Talking Care

As it’s Creativity and Wellbeing week, and the school holidays are coming up, we thought it was a great time to share some new resources with you, designed to help introduce pre-school children to music in creative ways. Little Beats was a project partnership between Suffolk Artlink and Suffolk Libraries that took place during the […]

We’re delighted to report that our Clown Doctors are once again back on their rounds at the Norfolk & Norwich Hospital’s Children’s Ward this month. And whilst most of us have been buying nice comfy leisurewear online, our Clowns have been on the hunt for the best in bubble guns and comedic headgear to fit […]

In celebration of Creativity and Wellbeing week, hundreds of artworks and photos from our community arts projects can now be viewed online on Google Arts & Culture by people around the world due to our new partnership with Google. Thanks to this new virtual exhibition, users will be able to see collections of artworks created […]

We are welcoming residents in and around Kirkley to grow, eat and share through our new series of inspiring, social and creative weekly get-togethers centred around the area’s venues and green spaces. Every Tuesday from now until August, you can enjoy free activities led by artists, Carrie Phoenix and Kasia Posen, alongside guests including forager, […]

Our partnership with Suffolk Open Studios continues into 2021, we have been invited to judge their first online exhibition, launching on 10th April. The exhibition precedes the Suffolk Open Studios scheme, which takes place in June this year, and features around 100 individual artworks by a variety of Suffolk-based artists. A panel consisting of Suffolk […]

Arabella Marshall is a Suffolk-based glass artist whose work can currently be seen at RSPB Minsmere nature reserve. Her special commission, A Wing And A Prayer, is a piece of public art inspired by the thriving yet vulnerable natural environment at Minsmere, located on the Suffolk Coast. The installation, which can now be seen in […]

Following in the footsteps of Make, Do & Friends, we’re continuing on our mission to tackle loneliness through creativity, and are excited to share news that we have just commissioned three place-based artist residencies across Suffolk. Our artists will each head up their own creative initiative in a Suffolk town or village, with the aim […]

This month, we are really excited to start working with the Kirkley Centre, First Light Festival and The Third Person – artists Kasia Posen and Carrie Phoenix – on a project to engage the Kirkley community in this year’s First Light Festival. Our artists are currently developing ways to reach, and connect local groups together […]

We’ve been delighted to see some of the results of our Little Beats’ project this month, following a creative partnership with Suffolk Libraries. Regular visitors to Great Cornard Library’s regular music sessions for pre-school children may have spotted that ‘Tom’s Tot Rock’ sessions have had a makeover, including the addition of a fairy castle and […]

Thanks to funding provided by Arts Council England and Suffolk Carers Fund, we have been able to extend our programme of free creative get-togethers for family carers across Suffolk, led by a rich variety of experienced chefs, foodies and artists. The new creative sessions are building on our successful ‘Around the Table’ project, which to […]

What a joy to start our brand new intergenerational project, Special Delivery, this summer. We have spent enjoyable and inspiring times with pupils from Abbots Green Academy thanks to the power of Zoom, and some brilliantly creative artists. Each week, we beamed our artists over to the school in Bury St Edmunds, as we explored […]

As 2020 comes to a close, we’ve been excited to see the culmination of our pilot virtual reality project, VR Adventures. Despite the challenges presented by the year’s events, our artists spent the summer testing out virtual reality (VR) technology to find ways to use it to bring new and enjoyable creative experiences to care […]

After three years of our successful creative programme for family carers in Suffolk, we are delighted to have secured funding to continue delivering sessions into 2021. As well as continuing to support family carers in and around Claydon and Lowestoft, we’ll be welcoming participants from Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket to take part in Around […]

In the last three months, we have listened to brand new stories, created poems and self portraits, drawn to music, made unique envelopes, aged paper in trays of cold tea and crafted greetings cards decorated with images of ‘small things’ – all inspired by the Dunkirk Letters. The children have shared that work with the […]

Originally, we intended to take the school children to visit the Bury St Edmunds Record Office but, of course, that isn’t possible right now. So we were thrilled when Hannah Salisbury, the Community and Learning Officer (West Suffolk) from Suffolk Archives, offered to do an online presentation. It was fascinating; did you know that there […]

Special Delivery began with some jigsaws, as the children pieced together copies of the Dunkirk Letters. After this, the children created postcard self-portraits, cut them up into jigsaws and, using handmade envelopes, posted the puzzles to members of the Bury St Edmunds Theatre Royal Act Your Age group. The group was thrilled to receive them […]

Here are some of the cards created by the children, to celebrate the little things in life that matter so much.

We’ve been thinking about ‘little things’ – as in the little things the soldiers wrote about in their letters home from Dunkirk – and also the things they asked for, like shaving soap and writing paper. Exploring the letters like this, looking for clues about what it was like, really brings the letters – and […]

Inspired by an exhibit in their local museum, we invited residents in Laxfield to share with us some of the treasures they have stashed in their sheds – and the results were both fascinating and bizarre. Participants gathered outside the church and, using what looked suspiciously like sponge cake moulds, made impressions of their individual […]

Members of the Bury St Edmunds Theatre Royal Act Your Age group have been hard at work, creating characters based on the Dunkirk Letters – and I got to sit in on a Zoom session and hear them performing the monologues. It was amazing – people who were barely mentioned in the actual letters suddenly […]

In response to the Black Lives Matter movement and the reaction around the world to the shocking police killing of George Floyd, we have considered the actions we will take to address inequalities in our work. Movements like Black Lives Matter, #MeToo and Pride remind us of how important it is to be actively inclusive […]

We’re looking forward to a week-long selection of virtual regional events and webinars, taking place from the 16 – 20 November 2020, hosted by the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance and Arts & Health South West. During the morning each day, online Regional Events will take place. The afternoons will offer a series of live […]

This month, we launched a free arts programme aimed at addressing rural isolation in Suffolk’s older residents. ‘What is your village made of?’ invites adults (55+) to take part in free activities that encourage creativity and connection with others, using their home villages and towns as inspiration. The programme is part of our ‘Make, Do […]

We were so pleased to see our Clowns return to their rounds on the children’s ward at Norfolk & Norwich Hospital this autumn. Drs Dizzy Daydream, Christobel Misschief, Kerfuffle Buffle and Kimble Curly have been paying regular visits since September and, whilst following social distancing and other safety precautions required by the hospital, they are […]

We are delighted to share Suffolk Artlink’s review of our activities in 2019/2020. Over the year, we worked with 2,917 people including family carers, people with learning disabilities, older people and young people in youth clubs, schools, hospitals and hospices. We employed 59 freelance artists to deliver inspirational creative activities in all 7 districts in […]

Last month, photographer Gillian Allard ran a ‘walking workshop’ in Risby, in which she accompanied residents as they showed her some of their favourite sights in the village, and she gave them tips on how best to photograph them. The resulting images were then bonded on to logs and yesterday we gathered in a large […]

They’ve arrived. The children received their letters, which they read before the session, as there was so much to get through, we weren’t sure we’d fit it all in. First, it was finishing off the envelopes, after which children had to snip up the postcard pictures they’d drawn of themselves and put them inside. To […]

Last week, we asked the children to draw a self-portrait on a postcard, and to add a few lines about themselves. The results are so lovely, we thought we’d share them here, ahead of tomorrow’s session … when who knows what might happen to them? The featured image is of our wonderful volunteer, Amanda who, […]

Last week, the children were introduced to the Dunkirk letters – and got to open their archive boxes full of pens, paper and other resources they’re going to need over the next month or so. This week, our story teller Lynn went through some of those letters and the children picked out unfamiliar words and […]

Photographer Gillian Allard visited Risby today, for the first Connect session with local residents. After sharing a few top tips for taking photographs, Gillian walked round the village with the groups, as they took images of locations that connect them to their community. The church, the huge elm tree, the duck pond and several other […]

What a joy to start our brand new intergenerational project, Special Delivery, yesterday, and to meet the children from Abbots Green Academy in Bury St Edmunds. Their reasons for wanting to take part in the project were many and varied, from a desire to work with artists to a keen interest in local history and […]

It’s been quite a year for Brave Art, but despite the hurdles, we are delighted to have been able to continue providing our arts course for adults with learning disabilities without a pause since March. We’ve had a fantastic term, making the most of Zoom, Facebook, telephone and post to keep in touch with our […]

We have be selected as the recipients of funds from the 2020 Pakefield Postcard Auction! The event is run by the Ferini Gallery, and raises thousands of pounds each summer for local charities. Whilst the auction can’t go ahead at The Victoria Hotel as planned, it will be held as a live online event, at […]

We’re embarking upon a new project in partnership with Suffolk Libraries that aims to improve wellbeing, child development and musical engagement amongst pre-school children. Running until April 2021, ‘Little Beats’ will bring musicians, an early years music educator / researcher and an early years movement specialist together with librarians from Great Cornard and Lowestoft. By […]

Whilst our Clown Doctors haven’t been able to make their usual visits to children in hospitals and hospices around the region, they have been busy trialling new ways of beaming their special brand of fun, laughter and distraction to those that need it the most. Last week, they were thrilled to trial their first ‘Zoom’ […]

During 2019, we performed a year-long evaluation of the impact of our Forget-Me-Not artist visits at Ipswich and West Suffolk Hospitals. We have now published the results and are pleased to see that they clearly show that the visits had a positive impact on the wellbeing of patients and their family members both during, and […]

It’s been an interesting time for our Brave Art project, whose thriving creative community of learning disabled artists benefit so much not just from weekly creative activities and inspiration, but also from enjoying shared time with artists, tutors, volunteers and their fellow students. However, we are delighted to be keeping our community connected during this […]

As part of our ‘Make, Do & Friends’ programme, we’re inviting residents across the county to get creative this week in celebration of Suffolk Day on Sunday 21st June. In partnership with the Rural Coffee Caravan, we’d like you to celebrate our county – it could be something a bit quirky or overlooked – by […]

Whilst bringing our family carers together in person isn’t possible during this time of social distancing, we are pleased to announce a variety of new ways that we’ll be bringing a bit of company and creativity into their lives. Our wonderful project officer, Kasia, has been working alongside a group of professional artists to create […]

In the midst of the coronavirus crisis, here at Suffolk Artlink we’ve been reflecting, remodelling and adapting both our work and personal lives in response to the need to socially isolate. We are, like many of you, finding great challenge in this, but we are also noticing that with a new focus on home and […]

We recently welcomed photographer, Gillian Allard, to our roster of talented artists, and she’s already made a big impact. Most recently, Gillian has been working with our Brave Art students, supporting them to take a series of really spectacular portraits as they explore the theme of Transformation. We’ll be sharing the results of this session […]

We are delighted to announce the launch of the brand new blog site for Make, Do and Friends, our programme of creative social events for adults (55+) in villages and towns in Mid Suffolk and Babergh. As the artists can’t come out to see you all in person, they have been busy devising ways to […]

Whether it’s from a balcony or a bathroom – lift up your voice and lift up your spirits in song. By way of a little encouragement, here’s a snippet from the Make, Do & Friends natural voice choir in Westhorpe, demonstrating just how glorious it is when we sing … as you can just hear […]

Following UK Government advice, we are suspending all face-to-face delivery of our projects until further notice.  We know that the need for creativity and company is even more important than ever right now, and are looking at new ways to support the communities of people we work with.  It is our intention to continue working […]

Suffolk Artlink is following advice in relation to the ongoing coronavirus situation. You can find our current COVID 19 Policy here.

We love to shine a light on the talented artists we get to work with on our projects, and this week it’s the turn of dance artist, Tom Hobden. Tom is part of the multi-disciplinary artist team that is helping to develop our VR Adventures project, so he’s currently playing around with new technology and […]

The rain stopped raining, the wind stopped blowing and the sun came out and shone on our Creative Celebration at Wingfield Barns this Wednesday, 4th March. By midday, adults and school children alike were hand-crafting paper, creating animations, producing beautiful poetry and even blowing paint bubbles, all in the name of celebrating what they love […]

It was lovely to meet so many people at Beyton today and hear some of their wonderful stories about the village. From recollections of being taken from the infant school, complete with chair, to sit and witness the blowing up the last remaining pill box in the village, to a beautifully drawn map of all […]

As Make, Do & Friends moves into its second year, we are pleased to announce a new programme of free creative and social events bringing older generations together with their friends and neighbours in rural towns and villages in Suffolk. Let by professional artists, the sessions will free and the activities as varied as the […]

Just back from a very full morning at Roman Hill Primary School, Lowestoft, and their Creative Careers event. During the course of the morning, each Year Group visited the event and was challenged to try and guess what sort of job we did. As you can see from these suggestions, the children came up with […]

A new collaborative partnership of Creative Festivals is aiming to turn May 2020 into a month of creativity and culture: Age of Creativity: throughout May 2020 Get Creative Festival: 9-17 May 2020 Creativity & Wellbeing Week: 18-24 May 2020 With creativity and wellbeing now high on the agenda in policy across culture, health, ageing, social […]

Multidisciplinary artist Emily is a new member of the Suffolk Artlink team, joining us for our pioneering new arts and wellbeing project that uses virtual reality technology to improve wellbeing for people in health and care settings in Suffolk and Norfolk. Based in Suffolk, Emily has shown works around the UK and beyond, exhibiting at […]

With Christmas came parties, discos – and the end of the Rock On project. Over the last 24 months, we’ve run 126 music sessions, supported seven performance showcases and worked with 168 young people, as well as 19 youth workers and seven music tutors. We’ve trained tutors and support workers to deliver the Discover and […]

After a fabulous first term of Brave Art, we are looking forward to welcoming new students for the next term of our art course for adults with learning disabilities. Starting in January, students can sign up for one of three locations – Lowestoft, Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich. Since September this year, our students have […]

We’re celebrating receiving a £99,000 National Lottery Heritage Fund Grant, to deliver a project that brings young and old together to explore the county’s social history. Our ‘Letters from…’ project aims to creatively engage Suffolk’s primary school children and care home residents in their shared heritage through artist-led activities. The project will focus on collections […]

Tina is a visual artist who uses installations and collaborations to respond to her environment for the benefit of the people around her – so she’s the perfect artist to join team Suffolk Artlink to help us deliver the second year of Make, Do & Friends! Name: Tina Hannay Can you tell us a little […]

It’s the time of year that we say a huge thank you to BBC Children in Need, which has its annual celebration this month. Thanks to their support, the soundtrack to children’s wards and EACH Hospices across the East feature fits of giggles, guffaws of laughter and squeals of delight. Our Clown Round project has […]

Where: Thorpe Morieux Village Hall, IP30 0NR When: November 30th & December 1st 10am-4pm Showing work by artists with studios in the heart of Suffolk – inspired by their beautiful surroundings. Preview evening Friday 29th November 7-9pm As winter draws in and November turns towards Christmas the charming Thorpe Morieux Village Hall will be the […]

When the Youth Team responsible for planning NessFest – the Lowestoft Youth Festival – said they wanted more music this year, Rock On was delighted to get involved; so it was that yesterday Lowestoft Library throbbed with the rapid beat of drum and bass music, as DJs Steve and Marco ran workshops throughout the day. […]

We are delighted to have been awarded a National Lottery Project Grant through Arts Council England to develop a new project, ‘VR Adventures’, bringing immersive virtual reality (VR) experiences to benefit people in health and care settings. This pilot project in association with Google Arts & Culture, will focus on using VR technology to deliver […]

Thanks to generous new funding, we’ll be offering another year of social, cultural and creative sessions for family carers in Suffolk. We will be delivering our Around the Table project in Lowestoft and Claydon, as well as extending the project into  Halesworth and Bury St Edmunds from early 2020. Every month we will bring carers […]

As our intergenerational project, Lowestoft Folk, comes to an end, we thought you’d enjoy a film sharing a little bit of what went on as we brought young and old together to creatively explore their shared heritage. In the words of resident, Les: “It’s all part of life and the richness of it and that’s […]

What an amazing week of Lowestoft Folk fun. First, story teller Lynn and artist Kate went to Elm Tree Primary School, where they worked in the specialist deaf and speech and language units. The children really enjoyed the story and all joined in with making their very own boats-in-bottles and silver darlings. On Saturday, as […]

Last Friday, we held our final celebration event for Lowestoft Folk – and what a celebration it was. We started with a short film of some of the things the participants have done over the last three months, including the songs they’ve written, the work they’ve made and one or two comments about how they […]

As well as being a talented artist, we are lucky enough to have Carrie Phoenix on the Suffolk Artlink team.  Her experience as an artist brings her a depth of knowledge that allows her to deliver our projects with exceptional insight and creativity. Name: Carrie Phoenix Can you tell us a little bit about your […]

Our JumpstART students have had an amazing summer showing their fabulous creations at a wide array of arts festivals around the county. In June, we saw our Lowestoft students’ beautiful light installations hanging from the trees in Kensington Gradens at First Light Festival in Lowestoft. These twinkling beauties were enjoyed by thousands of visitors who […]

The sun sizzled, the temperature soared – and Lowestoft Folk sailed into the main library in town, for a story time of Maritime Tales and a creative session, making tiny seascapes in petri dishes. Lynn told the Maritime Tales whilst Sue – a BSL signer – interpreted the story. Everyone said how much they enjoyed […]

We’re on the lookout for a new part-time Volunteer Communications and Development Assistant to join us in our Halesworth office. Are you a friendly and proactive individual with an interest in communications, fundraising and/or creative arts? You might be seeking work experience in the arts or charity sector, or perhaps you’re looking for an opportunity […]

Last week, Lowestoft Folk was at Lowestoft Museum in the morning, working with their wonderful Cabinet of Curiosity and making tiny figures inspired by their collections, followed by a quick dash across town and an exhilarating double session at the Maritime Museum – where the glorious Lowestoft Folk Sea Chest was unveiled for the first […]

We’ve been working with community artist, Caitlin Howells, for many years now, and our collaborations never fail to produce beautiful results, both in terms of our participants’ creative experiences and the artworks they produce together. Name: Caitlin Howells Can you tell us a little bit about your own practice? I am a community artist, I […]

We’ve got a fantastic summer of creative get-togethers ahead for older people in rural Mid Suffolk and Babergh as part of our Make, Do & Friend programme. All free of charge, and covering a wide variety of creative pursuits, there’s something for everyone! Why not dip your toe in the water this summer and, if […]

Booking is now open for our new year-long art courses for adults with learning disabilities, which take place in Bury St Edmunds, Ipswich and Lowestoft from this September. Brave Art is an exciting new programme of year-long art courses, during which students will learn new creative, life and leadership skills supported by professional artists and […]

Our regular sessions may have finished, but we’ve got a really exciting programme of FREE storytelling and creative activity sessions happening in Lowestoft this summer. No booking is required – all the creative activities run on a ‘drop-in’ basis and are limited only by the number of chairs we can get round the table. Stories […]

Friday was the final regular session in our Lowestoft Folk programme – and it was such fun, all the artists cried. First off, Lynn got everyone thinking about what the project meant to them, the things they had done and what were their favourite bits. Then they had to come up with a really short […]

Last night, Coppice Court organised a Talent Show for the residents and Rock On tutors Matt and Candida were delighted to support the young people as they demonstrated their musical skills and abilities. It takes a lot of confidence to stand up and sing in front of people you know – often it’s more daunting […]

Our penultimate session – and it was all hands on deck to finish off the embroidered boats, securing them in their circular frames and writing messages on the back; one pair went so far as to write a short-long poem, the last verse of which goes: – But I know the ship will Come back […]

The group has been busy stitching textile pictures of seascapes and this week their task was to make a circular frame for their pictures, like the ones the children had seen at the Maritime Museum; this is how they did it. Everyone was given a sheet of grease proof paper plus an assortment of crayons […]

Next month we say a fond goodbye to our fabulous intergenerational project, Lowestoft Folk. It’s been a resounding success, bringing children from three primary schools in Lowestoft together with their older neighbours to explore their shared folk heritage. Over two years, both young and old have had a great time learning more about each other’s […]

As the summer solstice approaches, we’re getting ready to head to Lowestoft to take part in First Light Festival this weekend, and we’d love to see you there. Starting at 12 noon on Saturday 22nd June, First Light Festival is a brand new, 24-hour festival for the UK. With more than 100 free events, why […]

Musician, Mary Lovett, brought a touch of musical magic to Lowestoft Folk this year, and we’re glad that she too experienced moments of magic by being part of our intergenerational success story. Can you tell us a little bit about your own practice? I am a musician, performer and composer with a background in early […]

It’s been a really busy few weeks for Rock On, with sessions in Felixstowe, Leiston, Saxmundham and two venues in Lowestoft. In Felixstowe, we’ve just completed a 6-week mini project, in which DJ and singer/ songwriter Sophie Tott introduced young adult residents at the Foyer to the joys of mixing their favourite tunes. She also […]

This week, there was great excitement as the residents ripped the masking tape and letters off their bags, to reveal the beautiful patterns underneath; they all declared they were very pleased with the result and the children were well impressed. Whilst at the Maritime Museum the previous week, the children drew some of the folk […]

On 7th June, the children went off for a trip to the Maritime Museum, where Kate and Lynn sent them off to draw items of folk art and collect weird and wonderful sounding words.   Back at Hildesley, Caitlin helped the residents make their very own tote bags – something they had always wanted to […]

This week we are celebrating an award of £376,309 from the National Lottery Community Fund to deliver a new creative arts course for people with learning disabilities in Suffolk. Brave Art will offer students in Bury St Edmunds, Lowestoft and Ipswich the opportunity to develop their creative, life and leadership skills through year-long arts courses. […]

We’ve had a great twelve months as Suffolk County Council’s Chairman’s chosen charity, and as the year ends, it’s only left for us to say a huge thank you to Chairman, Michael Ladd, and his colleagues for their support. From staff quizzes and Christmas fayres to sponsored runs and raffles, the generous folk at Suffolk […]

As Creativity and Wellbeing Week approaches in June, we’ve been busy working on events that aim to help develop the arts, culture and health sector in the East. Earlier this month, our Co-Director, Alex Casey, led the very first Culture Health East Network event, which took place at the Jerwood DanceHouse, and focussed on the […]

Last Friday at Hildesley Court, the Lowestoft Folk worked with artist Kate Munro, to create their very own message – and ship – in a bottle. First, everyone thought about what sort of message they would like to write – messages of hope, encouragement and best wishes for the future. Working in pairs, everyone then […]

It’s just two weeks until we hang our Suffolk Open Studios exhibition at La Tour Cycle Café on Ipswich’s Waterfront! From Thursday 6th June until the end of the month, we’re showing a variety of joyful, inspiring and moving mixed media works created by our participants and students, including family carers, school pupils, care home […]

Possibly one of the UK’s only ‘theatre chefs’, this month’s artist loves to use food and cooking as a way of sharing stories and provoking conversations. He’s full of exciting and tasty ideas – this year he will be inviting family carers taking part in our Around the Table project to ‘bake their biography’! Name: […]

What a lovely session on Friday. The children from Pakefield Primary School visited residents at Hildesley Court for the first time and within minutes it was like they’d always known each other. There was much excitement as the children ripped off the masking tape to reveal the patterns on their Lowestoft Folk Story Bags and […]

Last Friday, the Cabinet of Curiosity was returned to Lowestoft Museum, having spent the last couple of months in the Record Office in Lowestoft Library. Whilst at the Museum, it was lovely to see that they have put up the Suffolk Puff panels in the Domestic Room, alongside the original Suffolk Puff quilt.   Then […]

On Friday, our Lowestoft Folk pupils performed their shadow puppet show to an audience of family and friends – and over 50 of their classmates, as well as teachers, at Roman Hill. We all gathered in the school’s music room, where the children performed the story of sailors from the Maritime Museum mending their nets, […]

It’s not always easy to describe what goes on in a Lowestoft Folk session – there are just so many things happening, from making things and helping one another to learning new skills and hearing about old ones. Take a look for yourself by watching the Lowestoft Folk Sea Shanty film Last Friday was our […]

Over the last few weeks, the Lowestoft Folk group has been mending, singing and making the most beautiful objects, to use in their shadow puppet theatre. Sessions begin with a bit of traditional knot tying – as the children gather round to tie pieces of net together. There’s usually a song going on – often […]

We’re pleased to announce our next free performance from Make, Do & Friends, our creative programme for older people in rural areas . On Friday 3rd May, we’re looking forward to welcoming Glasshouse Dance Company to Lavenham Village Hall for a performance of ‘A Little Bit of Light’. Through music and dance, ‘A Little Bit […]

To celebrate World Down Syndrome awareness day, we wanted to share some of the fantastic art created by Liza Wilkes, one of our  regular JumpstART students. In our recent Storytelling course, Liza composed her own story and illustrated it with beautiful artworks she created using watercolour and ink.   The Frozen Marriage Once upon a […]

We’re happy to be able to share details of the very first event delivered as part of the new Culture and Health Network for the East. Creative Health and Social Prescribing Thursday 16th May 1.30 – 4.30pm DanceHouse, Foundry Lane, Ipswich Join organisations from across the health and cultural sectors in the East at the […]

Booking is now open for our new JumpstART arts course aimed at adults with learning disabilities. Starting in the first week in April, this 10-week course will focus on Festival Arts and take place in Bury St Edmunds, Lowestoft and Ipswich. Once again we’re offering our students the chance to enjoy exploring a variety of […]

For the very first year, we’ve created an art walk especially for the Suffolk Walking Festival fringe programme. Thanks to a partnership with The Red House, we’re offering you and your family a chance to join professional artist, Kasia Posen, as you take in the inspiring landscape surrounding the former home of Benjamin Britten and […]

When is a DJ not a DJ? When she’s a guitar tutor. Last night at the Foyer in Felixstowe, DJ Tallulah Goodtimes stepped away from the decks and turned to her other great passion – that of being a singer/songwriter. We were joined by two young musicians, both hugely talented and keen to learn more, […]

Back from the half term break, and the Lowestoft Folk quickly got down to work. First, the children showed residents the drawings they’d made during their visit to the Lowestoft Maritime Museum just before half term. After that, everyone got to draw – this time to music. Artist Kate played a selection of music, all […]

We have recently taken over from Arts and Minds on the steering group for the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance as the arts representative for the East. Working with the museums representative, University of Cambridge Museums, we are co-ordinating a regional network of people working in the sector in order to develop practice, share learning […]

This year, we are once again delighted to be partnering with Suffolk Open Studios. As well as taking part in the event ourselves in June, we will also be showing some of our participants’ work at the forthcoming Suffolk Open Studios Showcase Exhibition. The exhibition is taking place at the Apex Gallery, Bury St Edmunds, […]

This half term, Lowestoft Folk delivered the Cabinet of Curiosity to the Record Office at Lowestoft Library. If you don’t know already, the Cabinet has six small drawers, each lined with gold leaf, and each drawer contains a hint relating to parts of the collections held by Lowestoft Museum. And so, by way of introduction, […]

Mike Knowlden is a chef with a difference. By focusing on that fascinating space where food and culture meet, he’s bringing people together in a way that nurtures creativity, breaks down barriers and creates new connections. Name: Mike Knowlden Can you tell us a little bit about your own practice? I work creatively with food […]

Just before half term, the children taking part in Lowestoft Folk visited Lowestoft Maritime Museum, in search of folk art and strange words. They were wonderfully assisted by Colin (one of the Museum volunteers) and artists Kate and Lynn, who sent the children off in search of specific treasures. First, they had to make observational […]

Last week saw the Lowestoft Folk celebration event for residents at Hildesley Court and pupils from Pakefield Primary school  – and what a celebration it was. The afternoon started with residents creating fortune tellers in which they wrote good luck messages for the pupils; by the time the pupils arrived, there was a real buzz […]

The Butlins Prince by Jessica Galloway There was once a Prince. He didn’t have a job. He didn’t even want one because he was lazy. All day he ate chocolate and watched EastEnders. One day he was on holiday in Butlins and he watched a show. The show was Cinderella. The Prince fancied Cinderella A […]

Brown Dog – No Name By Colin Brinkley Brown Dog had no name.  He had no home. He had no family. Brown Dog slept in sheds and in garages and on the streets and in the bins.  Brown Dog was dirty.  He smelled of dirty. Brown Dog was looking for a home.  He looked at […]

The Picnic By Ruth Williams Ruth went bird-watching by the lake. In the afternoon she bumped into the Gingerbread man out walking. He invited her for an afternoon picnic of porridge. “Yuck” said Ruth “This porridge is disgusting”. The Gingerbread man sulked and cried a bit. Ruth gave him a tissue and said “Keep smiling […]

Today’s story comes from Richard Watts, a regular student at our JumpstART course in Bury St Edmunds.  It’s a rather touching tale that explores the light and dark in all of us, and our need for belonging. The horrible, amazing facts about Bob by Richard Watts Bob lived in Sudbury on his own. He was […]

To celebrate National Storytelling week, every day this week we’ll be sharing stories created by our JumpstART students during their last arts module, ‘Telling Stories’.  Over 15 weeks, students from Lowestoft, Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich found creative ways of sharing their stories – some real, some imaginary – through words, illustrations, word art and […]

This month heralds an end, and a beginning, for Lowestoft Folk. We had a wonderful 12 weeks bringing residents at Hildesley Court Residential Housing unit together with pupils from nearby Pakefield Primary School to explore Lowestoft’s folk heritage. We’ll be celebrating an interesting and fun filled few months at a special event taking place next […]

This month we’re joined by experienced arts project manager, Siobhan Johnson. She takes the helm of our longest running project, Clown Round. With Siobhan on the team, we’re confident that Drs Daydream, Misschief, Buffle and Fidget are in good hands! What were you doing before you joined Suffolk Artlink? I was working for SeaChange Arts, […]

Professional photographer Jemma Watts made her debut at our Around the Table project last year – and what a talented lady!  Having previously worked for Jamie Magazine, Real Homes and House Beautiful she brought a whole new angle to our project exploring food, creativity and culture. And who doesn’t want a loaf of bread with […]

Date: Wednesday 13th February, 12 – 3pm Venue: La Tour Cycle Cafe, 7 Waterfront, Ipswich, IP4 1FT We’re inviting you to a very special Book Launch, following the latest JumpstART Storytelling module. For 12 weeks, students across Lowestoft, Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich created and told stories – some real, some imaginary.  By working with […]

Last week, we visited Britten Court, to run an introductory session for residents and learn a little about their connections to Lowestoft – and what an amazing session it turned out to be. From stories about working as a braider for the Great Grimsby Coal, Salt and Tanning Company, which was by the Bethel, where […]

It was lovely to meet some of the children at Roman Hill Primary School last Friday, where we started a brand new programme of Lowestoft Folk. The school was so welcoming and Ms Whiting really made us feel at home – we can’t wait to go back this week. We also welcomed artist Kate Munro, who […]

“It was brilliant – just brilliant!!” The final Lowestoft Folk session at Hildesley Court was a delight; finishing off the work, enjoying the Christmas decorations, the room buzzed with excitement and activity. It was also an opportunity to find out what the participants felt about taking part in the project – and what they’d learnt […]

Our Coppice Court Rock On band have played their first public gig – and they were totally fantastic. They performed at the Seagull Theatre as part of a Christmas show organised by Graeme Syed and Lee Johnson and to an audience of more than 100 people. Of course, there were the pre-performance jitters, but when […]

It was party time at CYDS last night, with the young DJs rocking their mixes, and the young people mixing the rocktails and Looby and Che setting the scene with lights, sound systems – and a chocolate fountain. It was a lovely way to finish this term – and I’d like to say a huge […]

If you live in Babergh, you like to be creative and you’ve got a few hours to spare in the first couple of months of the New Year, why not come and volunteer to help out at our ‘Make, Do and Friends’ project? ‘Make, Do and Friends’ is our new programme for older people in […]

Lowestoft Folk really went for it yesterday – with a session at Broadlands in the morning, to introduce everyone to the Cabinet of Curiosity, and then a creative session at Hildesley Court in the afternoon, with much folding and decorating of our ‘Suffolk Puffs’. It was lovely to be back at Broadlands and see so […]

The lovely Colin Brinkley is one of our JumpstART students, who also took part in our Step Up project, which allowed him to collaborate alongside another artist to create and exhibit new work. This month, Colin’s illustrations were chosen to feature on Suffolk County Council’s Christmas Card, which will be sent by the Chair and […]

We’re pleased to invite you to three celebration events, marking the successful conclusion of our most recent JumpstART term, during which our students have enjoyed exploring the art of storytelling. Over 12 weeks, our students have learned about character development, story structure and illustration. They’ve had the chance to harness their imaginations and create stories […]

We’d like to say a huge thank you to the wonderful Rachel, John, Clair, Matt and Keith for taking on the Adnams Southwold 10k in aid of Suffolk Artlink. Last Sunday, Team Suffolk Artlink donned their red t-shirts and after some dedicated training, took on the challenge with gusto. We were delighted to catch them […]

It was lovely seeing everyone at Hildesley Court yesterday where, with a just a few weeks of Lowestoft Folk remaining, we were soon hard at work, creating images of Lowestoft Folk art – and each other. Using wax crayons, pastels and indelible ink, everyone set to, drawing the person opposite them, their names, and then […]

Just before half term, the pupils taking part in Lowestoft Folk visited Lowestoft Museum, to look at examples of folk art. Museum volunteers were on hand to take part in the activities, as artists Caitlin and Vicki set the children off to look at patterns and materials and find their favourite pieces – which they […]

Some fabulous fabric artwork was created last week at Westhorpe Village Hall when felt-artist Heidi McEvoy-Swift ran a workshop on traditional ‘from scratch’ felt-making. With the theme of ‘The Hedgerow’ 15 people created leaves, rose-hips, rainbows and even a squirrel before fixing the wooly images into the felt with soapy water and elbow grease!   […]

We had a fabulous time at our very first ‘Make, Do & Friends’ event, which saw the dazzling Spilt Milk Dance company bringing their ‘Little Love Cabaret’ to Needham Market Community Centre to entertain an enthusiastic crowd of over 100 people in their village hall. Here begins two years of creative togetherness as we tour […]

We’re happy to share news of a forthcoming exhibition taking place in November, near Bury St Edmunds, that will be raising money for Suffolk Artlink. The Heart of Suffolk Winter Exhibition shows the work of fourteen artists and craftspeople with studios in the heart of Suffolk, taking inspiration from our beautiful surroundings. Their work includes […]

This autumn we are celebrating 10 years of Clown Round, so it’s the perfect time to introduce you to Filomena, one of our amazing Clown Doctors. Fil has been with us from the very start of the project back in 2008 and as well as changing lives through her art, it’s great to hear that […]

  After a successful pilot year, we are thrilled to announce that our Around the Table project is growing! As well as continuing to offer monthly sessions in Lowestoft, we are now expanding the project to also offer family carers in Claydon, Ipswich a chance to explore food, creativity and culture with like-minded people in […]

Last week, the group selected scraps of fabric and made up some fabulous stories about where they might have come from and who wore them, including one about a nightdress mislaid during the War, a veil that was too long, a black dress worn by a sailor’s widow, and a cushion, chewed up by the […]

Lowestoft Folk stories come from all sorts of places; yesterday, they came from small squares of fabric. Inspired by the Suffolk Puff quilt on display in Lowestoft Museum, the group set about making their own patchwork of stories, both real and imagined. Lynn Whitehead led the group, as we explored a variety of different types […]

As well as the story bags and fortune tellers, we also got to sing a lot in the Lowestoft Folk session. First of all, Lynn taught the group a traditional folk song, all about going out fishing on a stormy night; you can listen to it here: – Lynn also made up a special Museum […]

Last week, the students from Pakefield Primary school came along to Hildesley Court Sheltered Housing Unit, to meet the residents taking part in Lowestoft Folk. The session started with a story, created and told by Lynn Whitehead, that involved lots of singing and working out of clues, as the principle characters explored Lowestoft Museum, in […]

What a lovely Rock On session last night at Coppice Court in Lowestoft – and how hard all the young people worked. From the moment we arrived to our last wave goodbye, the children were there, eager to make music together. With one song already nailed, and another shaping up nicely, the band will soon […]

This week we held our second preparatory session at Pakefield Primary School, getting the group of nine pupils ready to meet residents at Hildesley Court. Their first job was to paint their Lowestoft Folk Story Bags – using rollers, dabbers and copious amounts of brightly coloured acrylic paint – and they managed to do it […]

We’re off. Yesterday, we started the second iteration of the Lowestoft Folk project, this time at Pakefield Primary School. Thank you to everyone there who made us feel so welcome, particularly Mrs Starling, who will be working with us on the sessions, and to all the children, who were fabulous; Caitlin and I can’t wait to […]

We’re delighted to announce our very first ‘Make Do & Friends’ event! Our new creative programme for older people in rural areas is bringing Spilt Milk Dance to Needham Market Community Centre for a performance of their ‘Little Love Cabaret’ on Thursday 18th October.  Expect an afternoon of real life stories of love, and all […]

Our thanks to Katy McNamara and Lowestoft Rising for inviting us to take along a little bit of Lowestoft Folk and be part of the Ageing Well Fair, held at the Community Church in Pakefield on 11th September. Inspired by the beautiful porcelain china on display at Lowestoft Museum, our regular artist Caitlin Howells invited […]

This month we’re introducing you to one of our Step Up artists, Sophie Johnson. Throughout this year Sophie has been creating a series of thoughtful and creative illustrations in partnership with Kasia Posen. Their work was exhibited at the Whistler Gallery, Jerwood DanceHouse this summer. Name: Sophie Johnson Which Suffolk Artlink projects have you taken […]

As our flagship project, Clown Round, turns ten this month, we’re also celebrating the fantastic news that we’ve been awarded grants totalling £146,000 from Children in Need to continue bringing fun, laughter and distraction to young people and their families in hospitals and hospices across the East. For the past ten years Drs Fidget, Misschief, […]

As part of the national Heritage Open Day programme, Lowestoft Folk teamed up with Lowestoft Museum, and ran a creative workshop and story telling event – in which the Cabinet of Curiosity took centre stage. Inspired by the beautiful tap work created by shoemaker, Harry Peck, artist Caitlin Howells invited visitors to make their own […]

Following our Rock On summer holiday programme of DJ sessions at CYDS youth club in Leiston, two young people took to the stage and really rocked at the Saxmundham Family Fun Day on Bank Holiday Sunday. Despite the weather (it poured steadily, all afternoon) the young DJs got people rocking to their mixes and whooping […]

DJs Sophie Tott and Marco Spina have been working with participants – and youth workers – at CYDS in Leiston, helping them prepare for live DJ performances at the Saxmundham Family Fun Day on Sunday, 26th August on the Memorial Field in Saxmundham from 2pm onwards. And as some people, for example Cheleigh, one of […]

The Cabinet of Curiosity is really sparking the interest of visitors to Lowestoft Museum – not least because of the beautiful Victorian outfits worn by Patricia and Phoebe, both from the Making Waves Together project. Patricia and Phoebe have taken the Cabinet out into the Nicholas Everitt Park and used it to introduce visitors to […]

This month, we’re featuring one of our participant artists. Andreas lives in Stowmarket and has been a student on our JumpstART arts courses for over five years.  With the support of our professional artists, Andreas’ skills and confidence are growing, which is a joy to witness. What have you most enjoyed about Jumpstart? I enjoy […]

It’s that time of year again, and we are delighted to share with you our 2017/18 annual review. It’s been another busy year, full of people participating in creativity and growing as a result.  It’s always great to see a colourful account of all that we have achieved in the past year, and the impact […]

Lowestoft Museum has just received a brand new exhibit – the Cabinet of Curiosity – thanks to our Lowestoft Folk project, and the creativity and stories contributed by children from Oulton Broad Primary School and residents at Broadlands Residential Care Home. Lowestoft Folk, brings together different generations to explore the folk art heritage and associated […]

Booking is now open for the autumn term of our arts training course for people with learning disabilities. Taking place from September in Bury St Edmunds, Ipswich and Lowestoft, this term, JumpstART will be exploring storytelling. During the 15 week course, we are giving students an opportunity to create and tell a story – as […]

What a great day it was on Saturday, when Lowestoft Folk took part in the annual Lowestoft Festival. Lowestoft Museum brought banners and displays, whilst Lowestoft Folk ran craft activities and story telling sessions – and unveiled the Cabinet of Surprises (a working title) to the public for the first time. The Cabinet was introduced […]

Around the Table participants with their freshly-baked loaves, sporting photographs of themselves – how cool is that! The group met at the Kirkley Centre in Lowestoft where, under the guidance of professional food photographer, Jemma Watts, they learnt some great tips for taking portrait photos. This was followed by a bread making session with baker […]

Last night was the last Rock On music session at Coppice Court in Lowestoft before we all break for the summer, and whilst the drums beat and the guitars wailed, it was the quiet moments that really rocked us. Like the one pictured here, with a young participant showing another lad how to play a […]

This month we’ve been lucky enough to benefit from the mighty efforts of two wonderful fundraisers.  Our very own Miles Row walked an entire marathon in a day during this year’s Orwell Walk on 17 June, and some of the lovely staff at Allied Health Professionals Suffolk took on the Great East Swim last Saturday. […]

We are delighted to share news of not one, but two upcoming exhibitions of our participants work. JumpstART Exhibition – The Human Body Private View: Wednesday 11 July, 1.30pm – 3.30pm at La Tour Cycle Cafe, Unit 7, Waterfront, Ipswich, IP4 3FT During our recent Human Body module, students explored the fascinating world of the […]

This month we introduce you to the creative adventurer, Samantha Moss, a dancer and teacher who has spent 9 years living in Malawi. Sam regularly brings her passion for transforming people and communities through art to our work, as one of our valued JumpstART learning support tutors. Name: Samantha Moss Can you tell us a […]

I was lucky enough to go along to the opening of this fantastic exhibition – the work is extraordinarily powerful and if you get half a chance, make sure you don’t miss it – exhibiton runs until 29th June at the Coconut Loft in Waterloo Road, Lowestoft.

In celebration of National Carer’s Week, we’d like to introduce you to the lovely Jennie Pears.  We met Jennie, who cares for a family member, when she attended our Creative Company arts sessions in Stowmarket. What did you enjoy most about taking part in Creative Company? It gave me the chance to take part in a […]

We were delighted to visit Beech House Residential Home in Halesworth last week, where poet Dean Parkin and project officer Candida Wingate worked with residents to create this beautiful rainbow of memories poem, to mark National Memory Day. The poem was created on different coloured strips of card, each colour evoking a variety of responses, […]

We’re thrilled to share the fantastic news that we have been selected by the Chairman of Suffolk County Council as his chosen charity during his term of office until May 2019. Here begins a year of innovative and creative fundraising initiatives led by new Chairman, Michael Ladd, the proceeds of which will go directly towards […]

For the first time ever, we’ll be opening our doors to the public as we take part in Suffolk Open Studios this June. If you’d like to see some of our participant’s amazing creations or chat to us about the work we do bringing skills, confidence and joy to Suffolk communities through the arts, we […]

We were extremely sad to receive news of the recent passing of Paul Boast, a much loved Suffolk Artlink student. Paul Robert Boast was a talented artist and theatre performer. We were very lucky to have worked with him for 11 years, initially through our Open Doors programme in Ipswich and then most recently through […]

It was wonderful to see so many families and friends gathered at Broadlands Residential Care Home last week, when we celebrated all the beautiful work created by residents and pupils from Oulton Broad Primary School during the course of Lowestoft Folk. There was a special Lowestoft Folk Tale, much singing – and a great many […]

15 hours per week, fixed term – 2 years. £26,216.24 pro rata based on a full time week of 37.5 hours. We’re looking to appoint an Artist Facilitator to lead Make, Do and Friends, a new consortium between Suffolk Artlink, DanceEast and Rural Coffee Caravan. The new project will develop a high quality participatory arts […]