People with mental health issues in Croydon and Mitcham will be able to find healing through creativity – thanks to two new art therapy groups funded by the capital’s biggest independent charity funder.
Art studio: Croydon charity has received £230,000 to run the classes for three years
Run by Studio Upstairs, the groups allow people to explore different types of art – such as drawing, painting or sculpture – guided by qualified art therapists.
The weekly sessions are taking place at the CVA Resource Centre on London Road, and at South Mitcham Community Centre, Haslemere Avenue.
They sessions been made possible through a £232,531 grant over three years from City Bridge Foundation.
City Bridge Foundation is responsible for five Thames crossings – including Tower Bridge – while also awarding more than £30million a year in grants to charitable organisations across London. The Foundation has a further £200million available five years to 2026 to support the capital’s charity sector.
The City Bridge Foundation’s sole trustee is the City of London Corporation – the governing body for the Square Mile. “We have been bridging London and connecting communities for over 900 years,” the Foundation says.
Giles Shilson, chairman of the City Bridge Foundation chairman, told Inside Croydon: “For over 30 years, Studio Upstairs has been helping people improve their mental health through the creative power of art.
Cath-art-ic: the weekly sessions are staged at CVA London Road and in Mitcham
“By dealing with the issues they’re facing in a safe and supportive environment, group members are empowered to build their confidence and create valuable social connections.”
As well as developing their artwork in the sessions, group members also get the chance to exhibit their work publicly, boosting their self-esteem and raising awareness of the value of art therapy in tackling mental health issues.
Zlatinka Hristova, managing director at Studio Upstairs, said: “When people come to the studio, it’s a safe space where they can explore their emotions and deal with the issues they’re facing in a non-verbal way.
“It can be quite cathartic, helping people to deal with difficult situations and understand themselves. Members really empower each other and the group itself is the therapist, as much as the professional leading it.
“It’s really rewarding to see how people feel more connected, happier and more content from coming to the sessions. It’s a lifeline for them and for some people it’s the only social contact they have all week. The studio is like a family to them.”
As well as supporting the art therapy sessions, the City Bridge Foundation grant will also fund volunteer work placements, to help develop the next generation of art therapists.
More information about the art therapy groups at Studio Upstairs is available at www.studioupstairs.org.uk
- If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, or want to publicise your residents’ association or business, or if you have a local event to promote, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com
As featured on Google News Showcase
- Our comments section on every report provides all readers with an immediate “right of reply” on all our content. Our comments policy can be read by clicking here
Inside Croydon is a member of the Independent Community News Network
- Inside Croydon works together with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, as well as BBC London News and ITV London
ROTTEN BOROUGH AWARDS: In January 2024, Croydon was named among the country’s rottenest boroughs for a SEVENTH successive year in the annual round-up of civic cock-ups in Private Eye magazine
Hi, please can you tell me if you do card making,as I have a lot of card making stuff to give away free,but you would have to have someone pick it up.
You’ll need to approach Studio Upstairs directly, Christina