A project exploring the link between creativity and wellbeing has drawn to a close after reaching scores of people in South Tyneside and Sunderland. Calligraphy and Creative Wellbeing was launched in April and ran for three months. Calligrapher Angela Reed worked with several third sector organisations who already use art and craft activities to promote positive mental health. Her weekly calligraphy groups, based at Mortimer Community Centre in South Shields, also benefitted from creative workshops run by guest artists. Thursday Group with Kerry CookFriday Group with Kerry CookThursday group w ..read more

My team of scribes have handed over an impressive selection of calligraphy samples to be used in a new attraction at Jarrow Hall. The Anglo-Saxon farm, village and Bede Museum is creating a Monk Cell as part of site-wide renovations funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Volunteers have been trained in a variety of heritage skills, including calligraphy. My weekly groups have contributed to the work by creating a variety of finished and ‘work in progress’ pieces that will be displayed in the Monk Cell. They have now been presented to Molly Wyatt, cultural learning and participation off ..read more

A recent project combined two of my favourite things – food and calligraphy! Diane Nicholson, from Muddy Fingers Pottery and I met while taking part in the Create North: Thrive and Grow course for South Tyneside creatives. At the same time, Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums (TWAM) issued a brief for workshops that would complement the Scran! exhibition at South Shields Museum and Art Gallery. Diane, whose studio is based in Jarrow, suggested working together and put forward an idea for personalised plates, which was accepted. Scran! at South Shields Museum and Art Gallery.Community Workshops ..read more

I’m delighted to say my two weekly groups are now affiliated to the Calligraphy and Lettering Arts Society (CLAS). I have been a member of CLAS for some time and read in this year’s AGM agenda that the organisation was changing the way it runs its affiliated groups. The changes include removing the geographical context of groups and adding special interest groups and micro groups of up to 12 members. Members of my Thursday (left) and Friday (right) calligraphy groups. CLAS extends range of affiliated groups In her report to the AGM, Barbara Alldred, regional affiliated group officer, said “a f ..read more

Calligraphy and creative wellbeing sessions will form part of my 10th birthday celebrations thanks to funding from Arts Council England. I’m delighted to say I’ve been successful in applying for a second Project Grant from Arts Council England, following Inspired by Lindisfarne in 2022. Calligraphy and Creative Wellbeing will benefit both my weekly groups and a number of organisations in South Tyneside and Sunderland who work to promote positive mental health and wellbeing through art and creativity. People have long commented on how relaxing and mindful they find calligraphy during my worksho ..read more

It’s an exciting time for culture and the arts in South Tyneside. After years of watching Newcastle, North Tyneside and Sunderland benefit from all sorts of investment, it finally feels like our turn! The South Tyneside Cultural Partnership (STCP) was established in 2021 and launched its Making Waves cultural strategy in 2022. It has now secured a £312,899 Place Partnership Fund grant from Arts Council England (ACE), supported by the National Lottery, to support and strengthen culture and creativity in the borough. Representatives of South Tyneside Cultural PartnershipBuilding links with local ..read more

I’ve lent my calligraphy skills to special projects with two fellow artists recently. The first was for paper artist Yvette Ja, with whom I’ve collaborated before as part of the Inspired by Lindisfarne project. Yvette runs online workshops and for the launch of her autumn makes, she needed some recipe cards written out for a photoshoot. I used Dr PH Martin’s Pen White to add the ingredients and method to the pre-printed kraft cards for two recipes and several tabs for the recipe box images. The recipe cards written for Yvette Ja, with one of the photoshoot images in the centre. The second was ..read more

Durham University has delved into its vast archives to showcase a collection of rare and early printed books and historic documents. Penned and Printed, at Palace Green Library in Durham, features items from the shelves and strongrooms that stretch for miles beneath the city. In three rotating themes, the exhibition brings together the spectacular and the humble, the local and the national – and ideas that would change the world. The current themes explore medical progress (From Magic to Medicine), crime and punishment (From Retribution to Reform) and the journey to women’s suffrage (From Sup ..read more

So many nibs, so little time! I managed to squeeze in a quick visit to The Pen Museum on a recent trip to Birmingham – something that’s been on my to-do list for quite a long time. The museum is housed in a former gold pen factory in the city’s famous Jewellery Quarter and is run by a team of dedicated volunteers. It tells the story of the pen making industry and how Birmingham came to be responsible for the production of a whopping 75 per cent of the world’s pens during the 19th century. The Pen Museum exterior, a nib that’s bigger than me and the Brian Jones Room.The history of pen making in ..read more

A calligraphy project inspired by the Lindisfarne Gospels has drawn to a close. It’s been a year since the historic manuscript first went on display at the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle, on loan from the British Library in London. To mark the occasion, I applied for a Project Grant from Arts Council England so my weekly calligraphy groups could create work inspired by the Gospels. The Lindisfarne Gospels Introduction Board The Gospels has long been acclaimed as the most spectacular manuscript to survive from Anglo-Saxon England and it represents an outstanding artistic achievement. They were ..read more