Five days of fun, games, arts and crafts to take place at Bognor Regis library

Organised by The Aldingbourne Trust, the day will feature sensory bottle making, a ‘hey ducky’ game, creative ‘splosh painting’ and more.

Starting at 10am and continuing until 3pm, organiser Karen Webb said the project – dubbed Art Sparks – is about giving budding creatives of all ages a chance to shine.

"I want to share creativity with people. I want everybody, adults and children, just to have that chance to express themselves, especially because it’s been so doom and gloom over the last few years.”

A student at the Aldingbourne Trust’s Creative Arts Studio, Karen said the idea for ArtSparks came during a particularly difficult part of her life, and that organising it while working alongside the charity’s team, has helped her find her mojo.

"It was a really hard time. I wasn’t working, I’d been in hospital, I had no friends or anything. But I’d always been creative and, my social worker got me a place at the Creative Arts studio and things just exploded from there. I had this idea and I just knew I wanted to make it happen.

"I wanted to give people a day of fun and creativity and expression, at no cost. I wanted to give something back, because that’s where I get the joy – from seeing people being creative.”

ArtSparks will take place at the end of a week of free activities based in the Bognor Regis Library, beginning on August 15. The events, hosted by the Aldingbourne Trust, feature workshops run by a range of local causes, including the Bognor Regis scout troop, My Sister’s House, and the Suzanne Hill school of dance. Organisers hope to provide a week of free, enriching experiences at the height of the six weeks holiday.

For Karen, joining that network of community organisations and working with the trust has been a real boon.

"Before I was so isolated and so lost, but I feel like I’ve found my place now, I’ve found my place. And I just love to do things like this, love to share creativity with people. I have my spark back.”

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