We’ve provided £2,520 Your Hearts and Minds community grant funding to Lakeside Community Group’s Choose Kindness Art Club, and the scheme is already spreading happiness in the local community, while benefitting children with their emotional health and wellbeing.
The club supports children aged between 5 and 12 who are experiencing anxiety by encouraging them to express themselves through arts activities. Meeting on a weekly basis, they explore the theme of “choose kindness” to create small craft items and art projects to share in the local community, to spread some happiness.
While they are crafting, the children are encouraged to express their emotions and thoughts, helping them to develop a sense of self-awareness and self-esteem.
The arts and craft items that are made are already being donated to various community groups, such as local care homes and homeless charities, members of the community who may be socially isolated and vulnerable groups to encourage the children to develop a sense of pride in their local community.
Lakeside Community Group Chair Sally Smith said:
“The Hearts and Minds Community Grant has allowed us to support children to see the value in creating a positive impact in our community, through the Choose Kindness Art Club.
“This has helped to reduce social isolation, create community cohesion and educate our future generations about the difference kindness and inclusion can make.
“We are truly grateful for the funding we received to allow us this opportunity and can already see the impact the club has made on both those children attending and the community they are reaching with their gifts and visits.”
Sally added:
“Recently one of the Art Club members and her mum visited a neighbour in her street with their gift.
“They hadn’t ever spoken before, but the gift was the icebreaker that was needed for them to knock on the neighbour’s door. Since then, they’ve developed a friendship, which is a perfect example of what we’re hoping to achieve.”
Published: January 26, 2026