🌱 Spring has officially arrived, and so has our April Newsletter! In our latest update, you'll find: 🎭 Highlights from our projects 🌿 Dates and details to join our Wellbeing projects 🎟️ Link to FREE tickets to our 10th Anniversary event Read here: www.theground.org.uk/so/59Pr9UwYn...

We enjoyed our second Walk for Wellbeing, exploring Oxleas Woods and themes of spring & renewal.🪻 🌿"Sometimes, beauty isn’t in what is blooming, but in how we notice and hold what has already passed."🌿 Message to join next time 🤗 Grateful to our funders Transport For London and Groundwork London.

"When we reach higher, we can hold and grab others with us. It's not only for ourselves." ✨ For our final session of Creativity for Wellbeing we reflected on what rising means to us through creating and painting a tree - understanding that we must be grounded to reach high. 🌿

In our Heritage we had the chance to connect with nature 🍃 at Plot 9 Maze Hill while enjoying the unique experience of cooking over an open fire and sharing our stories. 🫕 Conjuring and creating memories but also connecting with each other 🏕️ Thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund

If you’re looking for a safe space to breathe, create, and connect, come join us for Together for Wellbeing.🧡 These are weekly creative sessions specifically for migrant women. We’ll be using creativity as a tool for self-care and building confidence together in a relaxed, supportive environment. 🎨

In Creativity for Wellbeing we tore up paper and worked together to reconstruct it into colourful art. "No matter what life throws at you, you can actually make something meaningful out of it. Don't give up." Thanks to all the women who shared. Our artwork is a daily reminder of our resilience! 💚

A beautiful first Walk for Wellbeing 🌿 Thanks to everyone who joined us! The energy was incredibly special. From the calming breeze off the Thames to beautiful views from Galleons Hill - a perfect day to connect with nature and each other. Thanks to #WalkCycleLDN @groundworklondon.bsky.social 💚

A huge thank you to our incredible guest facilitator Luna for leading such a wonderful stitching session! 🧵 It was so special to see everyone creating and connecting. We can't wait for the next one. ✨ We are so grateful to @tnlcommunityfund.org.uk for making this project possible! 💛

Hearts full after last night. ❤️ We spent the session crafting, laughing, and sharing stories about small acts of kindness. It is amazing to connect through crafting in an online space, each of us creating something beautiful. Huge thanks to @tnlcommunityfund.org.uk 💖

As part of our reflection of what being 'rooted' means to us, in our Creativity for Wellbeing session we explored identity through our hands. Clay became a language of possibility, something that can be shaped, broken apart, rebuilt, and transformed.

For our 10th Anniversary, Lydia is training our Stronger Together Leaders to become 'Creating Ground Archivists' who will be diving deep into the history of CG to uncover the stories, photos, and moments that made us who we are. Huge thanks to the @tnlcommunityfund.org.uk ✨

We are so excited to launch our new project: Walks for Wellbeing 🌿 A free project for migrant women in Greenwich to: Meet new people Explore the local area Relax and be creative in nature 📅 First Walk: Friday 27th Feb A huge thank you to our funders for making this possible #WalkCycleLDN

Today in Creativity for Wellbeing we decorated our own treasure box and reflected on how it can be both a container for our art work, and also the container of our feelings, wishes, hopes and reflections. "My box represents my country and inside I have put my family to be safe" 💛

What an incredible session! 🎬 A massive thank you to Anna for leading such an inspiring Mobile Filmmaking Workshop as part of our Heritage project. Showing us that you don't need a huge budget to tell a powerful story - just the phone in your pocket and a bit of vision. 📱✨

Back in the flow 💫 There is nothing quite like the energy of being back together dancing after the festive break, focusing on the theme of our 10th anniversary - Rooted and Rising 🌱 "Dance is more than movement, it is life itself." Huge thanks to @tnlcommunityfund.org.uk 🌟

Good to be back in each other's company as part of our Heritage Project ✨ We spent the morning shortlisting places we'd like to visit. Then got stuck into some nut-cracking - discussing their origins, and Rich shared stories from Greenwich Heritage. Thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund 🗺️

Are you a migrant woman living in Greenwich? Looking for a way to relax, connect with others, and improve your wellbeing? Join us every Wednesday (10:30–12:30) for our Creativity for Wellbeing project! To join or find out more please email Rose at [email protected]

As we pause our activities for the festive break, we want to thank all our members, partners and supporters for everything you bring to our community ✨ We’re really looking forward to starting our activities again in the new year! Wishing you a restful, joyful and mindful festive break! 🎄✨

This week we were stirring our senses through cooking as part of our Heritage Project 🍲✨ We had the space to reconnect with our roots, and the traditions we grew up with - cooking reminded us that our heritage lives on in our hands and hearts. Huge thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund 💛

Thank you English for Action for inviting us to this week’s English Language Fair 💛 It was packed and full of energy! We loved meeting so many new people and sharing what we do at Creating Ground. If you’re a migrant woman in SE London, check our activities and get in touch ✨

✨ Our November newsletter is ready for you! ✨ Catch up on our latest updates, upcoming projects, and our timetable for next term here: theground.org.uk/so/30Ph5xPqe...

“Our session with the musicians was unforgettable. We danced freely, laughed wholeheartedly and enjoyed every second together." Thanks to the incredible orchestra Arch Sinfonia for leading such a beautiful session. All made possible thanks to @tnlcommunityfund.org.uk 🩷

Every Monday we get together for our dance sessions which are full of rhythm, joy, enthusiasm and great vibes! “By the end, we were all glowing with happiness and gratitude for the art of dance.” Thanks to our dance facilitator Rachele and @tnlcommunityfund.org.uk for supporting us 💕🫶💃🏻

This week we worked with willow & hazel sticks to make a variety of small houses. This led to sharing stories, songs and images of houses 'back home' "Every session reveals unique stories and experiences...our home, culture, memories, our identities" Thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund 💙

Huge thanks to Luna Cohen for the special session on Embellishing Jumpers 🧥👕 We explored stitching, beading, and decorative techniques to personalise our jumpers and hats, creating something unique and meaningful! Thanks to @tnlcommunityfund.org.uk for making this possible 🩷

“The best session I ever attended in the council (in 8 years working with RBG)” So happy to deliver a Together with Migrants training session for @royalgreenwich.bsky.social staff as part of their work as a Borough of Sanctuary. Opportunities like this are precious and can spark big change.

Project update! This week in our heritage project we shared stories ... 🌙 of childhood games 🌽 of life on the farm 👣 of migration journeys long and short By the end each of us said proudly: "I am a storyteller" 🌟 Huge thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for making this project possible!

“My voice in the choir became a part of something bigger.” “There isn't such a thing as too much singing” We had a beautiful session today with Francezco and Gloria from Citizens of the World Choir today! Huge thanks to @tnlcommunityfund.org.uk for supporting us in our creative endeavours 💗

This week in our heritage project we: 🇯🇲 Put Jamaica (“big island”) on our Heritage Map 🎥 We looked at film of making model boats for a history project in 2023 ✨ We shared oral history - remembering folk tales, poems and memories Thanks to The National Lottery Heritage for your vital support 💙

🍂 Our October round-up is ready for you! 🍂 Read our latest news here: www.theground.org.uk/so/71Peqh0Qp...

🌷 We're looking for migrant mums to join our exciting new project Arts with Mums, starting on 14th November 🌷 This is a project for migrant mums at any stage of their motherhood journey! To sign up or refer someone please email Rose at [email protected]

Attending the South London @citizensuk.org assembly this week was a great reminder of our collective strength. These words from a poem by Aditi Banerjee resonated a lot: "In a world of mounting fear, we are the voices building hope." 🌸

⚡Fantastic win for our #NoticeUs campaign!⚡ Together with @trustforlondon.bsky.social , @citizensuk.org and other allies, we've been campaigning for better conditions in TA including the Five Basics: cooking facilities, laundry facilities, WiFi, storage & clear communication.

We've been going deeper into exploring our heritage - responding to visual imagery and sharing memories. "Reminds me of my country. Nature, river flowing, lakes, beautiful forest and rocks, and my dream place." Thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for making this project possible 💙

'Variety is the spice of life.' We had a joyful morning sharing recipes and pictures of food as part of our Creative Sessions project, thanks to funding from @tnlcommunityfund.org.uk, and we created a visual feast to decorate our space! 💛

🗺️ We had a wonderful first session of Exploring & Sharing Our Heritage project, made possible thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund! We discussed heritage - exploring memories, traditions, fabrics, how we show respect, language, music, food, treasures, spirituality, play, trees, and seeds.

In our Creative Session funded by @tnlcommunityfund.org.uk we spent time to really get to know each other - we shared dreams, memories and passions. We then created artworks using symbols to represent our partners. The power of listening, kindness and openness 🪷🦋✨️

🍂 Our September Newsletter is ready for you! 🍂 Read all our latest news here: theground.org.uk/so/f5PcBm8Kn...

September was busy for our Stronger Together Leaders 💪 👉spoke at a roundtable with SE London hospital executives as part of the migrant charging campaign with @citizensuk.org 👉 prepped for the October South London Citizens Assembly (with some creative surprise 👀). More to come this autumn 🙌

From now on we can drink coffee and tea from our own personalised cups! ☕ Our Creative Sessions have started and we are looking forward to spending time together in our new space, respecting, supporting and encouraging each other to grow and reach higher 🌳 Huge thanks to @tnlcommunityfund.org.uk

🎬 Thanks to @uniofgreenwich.bsky.social we filmed Home in a Bag - a performance co-created by theatre-maker Erene Kaptani and our Theatre in Action group. We are incredibly proud of our members, who have turned lived experience of Temporary Accommodation into art with a strong call for change. 🌱

We're incredibly grateful to @tnlcommunityfund.org.uk for supporting us with funding for 4 ongoing creative projects for the next 3 years! 🎉 They're also supporting us with our organisational growth and being able to offer regular wellbeing and reflective meetings for our wider team 💞

At the Greenwich Overview & Scrutiny Panel we had the privilege of sharing why it matters so deeply for us that Greenwich is a Borough of Sanctuary. We spoke about what sanctuary means for us at Creating Ground, and for us personally as residents and migrant women who call this borough home. 🌱✨

On Friday we switched off lights at SET Woolwich and switched on lights at GWest Community & Arts Centre. It felt like going back to our roots in a year where we will be thinking of growing deeper, being more rooted whilst reaching higher ✨️♥️

"This is a very important beginning for us as this academic year marks our 10th anniversary." We begin with gratitude and hope, seeking deeper growth, stronger roots - finding strength in ourselves, in each other, and in our group. Read our full August newsletter: theground.org.uk/so/88PZDiLfN...

💛 We are sad to be leaving our space at SET Woolwich, but happy for what is ahead of us. Moving to GWest Community and Arts Centre feels like returning to our roots, and we can’t wait to make it another welcoming home for our community, carrying everything we’ve grown at SET into the future. 🌱💫

🌿 Our July Newsletter is here - Catch up on everything we’ve been creating, sharing, and celebrating! 🌿 theground.org.uk/so/24PXVdatH...

Some of our incredible Stronger Together Leaders visited the @trustforlondon.bsky.social London offices — not just to say thank you, but to honour three years of transformative support behind our #NoticeUs campaign. Their belief in us helped spark confidence, connection, and courage.💛

Special to be part of an action across London to launch Fix the 5 basics Campaign with Better TA Alliance. An opportunity to celebrate what achieved so far with our Cabinet Member for Housing & reconfirm the commitment to work together to make stays in TA healthier, safer and better for everyone 🌱✨️

Yesterday, we had a fantastic day celebrating and reflecting on a year of creativity, connection, and cross-cultural sharing ✨ We’re so proud of our amazing women who delivered powerful presentations with such confidence 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼