The Oyster Project: Past, Present, Future
What we are currently providing
Past achievements
Awarded the Queens Award for Voluntary service
- Weekly online Groups: Singing/Gentle movement, Well-being, Drama, Art.
- Two separate groups for people with dementia and carers, these are: Singing/Gentle movement and Well-being.
- Outdoor woodland Creative Well-being group (Railwayland Lewes).
- Personal Art therapy sessions
- Personal Creative career development for members
- Community meet ups & events
- An online community creative arts gallery
- Radio Lewes (live online radio shows by DJs with and without disabilities created and run by Oyster Project members)
Past achievements
Awarded the Queens Award for Voluntary service
- Ran a volunteer led community cafe
- Created and directed award winning short films, researched directed and created by members
Time Slip Oscar Brite award winner
Award winning dance film Love and Peace, starring Oyster member Lucy Hendy
Career development grant from Arts Council England for actor Sarah Gordy, who then went on to perform in BBC’s Upstairs Downstairs and more. - Various theatrical performances including The Wizard of Lewes and Christmas performances of The Infant King, with a cast of people with and without disabilities.
- Headfirst dance company production performance and film with choreographer James Dunbar 2015
- Clubfoot and Cheeky in the chapel monthly club nights 2014-2018
- Created and performed a shadow puppetry and dance performance (performed in the community, including to the elderly, children and people with disabilities).2018
- A social and creative group for the over 50s
- Theatre trips and art gallery visits
- Participated in Leweslight festival 2016 and 2020
- Put on exhibitions for Artwave festival for 2019 and 2020.
- Ran inclusive and intergenerational drawing workshops as part of the Ageing Well festival 2020
Future Goals and ideas- To reach out to more socially isolated people with online creative and well-being groups
- Creating a short dance and mime film about feelings in lockdown, involving a local musician Lisa Guile to help members create a soundtrack
- Continuing where we left off with our Midsummer Nights Dream ultra violet puppet and mime performance.
- Guest musicians at our singing and movement group
- Involving a few local artists in running a series of creative woodland workshops
- More land art in a new local outdoor venue
- A landscaping/gardening Project
- To run workshops at the Sidings community centre in Newhaven, making new connections and creating projects that connect people in the community, such as a community textiles project and outdoor performances
- To create opportunities for existing members to be involved in outdoor creative and well-being activities in Lewes and Newhaven.
- Restarting the volunteer run community cafe
- A knitting group run by a volunteer member.
- Trips to a non-local art galleries such as the Towner in Eastbourne
- A boat trip
- Theatre and cinema trips
