HOME is where the heart is

Published by keeley for Longhurst Group in Education and also in Local Government

Residents at a sheltered scheme in Skegness joined with clients who receive Housing Support to get creative with local artist Nicki Jarvis and explore their artistic ideas of what ‘home’ means to them. The artwork will become part of a wider group art piece that will be presented at the SO Festival in Skegness between 29^th June and 1^st July 2012.

The visit is part of the HOME arts project which runs in partnership with East Lindsey’s Housing Support Team. The project aims to help people who are receiving support from the Housing Team to think creatively about what the idea of home means to them. By celebrating people’s personal journeys through art, participants can find a voice about the challenges they face with keeping a home.

The project is also contributing towards the Cultural Olympiad as part of the London 2012 Olympics as everyone who takes part is competing in their own personal challenge and HOME celebrates the different ways of ‘going for gold’.

Nicki Jarvis said, “This project is a great way to help people come to express their feelings about running a home. It can sometimes be a struggle and for people who receive support it is really important that they can deal with the issues they have.”

Dean Moors, Housing Support Officer at Skegness said, “I work really closely with East Lindsey District Council who commissioned the project. After meeting Nicki at a drop in session, I thought it would be great for her to do some work with our clients as she had loads of enthusiasm. It has been great for them to explore their feelings in an imaginative way.”