Keep Mindful Art in the Park Free This Summer

Aim

Help keep Mindful Art in the Park free this summer, providing creativity, connection and community for local people.

Keep Mindful Art in the Park Free This Summer

Help fund 5 free summer sessions for adults seeking creativity, connection and community.

A Place to Create, Connect and Belong

Since January 2026, Mindful Art in the Park has been providing free weekly creative wellbeing sessions in Victoria Park, Portsmouth.

What started as an idea to bring people together through creativity has grown into a welcoming community where people can connect, build confidence, make friends and take time for themselves.

Every week, people join us for a couple of hours of creativity, conversation and connection. Some come to explore their creative side, some come to meet new people, and others come because it gives them a reason to leave the house and be part of something.

The sessions are open to everyone and free to attend. Participants hear about us through friends, community organisations, social prescribing services and word of mouth.

Nestled within Victoria Park, the sessions offer a welcoming space where people can step away from the pressures of everyday life and spend time creating, connecting and simply being.

Together, we have created a supportive, low-pressure space where everyone is welcome.

Why This Matters

One participant summed it up perfectly:

"I feel like a person in my own right when I attend."

For many people, Mindful Art in the Park is more than a creative session.

It is a place to slow down.

A place to reconnect with themselves.

A place to meet others.

A place where there is no pressure to be anything other than themselves.

In a world where loneliness and isolation are becoming increasingly common, community spaces like this matter.

What Participants Say

💬 "I always feel lighter in my mood at the end of the session. Any troubles are left behind for a couple of hours of just being me."

💬 "I've found it very therapeutic whilst I've been off work. The space has really helped me gain some calm and techniques I've used outside of the sessions."

💬 "I often have to push myself to go because of my anxiety, but when I'm there I am happy and feel a sense of achievement."

💬 "I was feeling quite trapped and isolated before attending the group and my relationships were suffering. Now I feel I am regaining myself and my life back."

💬 "My husband has had a stroke and lost a lot of confidence. He has blossomed by attending and his artwork improves weekly."

💬 "I have felt more comfortable in the group as the weeks have gone by and I get to know others a little, or at least faces are becoming familiar."

💬 "The group has taught me to relax and enjoy my art and not compare it to others' work."

💬 "The sessions help me relax and feel more connected to others."

What We Have Achieved Together

Since launching, Mindful Art in the Park has:

🌻 Welcomed over 400 attendances

🌻 Created opportunities for creativity, friendship and connection

🌻 Supported people to improve their wellbeing and confidence

🌻 Built a growing community of regular attendees and volunteers

🌻 Provided a free, accessible space where people can simply be themselves

Most importantly, it has created a place where people know they will be welcomed.

What We Need Your Help To Do

We are raising £1,250 to fund five summer sessions.

Each session costs approximately £250 to deliver, covering facilitation, venue hire, refreshments, materials, volunteer expenses and project coordination.

Your support will help keep these sessions free and accessible throughout the summer, ensuring that cost is never a barrier to creativity, connection and community.

Every £250 raised funds another free Mindful Art session.

What Your Donation Could Do

🌻 £10 contributes towards the materials and resources used during a session

🌻 £25 helps cover refreshments, materials and volunteer expenses

🌻 £50 helps cover the practical costs of delivering a free session

🌻 £125 funds half of a Mindful Art session

🌻 £250 funds an entire Mindful Art session

How You Can Help

Every donation makes a difference.

If Mindful Art in the Park has supported you, someone you know, or if you believe everyone deserves access to creativity, connection and community, we would be incredibly grateful for your support.

If you can't donate, sharing our campaign with friends, family and colleagues helps us reach more people.

Together, we can keep creating a place where people can connect, create and belong.

Thank you for helping us keep Mindful Art in the Park free this summer. 💛

Think Big Do Bigger CIC

Co-create. Reflect. Change. Thrive.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 20th July 2026 at 9:26pm