Connecting Through the Arts

Who we are
Lasting Support CIC is an organisation that supports women, children and families affected by domestic abuse, trauma and harmful practices. We designed and led Connecting Through the Arts projects. The project had one simple aim: to help families feel safer, less isolated and more connected to their town.

We especially wanted to reach families living with isolation, domestic abuse, trauma or other disadvantage, including families who would not usually walk into a formal support service. The project was a partnership between our team, local creative practitioners, volunteers and local venues:

• Payzee, Intervention Lead, Lasting Support: led the programme and ran it each week
• Lasting Support staff, including our CBT therapist and psychotherapist: wellbeing support, check-ins and follow-up casework
• Maria, co-founder of B.Fly Face Painting: children’s art sessions. Maria is also a mum and a service user herself.
• Daniel Roddick, singer-songwriter and vocal coach: music sessions, as our Creative Ambassador
• Rebecca, yoga teacher and wellness practitioner: yoga, breathwork and meditation for mums
• Five volunteers: supported the children’s sessions, refreshments, setup and welcoming families
• Christ the Saviour Church Hall, OPEN Ealing and ID Studios: hosted our sessions
• Ealing Council: funded the project through Your Voice, Your Town.

What we delivered

We delivered 9 sessions on Wednesdays from 5pm to 7:30pm through July and August, across three venues within a few minutes’ walk of each other in and around Dickens Yard.

How it worked. Parents and children took part at the same time but in separate spaces nearby. Children did creative sessions while mums had protected time for their own wellbeing, just around the corner. At other points we brought families together for shared activities. Having the venues so close together meant mums felt safe leaving their children, and families often met in Dickens Yard beforehand for a coffee while the children played in the traffic-free square.

Activities included:

• Arts and crafts and art therapy
• Music and singing, including music-based therapeutic activities
• Poetry and creative writing for both adults and children
• Drama and facilitated creative expression
• Yoga, Pilates, breathwork and meditation
• Parent wellbeing activities and shared family activities
• Safety-focused discussions and informal learning
• A community eclipse-watching event on 12 August.

How families found us – we carried out extensive local outreach and asked our partner organisations to refer families to the programme. We also promoted the sessions on Eventbrite, where people could register as long as they lived or worked in Ealing Town.

The variety was deliberate. Not everyone engages in the same way, so families could try different things and find what worked for them.

Who took part – demand was strong from the start. A typical session had about 40 children and young people and 24 parents or carers.

Some families found us simply by walking past. Because the sessions were visible in Dickens Yard, people stopped to ask what was happening, and where appropriate we registered them on the spot.

Support alongside the activities. Lasting Support staff, including our therapists, were there every week. This gave families a trusted person to talk to informally. Where someone needed more help, we arranged follow-up conversations and offered advocacy and casework support.

What difference the project made
The project made a real difference to families’ wellbeing, their relationships with each other and how connected and safe they felt in Ealing Town. We know this from attendance, what participants told us, what our practitioners saw, and the follow-up support families went on to receive. Participants also spoke about their experience on camera in our project video.
Less isolation, more support from each other. Families had a reliable place to go every week of the summer. Attendance stayed high and families kept coming back. Mums told us that meeting other mothers gave them encouragement they had not had before.

“Since I’ve joined I feel like it’s actually changed my life, because I have been going through difficulties for nine years… speaking to other mothers and getting that sense of encouragement from other people. I’ve had a bit more peace in my life.” (parent)

What we learnt

Our biggest lesson is that feeling safe in your town is closely tied to feeling that you belong in it. Five things stood out.

1. Being visible brings people in, which surprised us. We did not expect so many people to walk up and ask to join. Meeting people where they already are, in a busy and familiar public space, reached families who would never have come through a referral.
2. Creativity is a gentle way in. A parent could come for yoga, or a child for music or art. No one had to start by talking about trauma or calling themselves vulnerable. Trust built naturally, and harder conversations followed when families were ready.
3. Mums need support too. Supporting children on their own can miss what is happening for the whole household. Giving mums protected time nearby while their children were busy was one of the most valued parts of the project.
4. Some of the most important conversations happen around the activity. Having trusted, safeguarding-trained staff there every week meant parents could say “Can I talk to you about something?” and get the right response.
5. Summer matters. Strong attendance all summer showed that family support should not pause when schools close.

Our message to others
If you want to make a difference to your town, do it: start small, start where people already are, and make it welcoming. You do not need a big building or a complicated plan. Families will come when an activity is free, visible, safe and fun, and once people feel they belong, everything else becomes possible. Your Voice Your Town gave us the chance to prove that in Ealing. We would encourage any local group with an idea to apply.

Top tips for others:

• Use places people already walk past, and make your activity visible.
• Offer something for parents and children at the same time, close together.
• Lead with fun and creativity, and let support follow.
• Have skilled, trusted staff there every week, not just activity leaders.
• Leave room for walk-ins and have a simple way to register them.