BOOKWORMS who may be struggling with isolation are being given a helping hand in Solihull.
Solihull Libraries, The Core Theatre Solihull and Art at the Heart CIC have joined forced to create Solihull Reading Friends – a programme of free events designed to help people connect and combat feelings of loneliness and isolation.
Backed by The Reading Agency, the online events – which started on February 23 – include storytelling, craft activities, music and dance with workshops for adults, families and children.
Art teachers Mukesh and Kamaljit Kumar of Art at the Heart CIC, who host regular art classes at The Core, will be providing a series of online workshops via Zoom to encourage creativity and mindfulness.
The workshops focus on storytelling aspects mixed with craft activities including origami to explore stories, words and meanings.
The artwork created in these sessions will be displayed in the windows of Solihull libraries, including The Core.
These workshops must be booked in advanced at www.thecoretheatresolihull.co.uk as places are limited.
Families with young children are invited to take part in Storytime live on Wednesday mornings from 10.15am on Solihull Libraries Facebook page starting with Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s ‘Room on the Broom’ on February 24, they will continue weekly through to the end of March.
There will also be storytelling sessions on Fridays at 11am.
These will be run by Sohan Kailey, who teaches regular dance classes at The Core Theatre, these sessions will feature Sohan’s original stories, combined with music, dance, and puppetry.
The library staff will be working on a pilot project with a self-organised family history group and using the library’s library’s newspaper subscriptions, currently available to library members free of charge from home, to discover and share local and family history stories.
Councillor Alison Rolf, cabinet member for stronger and safer communities, said: “We know that the lockdown and self-isolation measures, crucial to tackling COVID, have unfortunately meant increased loneliness and isolation for many of our residents.
“I’m delighted that Solihull Libraries, The Core Theatre and Heart CIC have come together to create a programme of free online events to help combat loneliness in such a creative way.”
For more information visit www.thecoretheatresolihull.co.uk and www.solihull.gov.uk/Libraries or follow The Core Theatre Solihull, Solihull Libraries and Art at the Heart CIC on social media.
