A creative partnership at Gateway Women’s Centre

At Gateway Women’s Centre, we love to offer a range of group activities for the women we support. Recently, we’ve been privileged to work with Creative Future (www.creativefuture.org.uk) – an amazing local charity who exist to support creative people, underrepresented artists and communities facing barriers & inequality to opportunity. They use the arts to improve the lives of the people we support.  

Creative Future recently funded and ran two Photography Courses at Gateway. The women said they loved the opportunity to learn new technical skills, try out new and inventive approaches to photography, as well as the chance to connect with other women in a supportive environment. 

Creative Future’s Director Jane McMorrow says: “We love working with the women at Gateway Women’s Centre. We are constantly impressed by how well the groups have responded to the workshop programmes & the incredible work they have produced. We find that connecting to creativity in this way can help increase self-awareness & self-reflection, allow time to think things through & to connect with others, and also build confidence & motivation.”

Some of the women who attended the workshops told us: “The photography course has completely transformed taking a walk! I’m now taking my time more, observing what I see, looking out for interesting shots.”… “It’s been good for my anxiety and mental health – it took my mind off things”... “it was wonderful to meet such a lovely group of women – it was a lot of fun and lifted my spirits.” 

If you’d like to know more about the work we do at Gateway, please get in touch with us at: gateway@offthefence.org.uk.