March 17, 2025:
It was great to hear this month from Alison O’Reilly, a full-time visual artist with an architectural design background who runs monthly workshops for the Women’s Space at our Waythrough recovery service in Haringey, London. Around 18 workshops have been run so far covering everything from sculpture and painting to t-shirt and tote bag decorating. Do get in touch with Alison if your service might benefit from similar activities: alison.o’reilly@volunteer.waythrough.org.uk
And check out below and opposite, a selection of work by service users who attended the workshops.
Also this month, some fantastic poems written by people who use our Together-Devon service. These came out of a collaboration with local National Trust site Arlington Court, and a series of monthly activities called ‘9 Months of Wellbeing’, the latest of which was a haiku & writing workshop with a local poet. Two very powerful poems which can be found below.
As we continue to re-build our site, more and more Waythrough services are getting their own service page in our Gallery as they submit creative works done as group projects or submitted on behalf of individuals. You can find them in the Gallery tab under Re Create: Places.
And as our community grows, it’s fantastic to see a number of individual contributors popping up regularly. We welcome these warmly and you can find them under Re Create: People.
– David Mitchell, RF Create.
I’m under attack…
From the smack, from the crack, from the front to the back,
Feral and furtive, ever alert, always hurt, scrambling in the dirt
Desperate dreams of life serene,
Can I get clean? But can I get clean?
Early steps, many regrets, the usual suspects.
Pulled this way and that, so sick of this crap, jostled joints that go clickety clack,
Tentative steps, one toe at a time, electric shocks up my aching spine,
When they say ‘get clean’, is this what they mean?
I persevere, I plod, I turn up, I swallow my pride, and embrace this new ride,
It’s starting to make sense I think but I also don’t know,
Triggers, trauma, tips and tools, just go with the flow
While being constantly called back to the one place I can’t go
Something’s changing, life re-arranging, hitting the mark without even aiming,
The fog is lifting, and the sands have stopped shifting, goodbye to grifting,
Goodbye circumspection and deflection, hello there my new connection,
And just like that, some giant little steps, in an exciting direction!
ANON, DEVON
And previously…..
February 11, 2025:
As we continue to re-build our site, more and more Waythrough services are getting their own service page in our Gallery as they submit creative works done as group projects or submitted on behalf of individuals. You can find them in the Gallery tab under Re Create: Places.
And as our community grows, it’s fantastic to see a number of individual contributors popping up regularly. We welcome these warmly and you can find them under Re Create: People.
Enjoy the latest updates – the pic below is one of mine from a November trip to rural Derbyshire which coincided with a blanket of early winter snow!
– David Mitchell, RF Create.
A picture of my Mum’s puppy Millie, chewing my handbag. I did it with pastels, pencil and a rubber. I learnt to use pastels in my Trauma Art Therapy.
Sara Amy Billam-Evans (Braeside, North Somerset)
These wonderful visual arts were created by Barnsley Recovery community members as part of the service’s pilot creative interventions project:
CREATIVE SPARKS!
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LEFT: This incredible piece, created by service user Sol, now has pride of place on the wall of the Barnstaple office of Together – Devon.
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A member of Waythrough’s Life Experience Council, who has experienced our recovery services, is a multi-genre DJ and regular presenter on Neuro Radio, a radio station dedicated to mental health. Check him out here:
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Check out the latest edition of Performing Recovery magazine:
