Staying local online: What’s on in Norfolk during Creativity and Wellbeing Week

In this post we’re taking a look at what Norfolk has to offer during Creativity and Wellbeing Week 2021. Switching to connecting and creating online has opened so many doors for engaging with people and activities outside of our local area, however nothing can replace the relationships we nurture in our direct communities. Even when we’re meeting online it’s valuable to meet with people who are local to us and have similar lived experiences because it can make activities more relevant. Now, many participants will be looking forward to meeting up with new friends to get creative in person. Of course for some people it has made joining a group or taking part in a creative event more accessible than it was before the pandemic – organisations have been able to reach people they were failing to in our pre-Covid world. 

We chatted to Sam Patel, Head of Creative Engagement at Norwich Theatre to find out how they’ve been staying connected to their community this year and what’s different about their festival events this time around: 

“As part of our Creative Community Recovery Programme we have offered a series of events, workshops and discussions to support people’s social and emotional wellbeing throughout the pandemic. As well as online work, we have created booklets and creative care packages for people who cannot access the internet and are potentially more at risk of feeling isolated. This year we are delighted to be part of Creativity and Wellbeing Week. Whilst our buildings are still closed we are able to offer digital lunchtime workshops from self portraits to singing, drama to sewing, as well as ballet all from the comfort of your own home, and all free of charge.”

There are so many other exciting things going on in Norfolk during Creativity and Wellbeing Week, including programmes of visual art and creative writing workshops for adults, led by artists and hosted by Norfolk County Council, South Norfolk Council and Broadland District Council. For children and young people aged 5 years and upwards, Broadland District Council is hosting a whole day of fun and games as a taster of what they get up to during school holidays. We’re so happy to see some of these events taking place in-person! Please do check each listing to find out how they are running.

You can find the listings for all events taking place in the east of England here: https://creativityandwellbeing.org.uk/region/east-of-england/

If you live in Norfolk we hope you can get involved in one or all of the events happening in your area!