Seaside Special

Aim

To give older people who are isolated from the rest of society a chance to have a bit of fun and relive family days out

Who we are

ERM CIC work in arts, crafts, film and animation and use these forms to promote the voice of individuals, groups and communities.  We develop projects that Engage people, Respond to communities and Motivate individuals.  To browse the ERM website click here

We believe that individuals and communities benefit from developing projects that reflect and investigate their own environments, ideas, histories and stories.

To find more about ERM CIC and watch videos of our projects click here

What we do

 Winners of the 2013 Norfolk Arts Award for Education and Community work.  ERM CIC has delivered several projects within budget and involving more members of the community than initially envisaged. We work with communities to create funded projects that explore and celebrate their heritage, history and environment.  As a CIC, we have no salaried staff, the main directors apply for the project funds and employ local artists, historians and volunteers to deliver the project.

Who we work with

Our projects involve working with groups such as Equal Lives Youth Forum - a young people's disabled charity - staff and patients in Dementia homes - housing with care residents - junior school pupils - High School pupils - college aged students - rehabilitation sectors - any other group with an interest in any of our projects

Testimonials

Being part of this project has made me feel party of society again' Max 

This project has made me feel better about leaving the house' June

Seaside Special

Is all about working with people in an isolated situation to create a community that can become a hub for a deprived area of Norwich

The Bowthorpe Care Village is a residential home for people who need care and also those who are living with dementia.  It is in a part of Norwich where there is little in the surrounding area to look at and where there is a limited bus service to get people out and about.  We want to bring the seaside to the residents and develop a hub where local people can drop in and find a place to stay which is outside of their own four walls.

Human beings are social animals and our biological, psychological, and social systems evolved to thrive in collaborative networks of people. Some studies suggest that the impact of isolation and loneliness on health and mortality are of the same order of magnitude as such risk factors as high blood pressure, obesity, and smoking. 

So how do we want to combat this?  Most older people have happy memories of family holidays, in fact most young people also like a trip to the seaside, an ice cream and the sand and sea.  We want to talk to residents about their holidays, create an exhibition using their photos and memories and then create a programme of events that the community can enjoy.

There would be film screenings about holidays, arts and crafts workshops themed around the seaside, story writing and telling, a book club, animation workshops and a big celebration.  We would also get some donkeys to visit, have a greenscreen to allow people to dress up and pretend they are at the seaside, have a Punch and Judy Show, some candyfloss and donuts and of course BINGO!

All these workshops would be open to local people as we know that it isn't just older people who are isolated in this area- there are families, carers and single people who all feel isolated.  So let's create a hub where people can meet up and make new friends!

This project successfully funded on 15th July 2020