septuagenarians
As the Arts Council looks back and celebrates their last 75 years as a public funding body, we hear from two of the project’s participants, who’ve lived throughout that time.
Rose Haddon and Iris Ferris tell us what they enjoyed while taking part as well as some fantastic memories from their creative past – including how they got involved in the Island’s carnival culture – back then and now.
Learning new creative skills
Rose, 77, and Iris, 72, took part in the Time and Tide project alongside some of their neighbours at retirement complex, Knights Courts, in Ventnor.
The project saw the pair learn about pop-up photography from artist and photographer, Julian Winslow, photographing each other as part of a final exhibition piece.
They tried their hand at pottery, tutored by local potter, Neil Tregear.
Award-winning carnival banner
They also created a large textile banner, supported by artist, Mandy Bangerte,r which Rose and Iris carried at Ventnor Carnival and won two first places.
Iris said,
“The best part was when we took the banner round the carnival.”
Rose said,
“They judged us, and we won a great big cup. I never imagined there would be so many people!”
Iris added,
“You should have seen her face!”
“The whole experience was fantastic”
Iris said,
“I just never imagined there would be so many people; it was absolutely fabulous… the whole experience was fantastic!
“Like I say, I’m not good with my hands. It’s great to do things you didn’t know you could do… I just didn’t believe I could do such things.”
Reminiscing
Rose reminisced about times she had been involved in Carnival in the past,
“The classic one was, we had a minibus that used to take the men and women out, and we turned that into a castle, and then me and my friend went on a mobility scooter, and built it as a horse, and we went all around the village in that.”
Pairing local history and creativity
Time and Tide has paired local history and creativity and brought opportunities for older people on the Island to engage with cultural pursuits.
Find out more about the work of Independent Arts by visiting their Website.
The full transcript of the interview
Interview with Rose Haddon and Iris Ferris, Isle of Wight residents who took part in Independent Arts creative activities.
Q 1. The fantastic outcomes from the Time & Tide project show us the power of culture and creativity to have a profound effect on people’s lives. Please can you tell us a little bit about your experience?
Rose: It [Time & Tide] was wonderful, absolutely wonderful. I did things that I never dreamt I could do. You know, making the banner – I’m not a sewing person – making the ammonite… Well it was, you know, unbelievable. It was fantastic, wasn’t it?
Q. Were there any aspects of the project you particularly enjoyed?
Rose: I enjoyed all of it. I’ve never been artistic! Iris: The best part was when we took the banner round the carnival…
Rose: They judged us, and we won a great big cup. I never imagined there would be so many people!
Iris: You should have seen her face! Rose: I just never imagined there would be so many people; it was absolutely fabulous… the whole experience was fantastic! Like I say, I’m not good with my hands. It’s great to do things you didn’t know you could do… I just didn’t believe I could do such things.
Q 2. We’re looking back at our last 75 years as a public body. As a fellow Septuagenarian can you tell us about one of your favourite creative/cultural/artistic memories from your lifetime?
Rose: Well, I must admit, when I was working, we used to do floats for the carnivals. I worked in an ex-service home for men and women. We used to build these floats and enter them into the carnivals. And that was fabulous, absolutely fabulous… I had a TR7 and I didn’t like the roof on! We used to go to this farm to do the float, and one night it absolutely sheeted down, and the farmer, bless him, threw this tarpaulin over me car and it got covered in sand and stuff. You can imagine, my husband wasn’t happy! We did Long John Silver, we did all sorts. The classic one was, we had a minibus that used to take the men and women out, and we turned that into a castle, and then me and my friend went on a mobility scooter, and built it as a horse, and we went all around the village in that. The problem was, the man who put the feet on must have done something to the accelerator, so we were crawling up the hills! People were pushing us up the hills, it was hilarious!
Iris: l haven’t done anything like that, I was just bringing up a family… I used to be good at art at school… but because I was the eldest of eight, I had to go out to work… I was good at needlework and artwork…
Rose: She still is!
Q 3. Since the pandemic struck, has there been any creative activity that has helped you through the lockdowns and imposed isolation?
Rose: The gardening. I’m lucky that straight outside my back door there’s a garden. I spent a great deal of time out there.
Q 4. How have you and Independent Arts maintained connections during the last 18 months? Tell us some of the things you’ve been up to; you had the Creative Chronical, did you engage with that?
Rose: Yes, I liked that. There were two DVDs, some colouring pencils and some things to colour in and a block of clay…
Q 5. If you could give one bit of advice to a five-year-old, with the next seventy years ahead of them, what would it be?
Rose: I would say: enjoy life as much as you can. Learn as much as you can.
Iris: A five year old… That’s when they go to school; they meet their friends and they enjoy doing things with them… There’s times that they will fall out, but the next minute, they’re best friends again…
Rose: Yes, they should enjoy life. I’ve done a lot of things, I’ve been to Australia, I’ve lived in France, I’ve been to Disneyland, Italy… I’ve had a wonderful life.
News shared by Morwenna on behalf of Arts Council England. Ed
