Art Club

The Art Club continues to make really outstanding pieces of artwork and are currently working on pieces that we will be using to make products for sale in the Creative Cafe, which is soon to be open. Artworks will be reproduced as designs on cards, bags, t-shirts, coasters and so on. We've had some beautiful work so far and we can't wait to see the final products.

Here are just a few pictures of their ongoing work!

Photography Group

Following on from the Out and About Group that looked at historical places of interest in Hartlepool and the Walking Group which continues to explore walks in and around Hartlepool, Choices for Life is organizing a series of photography sessions with res ident arty sessional worker Jess. This five week programme will look at digital photography with the idea being to create high quality digital prints that can be framed and then sold within the Creative Café.

The programme will cover anything from learning the technical side of your digital camera to composing shots and lighting. There are various local locations planned for taking photos, weather permitting so make sure to dress appropriately for being in the outdoors! We all know what British weather can be like. It's recommended that you have your own digital camera but if you don't let staff know and we'll make arrangements. 

A more in depth programme is available from the Friday Drop In or from a member of staff. If you’re interested in attending let a member of staff know or ring the office mobile.

Creative Writing Zine Project

We’ve just begun an exciting creative writing project working with performance poet and Creative Support Development Officer Michael Edwards and illustrator and Sessional Worker Jess Watson. There will be a series of writing workshops looking to create pieces of poetry, rhyme, short stories and so on followed by artwork, pictures and typography to pull all the work together into a ‘zine’, a self published magazine that can be sold in the café and at events. Michael will also work with participants to improve confidence to perform the pieces at the launch of the café, if they want to!

These will be integrated sessions with participants invited from other services. So sign up and come along to be part of this new adventure! Or if you’d like to submit a piece of work for the anthology get in touch.

International Women's Day

International Women’s Day or IWD falls on March 8th and celebrates the achievements of women and celebrating everything about women that is great! Choices for Life teamed up with partner organisation DISC to deliver an entire day of activities and education all centred around women.

The day started out at DISC with female project members of Choices for Life joining members of DISC to look at food and mood for the female body which was hugely interesting and everyone even got to try out the foods later for lunch! Then project members were given a taster session about the Freedom Programme which helps women to take control and ownership of the relationships in their life. It was incredibly informative and project members were invited to take part in the course running from April.

After lunch project members (including men!) were invited to take part in a special Drop In session where snacks from around the world prepared with the help of project members that were part of the multicultural sessions.  A “Common Sense before Self Defense” session was delivered by Tang Soo Do  Master Charlie Featherstone and his apprentice Carla, which was followed by and a Relaxation  session by Jaki Savage the manager of Centre Yoga and Wellbeing who demonstrated breathing exercises.  Everyone had the chance to have a go, both sessions were really informative, beneficial and fun.

It was a really exciting and vibrant day and really helped people to appreciate everything that is wonderful about the women in their lives! Thank you to all who attended including all workshop leaders and partner organisations that helped to make it such a success.