Poetry Workshops at Copperfields independent living facility
January - March 2020
Art and creativity can have a powerfully positive impact on people’s lives at every age.
As part of POW! Thanet’s Community Engagement programme, which has the aim of bringing art and creativity directly to local people, the POW! team commissioned Ramsgate-based poet Sarah Tait to facilitate a series of six in-house poetry workshops to residents at Copperfields independent living facility in Newington in Ramsgate.
Copperfields is an assisted living facility for people who are over 55 and have a care need. Residents receive extra support through a 24/7 on-site care service to help them to live independently, with social activities also organised.
Tait is an active member of the local poetry scene in Thanet, has been published in a number of magazines and regularly performs her work. She is a haiku lover and a beach-walker, so had much to share with the Copperfields residents.
Tait’s workshops involved a group of four women from Copperfields. The participants set their own end goals for the workshops, as the aim was for the sessions to support their own personal growth through creativity.
The group were inspired by the work of female poets - past and present - which they explored to discover different poetic techniques they could use in their own work. After developing their knowledge of poetry, the women were then invited to write their own work, supported by Tait.
Participants said:
‘I left feeling enlightened! I haven’t felt enlivened since I moved in here.’
‘I haven’t stopped writing since last weeks’ session.’
‘Me talking about this inspired my husband to write a poem.’
The workshops equipped the women with a toolkit of poetic techniques that they can use to continue to enhance their poetry.
Particpants Gillian, Gilly, Margaret, and Christine
POW! Thanet has a diverse Community Engagement programme that connects with schools, colleges, universities, and community groups in Thanet and the wider Kent area. Our dedicated Community Engagement team provides workshops, facilitates projects, and supports groups to explore issues regarding women, girls, feminism, equality and wellbeing through creativity.
Read about all our Community Engagement projects here.
If you’d like to work with POW! Thanet’s Community Engagement team, please do email engagement@powthanet.com to speak to our Engagement Director, Francesca Alphonso.
