Connecting Through the Arts

We are Lasting Support, a frontline specialist safeguarding organisation rooted in community and care. We limit the impact of trauma on children and young people, and by extension their families. We work with those who often fall between the cracks, families who fear or avoid statutory services, or who have been failed by systems meant to protect them.

Our project Connecting Through the Arts is a trauma-informed, community-based programme designed to support families living in or connected to the Ealing Town area. The project will run weekly from early July to late August, delivering structured, therapeutic sessions that combine arts, music, mindfulness, and yoga to improve wellbeing, reduce isolation, and strengthen community connection.

Delivered within the Dickins Yard area, the programme will create safe, inclusive spaces where parents and children can engage in both parallel and shared activities. Each session is centred on the themes of safety, belonging, and resilience, helping families feel more confident and connected in their local environment. The project specifically targets families affected by domestic abuse, trauma, and social disadvantage, providing early intervention during the school holiday period, a time when many families experience heightened vulnerability.

The project will be delivered in two-hour sessions every Wednesday.

Hour 1: Parallel Sessions

Parents will be based in ID Studios for wellness and yoga sessions with our Mind-Body Wellness Practitioner, Rebecca Moore, focusing on grounding, emotional regulation, and stress reduction.

The children and young people will be based at Christ the Saviour Church Hall, where they will focus on Arts therapy with one of our resident artists and on Music therapy with our creative ambassadors, Danny Rodeck and Vean Ima. Both of the therapy practices will aim to help them work on their emotional expression, confidence, and communication.

Hour 2: Integrated Family Engagement

Participants will have the flexibility to reconnect through shared activities. Children and young people can join parents at ID Studios for mindfulness and yoga, or parents can join their children and young people at Christ the Saviour Church Hall for music therapy sessions. This flexible model encourages bonding, trust, and positive shared experiences, while respecting individual comfort levels.

We are incredibly excited about Connecting Through The Arts as through the previous work we’ve done connecting families to wellness and creativity have shown that allowing for a healthy outlet significantly improves the lives of those who need it the most. By creating safe, creative, and connected spaces during a high-risk period, the project will strengthen families, build community resilience, and contribute to longer-term prevention outcomes.