What a community hub can do…

Our artistic community has really made something wonderful happen through February, and there isn’t a good way to tell them how much I think of them.

Late last year, we were approached by our local district council, as a small business, and asked if we could help with a month-long initiative to showcase the arts in the district. I was so excited at the prospect that it took no time at all to say yes and to spout ideas to support the event.

So, armed with ideas and the aforementioned excitement bubbling, I took this information to our arts society meeting. What a dream of a meeting that was. It really goes to show what creative people can achieve when they sit in one room, chat for a few minutes and brainstorm ideas.

Before we knew it, we had half term sorted - a week of events we could give to children and adults, which would engage, educate and entertain.

So, this month, we have seen those ideas come to fruition - fabric painting, badge making, felting, needlework, drawing, pebble painting and collage - lots of different types of art were covered, and the uptake was phenomenal. We had so many happy families coming through the doors, it was fabulous.

Add to that, an artist in residence - Nigel Smith, who came for a day to share how he creates his magnificent pieces of abstract art. It really was an amazing day.

And then, to top the half term week off, we held a week long Open Exhibition of our artists’ work. We had nearly 30 artists take part, and we sold lots of work during that week. Comments from the people who visited were really heart warming and positive about the quality of the work we displayed.

One thing that I have learned, opening our doors in this small community in Leicestershire, is that artists and creatives are everywhere. They often work alone, sometimes feeling a little isolated, and although they might say that they are not ‘people’ people, they really are when it comes to sharing their passion.

So, for all of those artists who helped us during February, are part of our community, and those who supported the exhibition - you are more of an inspiration than you will ever know. You have made this gallery look fantastic with your amazing work, you have shared your passion and you are creating a place that others want to come and be part of.

When we opened the doors to Lilypad, we were a gallery with a picture framing service, but we are so much more than that now - we are a safe space for you to chat, we are a meeting point for creative talk, we are a place to learn, and we are loving every single step of this journey.