CHILDREN’S ART CHARITY LAUNCHES GROUND-BREAKING WORKSHOP WITH ELDERLY AND ‘YOUNG AT ART’

Media invite: Monday 18, Wednesday 20 & Friday 22 March 1015-1230 & 1330-1600 at Broadway Gardens, Northwood Park Road, Bushbury, Wolverhampton, WV10 8EA.

Speight of the Art, the Mark Speight Foundation charity, has teamed up with The ExtraCare Charitable Trust to announce the launch of ‘Young at Art’ an exciting joint venture to provide a week of artistic and creative workshops at Broadway Gardens retirement scheme in Bushbury, Wolverhampton.

Commencing on 18 March, the workshops will bring the benefits of visual and performing arts to the residents of the scheme, together with pupils from the junior section of the Royal School and Northwoodpark Primary School as well as young people from the Princes Trust who have been invited into the scheme to work alongside the residents on creative projects. This innovative programme has been developed to bring together the generations to take part in workshops led by professional artists. The multi-generational sessions will take place over three days – 18, 20, 22 March – and will feature Bhangra and Bollywood dancing, portraiture, graffiti art, caricature, fabric collage and ceramics. The workshops will encourage greater understanding and mutual respect between the younger and older workshop participants as they enjoy working together to create artworks and memories.

Speight of the Art was founded in 2008 by businessman and former motorsport television commentator and producer, Oliver Speight, in memory of his son Mark Speight, the star of BBC children’s art programmes such as SMART. He said: “This is Speight of the Art’s first major initiative to bring together children and older people and we are very excited to be working with The ExtraCare Charitable Trust on this series of workshops as well as the wonderful local Royal school and the Princes Trust in Wolverhampton. At Speight of the Art we firmly believe that art can have many benefits: at Broadway Gardens we are aiming to bring together children with their community through the creative arts. Our intention is to inspire the revitalization of family life and its self-respect. This way, the age gap is spanned and a greater understanding between generations is cemented. We hope that our work in Wolverhampton may become a template for a number of similar Speight of the Art projects throughout the country.”

Lorraine Evans, Activity Co-ordinator at Broadway Gardens, commented: “This project is a wonderful opportunity for the residents, local school children and Princes Trust participants to explore their creativity and to enjoy working together. The residents and staff are really looking forward to the week.”

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For more press information please contact:

Sam Calvert at Samantha Calvert Marketing & PR,
E: sam@samcalvert.plus.com
T: 01782 505430 / 07967 042050

or

Lucy Henson, PR Officer at The ExtraCare Charitable Trust,
E: lucy.henson@extracare.org.uk
T: 02476 507926 / 0789 105 3062.

Notes to editor:

• Speight of the Art – the Mark Speight Foundation http://www.speightoftheart.org.uk is a national registered charity (reg. charity no. 1128085) working to bring the benefits of visual and performing arts to children of all ages. Since Mark’s tragic death in 2008, Speight of the Art has worked with over 11,000 children throughout the UK in a wide range of projects from supporting Mayor of London Boris Johnson’s ‘Art Week’ for children in 2009 to organising a marquee of arts activities at Stafford North M6 motorway service station! The charity is currently leading a 32 week Arts Council Lottery funded project at Heartland’s Hospital children’s ward in Birmingham.

• Broadway Gardens is an Extracare community. Extracare Charitable Trust http://www.extracare.org.uk enables older people to enjoy a healthier, active and more independent lifestyle in a network of inspirational communities that represent a modern alternative to the traditional care home. The charity operates 17 housing schemes and 13 villages across the Midlands and the North of England.