Celebrating community connection at St Hilda’s Summer Arts Festival
St Hilda’s welcomed more than 100 local residents, participants, volunteers and partners to our Summer Arts Festival last Friday, bringing people together for an afternoon of creativity, connection and community celebration.
Held as part of our Loved and Wanted programme, the festival showcased artwork created through St Hilda’s projects and partnerships, while offering opportunities for people of all ages to take part in creative activities, access wellbeing support, enjoy food and music, and connect with others. The event was designed to celebrate participants’ achievements, promote health and wellbeing, and create a welcoming space where new and existing members of the community could come together and feel a sense of belonging.
From collaborative community art projects and photography exhibitions to wellbeing activities and participant-led enterprise, the festival highlighted the many ways creativity can build confidence, strengthen relationships and support individual and community wellbeing.
At the heart of the festival was an exhibition celebrating the creativity, achievements and experiences of people involved in St Hilda’s programmes. Bringing together work created through a range of projects and partnerships over recent months, the exhibition reflected the power of creativity to build confidence, support wellbeing and strengthen community connections. It offered participants the opportunity to share their work with friends, family and the wider community, while celebrating the diverse talents and stories that make St Hilda’s East such a special place.
“Our Summer Arts Festival was hugely successful in bringing people together. The goal was to empower participants through seeing their work exhibited, displayed collectively and celebrated with others. It was an opportunity to recognise achievement, build confidence, and encourage people to continue their creative journeys.”
The exhibition featured several collaborative projects exploring themes of belonging, creativity and wellbeing. Belonging at St Hilda’s: Past and Present, created in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University, featured a textile mural and accompanying zines reflecting on the history and ongoing role of St Hilda’s within the community.
In Bloom brought together women from our Over 50’s Feeling Good programme and students from Cheltenham Ladies’ College to explore nature, creativity and wellbeing through shared artistic activities. Inspired by the success of this project, the Power of Beauty Flower Project, delivered in partnership with Creative Space, encouraged participants to reflect on how the natural beauty of the college grounds positively influenced their wellbeing and to express these experiences through creative work.
Creativity also provided a platform for self-expression, reflection and wellbeing. A six-week Mask Making project, delivered with Creative Space, encouraged participants to explore identity and confidence while developing creative and problem-solving skills. Meanwhile, A Moment for… Forgiveness invited participants to reflect on forgiveness, connection and shared experiences through a collaborative artwork created during the Easter and Eid celebrations.
The exhibition also featured The Streets of London Photography Project, developed through the LinkAge Plus programme. Designed and led by Dilwar Uddin, LinkAge Plus Outreach Worker, the project supported older residents to explore different parts of the city, overcome barriers to participation and document their experiences through photography.
The festival also celebrated individual artistic achievements. Natalia Kovalchuck exhibited her landscape paintings in her first exhibition since graduating from City Lit in 2012, helping her rebuild confidence in her artistic practice.
Shafique Uddine showcased A Reflection of Home, a collection of paintings inspired by memories, family and community across Bangladesh and London. His work has previously been exhibited at the Whitechapel Gallery, Tate Modern and other venues.
Impact
“I am so grateful to have been part of the Life Skills Workshop. I gained practical knowledge, and it helped me build confidence, think differently about my small business, and believe that my ideas can become a reality…I would highly recommend the Life Skills Workshop to anyone who wants to build their confidence…”
Activities and Services
Alongside the exhibition, visitors enjoyed a range of creative and wellbeing activities, including lavender aromatherapy bag making and foil embossing workshops, while sharing food and conversation over pilau rice and samosas. St Hilda’s Advice Co-ordinator, Alaya Begum, provided a welfare benefits advice clinic, offering practical support to attendees.
The festival also provided an opportunity to promote safety and wellbeing through our Cadent Centre for Warmth programme. During the event, we held 40 conversations about carbon monoxide safety and distributed 15 carbon monoxide alarms to eligible households. Visitors also received information about the Priority Services Register, gas safety, energy efficiency and wider energy support available through St Hilda’s East.
Loved and Wanted at St Hilda’s
The Summer Arts Festival was made possible through funding from the Loved and Wanted Community Fund, part of the Mayor of London’s Loved and Wanted Campaign.
St Hilda’s East is proud to be one of just 30 community spaces supported through the fund in recognition of our role in bringing London’s diverse communities together. The festival reflected the aims of the campaign by creating a welcoming space where people of all backgrounds could connect, share experiences, celebrate creativity and strengthen their sense of belonging.
The event also brought St Hilda’s East’s vision to life, demonstrating how creative activities, community support and opportunities for social connection can help people build confidence, strengthen relationships and thrive within their local community.
The Summer Arts Festival was a celebration of creativity, collaboration and community spirit, and we look forward to building on its success through our Loved and Wanted programme of activities, welcoming even more local people through our doors in the months ahead.
We would also like to extend a big thank you to our corporate volunteers from AMS, whose support helped ensure the day ran smoothly.
About the Loved and Wanted Community Fund
The Mayor of London’s Loved and Wanted Campaign helps bring different communities together and strengthen Londoners’ sense of belonging. Through local and city-wide opportunities, the campaign aims to build a fairer, more welcoming city where everyone feels valued and connected.
About The National Lottery Community Fund
The National Lottery Community Fund is the UK’s largest champion of community-led change, using the generosity of National Lottery players to help charities and local groups connect, grow and build better futures. With Funding Officers rooted in communities across the UK, the organisation focuses support where it is needed most, helping people facing poverty, disadvantage or discrimination while investing in projects that bring communities together, protect the environment, empower young people and reduce health inequalities.