Significant Seams brought together a dozen local groups for a distinctive event for Creativity & Wellbeing Week on Saturday 20 May 2023

Significant Seams hosted the event with support from the mid-Devon Primary Care Network (Redlands Surgery, Bow Medical Practice, Mid Devon Medical Practice and Wallingbrook Health Care).  In addition to volunteers and workers from Significant Seams and the Network’s Social Prescribing Team, Age Concern Crediton, Crediton Arts Centre, the Food Bank  and CHAT (Housing Support Services), Involve Mid- Devon, Qwell and Kooth Mental Health Support, Sara Fox, a local Money Coach, Sustainable Crediton and Turning Tides provided stalls and activities for attendees.

During the event, drawing easels, sewing machines, and needle felting areas were set-up. A number of attendees brought knitting and crochet projects too. Turning Tides sold cakes and hot drinks.

The Creativity and Wellbeing National Campaign acknowledges that Mental Health Awareness Week and Dementia Awareness Week happen at the same time, and that creativity is a known preventative factor, as well as aid to living with such challenges. 

In addition to connecting area residents with creative activities and services, the event aimed to support area services in connecting up in the post-pandemic period. A common issue for services is a drop in numbers of volunteers, and resulting stretched teams and capacity, including for planning new collaborations.

It was excellent to be able to make contact with Cath Kelly, the Leader of the new Crediton Youth Services, and I think we have a few good ideas germinating as a result.

Tim Salter, Crediton Arts Centre

Significant Seams is leading two new area projects to improve creativity and wellbeing related opportunities in Mid-Devon. We are co-hosting an online meeting with Devon Mental Health Alliance on 9 June regarding a possible creative project in Mid-Devon – and we are delivering free and heavily subsided Holiday Activity programmes in the summer holidays with Crediton Youth Services and TurningTides. All are now open for bookings on Significant Seams’ eventbrite page at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/significant-seams-3282658880.