The Big Day

Today's the day- the culmination of weeks of hard work and building partnerships. I admit I had mixed feelings the morning we turned up at the Hospice. Instead of the usual prep for a workshop, we progressed from the moment we were sufficiently assembled, making trips from Zoe's car to the pavilion. First off, I was astonished at the volume of equipment we managed to cram into such a small vehicle... but then it was the fact that all this material emanating from the car consisted of things we had made. I was aware of the individual elements we had succeeded in constructing, but seeing it all come together coherently was amazing. The sun was once again beating down on us whilst we watched the garden space transform with every table we installed and the bunting being put up. There was a clear sense of camaraderie felt with every staple and frantic application of blu tack. How satisfying.

That being said, my mind began to race as visitors slowly filtered in. Some were unfamiliar, but the elation evident in the patients rolling in helped alleviate my anxiety. As the day went on, I settled into more. I took a step back, just to observe now I was done busying myself amongst stalls. The facial expressions of those watching the projections on our dolls were even more animated than our flash videos. Perhaps not superficially so, but those miniscule changes in their visage let me know that they were indeed responding to every word. Further intriguing was the depth of conversation some of the patients initiated with our inanimate, but evidently inviting plush dolls.

The quilt was breathtakingly beautiful; it was an accomplishment fully put down to Izzy's expertise and diligence. I couldn't help but feel; guilty when I heard how she worked into the night to complete it. But every stitch was a labour of love and I think the finished product was all the better for it.

Amidst the cakes and cordial, the sunshine and the smiles of the patients, I think we all quietly found the closure to the project. Though it was planned, there was no big speech, no fanfare to announce the end of our collaboration. There was no need. The wave of happiness that washed over that place gave us our wordless leave. Something in our heads told us 'Well done. We made it.'

'Thank you'

Celebration Day

I was so excited about this day and as it neared I didn’t know what to expect and if it would go well. The sun was shining when we arrived and we began to start setting up outside with tables and work that we had made throughout the project. The cross stitch packs looked so amazing and the mood board I had made full of the photos of everyone was so nice to look at when entering the pavilion. Then we began to lay out the dolls and get the laptops ready, everyone was helping each other. Once they were set up, we turned on the video and projected it onto the faces of the dolls. I have never been so moved by anything in my life when I watched the videos. The animations looked lovely, and on a whole the instillation was wonderful.

People started to arrive and created the buzz we wanted. Everyone was chatting and making new friends and it felt like such a nice atmosphere. When Jimmy arrived I was so thrilled by the look on his face when I introduced him to my doll. When we first met, craft wasn’t his thing, but on Celebration Day he told me that I had got him into it. The quilt had been completed and was hanging at the back on the room. Instead of a guest book we decided that people would sign the quilt talking about their experiences and how it had been for them. One signing was really moving which said ‘In memory of Nancy. Who was a lovely friend and loved every minute of your workshops’ which made me really happy.

Although it was a really beautiful day, there were some things that made me realise where we were. A family were outside with a young man in a hospital bed, although they were beyond upset it made me smile to think our instillation brought a tiny bit of happiness to them on that day.

Overall, I will always remember this day and project for the rest of my life. I have got so much from the project if it be experience, confidence in craft and most of all amazing friendships with all ages.

Celebration!

Our final day at St Christopher’s was so amazing, a memory that I will cherish forever.
It started off with a bit of a hectic rush; getting everything ready, but as soon as the patients and our guests started to arrive the pavilion began to fill with happiness and enjoyment. It was so amazing to see what we had been planning really happening and how well the idea behind this project had worked. All of the patients were really excited to see their doll and to see what everyone else’s doll looked like. It was great to hear how much they liked the final result, especially as some of them were a bit sceptical in the beginning.
This project was something that greatly affected me, especially as it coincided with something that was happening in my own life as well. It was such a privilege to have gotten to experience this and see what a wonderfully joyful, welcoming and beautiful place a hospice can be. Whilst in the celebration day a friend of one of the patients I had been working with came along to see the doll of her friend who had sadly passed away. Something that greatly touched me was when she asked if she could perhaps take the doll of the patient; Nancy, to be given to Nancy’s granddaughter. I felt this to be such a compliment on the doll that she felt it was good enough that it could be given to her granddaughter who she told me was very close to her Nan.
At the celebration day I also came across a patient that I had never met before; Rose. She told me that she was a bit of an expert at making plush dolls herself; even creating some that were sold in funding for cystic fibrosis and raised £400 each! She told me that she also had some other plush toys that she had made recently and took me to see them so that I could get a private view of her newest work. They were amazing!

As a part of the celebration day one of the students on our group made a beautiful quilt to be given to the hospice as a gift from the Brit School. The quilt had individual squares, some filled with the artwork created by the patients others left plain for people to write comments on regarding the celebration day, all of the comments were really beautiful but there was one that touched me most of all; a commnt written by Nancy's friend Sheila.

The St.Christopher's Finale!

It must be said that the celebration day at St. Christopher's could not have gone any better! It was a beautiful and everyone was in such good spirits. Everything was set up and ready and it all looked so fantastic! You could see all the hard work that had been put into this project. The plushies looked amazing and fitted so well with the videos of those we had be working with. The animations in the videos were just the cherry on top of the cake!
It was lovely seeing everyone from St. Christopher's come and see the work as well as seeing others come to the show and support the work we had been doing over the past few weeks.
I am a little sad now that it's all over with, as I enjoyed the project to much! I truly has been an inspirational set of weeks.

Our last Day went really well. We set up quickly with no problems. After setting up I went and sat on a bench and saw there was a patient in their bed outside with their family. I didn’t see who the patient was but I guessed old. Some women in her late 20’s was with them and kissed the patient on the cheek but continuously doing it and then burst into tears. I walked over to be slightly noisy and realized that the patient was only in his late 20’s or so as well. All the time being at the hospice and nothing really hit me, but seeing that did. I felt pretty bad having a celebration day while his family where probably spending the last couple days with him.

Celebration day went well and I reckon all the patients and their family really enjoyed the final outcome and the fact that it was a little different to all the other stuff they had done. I went round listening to all the others and kinda realized that everyone’s video kind of seemed maybe a little bit more opened. I also notice people seemed more closer to there patients and I reckon I was avoiding having some heart to heart conversation, by joking around and stuff and I kind of regret that although I did enjoy joking around and I did hear some good stories. The day was good and won’t be forgotten for a long time!

What an amazing day!!!

Just a quick note to say a huge well done to all the students involved in this project. You worked extremly hard and have faced some very difficult times but your drive to succeed in your goal has been inspirational and i am so proud of you. Thank you so much to all of of the people we worked with at St Christopher's, it really was a pleasure to meet each one of you and hear your stories and share these experiences, we will always remember you. Another big thanks to Marion, Andy and Nigel and the rest of the staff at St Chrsitopher's Hopspice for all your support and for welcoming us back again this year, we hope you like the quilt...

Our Celebration Day

I am pretty certain that today made me one of the luckiest boys to pass through BRIT. I have done paintings and drawings for friends and members of the public before, so I can say that I have worked within the community before. But out of everything I have ever done with the community, I can safely say, today beats everything else hands down. This project as a whole has been my favourite project so far at the BRIT school.

For the people reading this that weren't there today, let me sum up the celebration day:

• sunshine - check
• a real buzz from everyone - check
• smiles - check
• tears - check
• technology working properly with no faults - check

Today was perfect and I wouldn't change anything if I could. I wrote something that Zoe asked me to read out today, that due to everyone enjoying the show so much, never got a chance to be read out. So ill write it here.

"This project has been one of many highs and lows for myself. From the beginning, I was terrified of the very idea of this project. However, after meeting the patients we would be working with, I soon realised that my fears were completely unjustified. What I expected to be a room full of old people set in their ways, turned out to be a room full of fresh, exciting characters that were all unique in their own way. Whether it was the two old guys in wheel chairs having a back and forth going on throughout the whole lesson, or it was the quite lady with a passion for Elvis staying past the allocated workshop time just so she could finish doing some sewing. Everybody i have met on this project, and i really do mean everyone, has touched my life in some way or another. Moreover, this project didn't reach my expectations at all, It surpassed them in every way it could."

Ill miss everyone at St. Christopher's Hospice.

This project changed the way ill look at community art forever.

St Christopher's Celebration Day

I don't think that this day could have been any better. Everything went to plan. The sun was shining, the atmosphere was lively and the Celebration day was a fantastic end to an even better project. As we set up for the show I was a bit confused about how it was going to all turn out, but when everything was finished and ready to be viewed, it was so effective and a really fun way to display the plush dolls that we spent so much time on with the patients. They all seemed really impressed with our work, congratulating us on our achievements and our dedication which was lovely to hear.

We also had, in conjunction with the plush dolls, music was playing, sketchbooks were on show alongside our work that was building up to this event such as mood boards, proposal ideas etc.

Issi had made a fantastic quilt for the event which was stunning. The centre patch was beautifully stitched and it was a pleasure to see. It really brought something to the day where patients, carers, pupils and visitors could write a message on a blank calico patch, by the end of the day the quilt was bursting with beautiful messages.

The project as a whole has been emotional but amazing and a fantastic experiance that I will treasure. It's quite hard to come to terms with how lucky I am to have been given the chance to be a part of this project. A massive thanks has to be given to Zoe for leading the project and being a very motivational tutor and every member of staff at St Christopher's Hospice their dedication and love for the patients is amazing and something that I can't respect more. I also think all of us, the students, have created something that means so much to these people, I am so proud of myself and everyone else, for doing this, being part of something so incredible.

It has been a roller coaster of emotions, we have all learnt, and realised things we didn't think about before, how ever small that may be. From the first time we started to now, we have grown in confidence with the patients and become a closer unit.

I was also so pleased and happy to see George at the Celebration day. He saw his final doll and video and I watched him laugh and smile, he was very grateful and thanked me for working with him which was so touching. Eileen came over to me and Issi to thanking us for our chat we had with her which was so lovely. Knowing that we have made such an impact on some of the patients was actually quite overwhelming but at the same time such a happy experience.

This project for me has been a very touching experience, working with patients that are unwell, its still hard to think about. I really respect all the people at the Hospice, the hard work everyone puts in and what they do for the patients lives.

This final blog, and all the previous ones of mine, wont ever really be able to sum up my experience as it was too amazing to put into words.

Thank you.

Celebration Day

The Celebration Day today was really, really wonderful. As the culmination of this project, I don’t think it could have gone much better. The dolls all looked great set up with the projections; I wasn’t sure until everything was in place how they would look, but it was such an effective way to display the dolls and I think the patients at St. Christopher’s were happy too. We displayed work made throughout the project as well, and the total effect of the dolls and preparatory work together combined to express something really positive and exciting. I had also made a quilt to commemorate the occasion, with some patterned and some calico patches, and we put fabric pens by it so it could act instead of a comments book – by the end of the morning the calico patches were full of the most lovely comments, from students, patients and visitors. I was really happy that we had chosen to make an alternative to a conventional comments book (although I felt my quilting skills left something to be desired!) because the format far better reflected the project. Also, we donated the quilt to St. Christopher’s Hospice, so they can display it if they wish.

Looking back on the project, I feel incredibly proud of all of us; I think we have accomplished something that, as a group, we should all take pride in, and that we have all been changed in some way for the better by being a part of St. Christopher’s for a few weeks. The project has, at times, drawn on some powerful emotions, but I think that that has only added to the value of what we’ve achieved, and the things we have learnt from this project. When I think back on how nervous we were the first time we visited the hospice, and the first time we held a workshop there, compared with the confidence of the work we showed this morning, and how we have each formed a relationship with the group we’ve been working with, I can’t believe it’s only been five weeks. I definitely can’t believe that it’s over. I know that everyone in the group is sad for the project to be over. When I found out that I was going to be working on the St. Christopher’s project – I suppose nearly two months ago – I was really excited. As Eileen and I hugged and said our goodbyes, and she thanked me for what I’d done, for having sat and just chatted to her with Ashra for a morning, I felt overwhelmed. With happiness, with sadness, with any number of feelings. What we have done at the hospice has true meaning and value, of this I am sure.

Final Workshop

The Last Workshop

Our last workshop I was quite upset as George and Rowland were not present and I was really hoping to be able to show them their plush dolls but I suppose, it will just be a greater surprise when it comes to Celebration Day when they see them in all their glory! It was still very sad that I was not able to converse more with George or Rowland but I will make up for this when it comes to the Celebration Day.
We have all come a long way throughout this project, learning from each other, sharing stories, having group discussions that really brought to surface a lot of emotions and many other experiences.
When it comes to the Celebration Day I think it is going to be an emotional affair, but at the same time really amazing and I cant wait to be a part of this finale.

Ron and I

Our last workshop at St. Christopher’s went well. Ron and I spoke more than we worked, which we seemed to do in all the workshops. We didn’t seem to talk about anything interesting but was just making jokes together and persuading him to come next week for the celebration day. Ron left quite early so me and Dee got talking to one of the carers, which we both found interesting, finding out why she does it and a different side to what happens in the hospice and their view on the patients and their family.

My final workshop

To be honest, completely honest, I'm writing this upset. Its only just hit me that next week we will be holding the final celebration day and that will be the last time we are at St. Christopher's with our group of patients.

From day one till today, we have all experienced a massive spectrum of emotions, from sad and frustrated to happy and excited and today was no different. We met with the patients we had been working with to start putting the finishing touches on our dolls, these were things such as; buttons, pockets, embellishment's.

Today's workshop was really interesting for me, mainly due to Carlton. Today we sat and talked about Jamaica and how his church, the Jehovah's Witness's operate. I learnt so much i probably never would have if it wasn't for Carlton, and i made sure to thank him at the end of the workshop for sharing more of his world knowledge and opinions with me.

We shook hands and parted ways and i caught the bus home confused. I was looking forward to the celebration day next week but at the same time i was also slightly upset about it being the last time i get to hang out and shoot the breeze with Carlton..

Nearing The End...

After last week, I really wasn’t sure what to expect. The sun was shining as the group came in to begin the workshops we had organized for our last time at St Christopher’s hospice. I was excited to show Jimmy my progress with his plush doll. He liked it a lot and said it was very smart, which was the look I was going for. We didn’t do much craft work as he had to leave early and it was out last time one on one, so we spoke until he had to leave. He unravelled more about his life and I got to know him that little bit more. When he had to leave I continued to add finishing touches to the doll, he requested a handkerchief, which I made, and for his creeper brogues to be filled which are now completed. I am thrilled with the outcome and it makes me smile to know that I have made it with Jimmy and his input. I am looking forward to next week but as the celebration day nears, I’m finding it upsetting. I have tried to hold back the sadness I feel when I think of leaving but at the end of the day it will be filled with happiness and celebration.

A Better Day

It seemed as if the sombre tone of last week had pretty much disappeared during our workshop this time. It was sweltering, and the sun had made us silly. Though it cut out workshop time, the late arrival of the coach gave us a little time to settle down and be exactly sure of what we were doing- it also allowed for a little bit of mental preparation. Kim arrived in good spirits, back from her trip to Brighton. She was garbed in the most spectacular Elvis t-shirt, and fully equipped with gold and white Elvis keychains on her little bag. We compared guitar-shaped accessories... Kim appeared delighted at the Elvis t-shirt we were making for her doll. We took the opportunity to take a picture with the doll, seeing as Kim's outfit matched it so well. With the same amount of dogged determination to finish a task as usual, the cross stitch was completed expertly by Kim. She had a giggle at how bad I was at unpicking any mistakes made and how long it took me to re-thread the needle. Apparently, she says, it is I who is in need of glasses.

Applique Patch Workshop

I had a really lovely morning at the hospice this week. My partner Eileen wasn’t there, as she had told me to expect last week, and I definitely felt the lack of her presence. Last week I felt that we had made more of a connection, and I was disappointed that we couldn’t carry on getting to know each other this session, but such is the nature of the project – there was a few of us missing our partners. However, instead I was leading a few people in make appliqué patches for the quilt we’re making to commemorate the project. I had three people sitting with me, and the atmosphere created by their activity was really positive. The patches they made were so lovely, even those that doubted their ability absolutely excelled themselves. This quilt is going to be absolutely beautiful. Little was needed from me to get them going, to be honest; just the occasional needle to be threaded, or embroidery thread to be handed out. I feel that perhaps that was what made the morning so pleasing. That’s not to say I enjoyed it because I didn’t have to do much, but more because of the enthusiasm shown by the people I was working with, which gave me the feeling that we have really hit our stride with this project. In realising this, I have very mixed feelings about next week, which is the Celebration Day marking the end of our time at the hospice. Actually, I can’t wait to see the dolls all set up and have everyone see what we’ve been doing the last few weeks, but at the same time I will be truly sorry to see this project finish.

St. Christopher's - 4th Workshop

This workshop was not the same for me as all of the previous workshops. Neither of the patients I was working with had shown up and due to this it felt like a slow workshop as I spent most of the time working on one of my plushies as well as chipping in on the conversation going on next to me every now and then. I'm rather looking forwards to the celebration day next week, but at the same time a little nervous as to whether my work will be liked or not.

Another great day

Zoot Suit

Where do I start? We began the day with a few people come to talk to us who are supporters at St Christopher’s Hospice. At first I thought it wasn’t necessary or that there wouldn’t be much to say, but I was far from wrong. It has been a journey for all of us as a group and I feel I have built relationships with people I didn’t mix with before the project and after an hour or so of talking I began to realise how much of an effect it was having on individuals and as a group. Yet upsetting at times, so far there has been an inspiring and positive atmosphere. We decided that we would set the table out differently to the following workshops to benefit both the patients and our class.

Showing Jimmy my progress with the doll was such a great feeling, as the look on his face showed it wasn’t what he had expected. As he used to wear a ‘Zoot Suit’ so we began the workshop sketching out what the final garments will look like and made a start on the shoes. I taught him how to blanket stitch and was thrilled that he picked it up so quickly. Throughout the workshop Jimmy and I had a good chat with each other and also with Matt and Ron who were sat next to us. As I was the only girl I was an obvious target for teasing! As a pair we accomplished a lot and the counselling at the beginning really helped with everyone’s moods and confidence. It was such a lovely day and the weather was beautiful so I left the hospice feeling refreshed and hopeful for the upcoming weeks. It is going to make me quite upset when we finish the project but will stay with me for life.

A Hard Time

Today was difficult to say the least. We began by discussing the previous week's session before starting the next. Whilst reflecting on the more difficult topics some of the patients had raised, we saw there was a stark contrast between the tone of some of our video interviews and our workshops. At this point all of the grief that some of up had been harboring lately came abruptly to the surface. I think we realised everyone in the hospice was well once, and everyone we see walking down the street could theoretically also end up in a hospice. You see- disease is indiscriminate. Being autistic, I'm actually still getting to grips with empathy. Sometimes I feel like a bad person when someone dies and I do not cry. I don't quite know how to grieve yet even though my great uncle I grew very close too died about a month or so ago. What frightens me is that one day the understanding of grief will creep up on me one day and I'll know it all too well. I also learned that Kim and I have alot of secrets in common. Some very sad things that I cannot share. On a lighter note, Kim was ecstatic about the design of her Elvis T-Shirt. Whilst we embroidered the lettering for the shirt, you could really tell she couldn't wait to see the finished product. That being said, it had been a very sobering day of introspection for us all.