From choirs for the tone-deaf to community dog walks, last week The Mail on Sunday suggested innovative and inspiring ways to beat loneliness.
Today we look at creative activities to enjoy, such as drawing, origami and sewing.
As well as offering the ability to connect with like-minded people, studies have shown that getting creative boasts a variety of health benefits.
Embroidery, sewing and painting have all been found to reduce anxiety and depression and increase feelings of pleasure and motivation.
From art therapy to life drawing, here’s a host of interesting ways to get crafty – and friendly – across the country.
There are many imaginative ways to avoid loneliness across the country with a wide range of community groups offering a myriad ways of keeping busy and making new friends
Origami with a side dish of sushi
What is it?
Sussex Origami Folding Team (known as Soft) practise the oriental art of paper-folding at Cafe An-An in Hove, Sussex. You can make a range of models such as stars, spiders, floating ducks and seasonal decorations.
Tell me more
The group meets on a Saturday (usually the second of every month) at 11am. The organiser, designer Stephanie Moore, supplies a stack of origami paper, coloured on one side one side only, and both beginners and seasoned professionals work together to create the paper designs. Experts are on hand to instruct newcomers.
After an hour of origami, the group enjoy a lunch of sushi and noodles together.
Stephanie, 51, who is secretary of the British Origami Society, says: ‘The chatter isn’t just about origami, much as I love it.
‘Through the group, I’ve made friends I would never have bumped into otherwise. We’ve had people ranging from teenagers to octogenarians.
‘You can learn on YouTube but it’s so much nicer to be together.’
Sign me up!
Email Stephanie on [email protected].
Classes are free.
As well as offering the ability to connect with like-minded people, studies have shown that getting creative boasts a variety of health benefits
Stick your neck out and join the scarf club.
What is it?
Arts and Crafts Wednesbury is a Midlands group offering a host of activities, from making Christmas wreaths to knitting scarves for local children. Meetings are on Monday and Thursday mornings at the South Staffordshire Community Hub.
Tell me more
The group is led by organiser Sarah Huburn, 43, who has seen a sharp rise in new members over the past year.
She says: ‘People wanted to get out and meet others after feeling so isolated. There are a couple of dozen core members and others come and go from week to week.
‘People can just drop in and have a natter and a cup of tea – the craft is an added bonus.’
Having suffered from anxiety, mother-of-two Sarah says the crafting sessions have been healing. ‘The more I’ve done crafts, the more relaxed I’ve become,’ she says. ‘The group allows us to open up and talk about our problems.’
Members can work on quick crafts or long-term projects over numerous weeks. Materials are shared among the group.
Sign me up!
Search Arts and Crafts Wednesbury UK Group on Facebook or Google and select the first link. Sessions are free.
Embroidery, sewing and painting have all been found to reduce anxiety and depression and increase feelings of pleasure and motivation
Draw your feelings with a therapist
What is it?
Art Therapy Group for Wellbeing in Portishead, Wales, combines painting, drawing and sketching with conversation to help participants understand and cope with difficult emotions.
The group meets at Portishead Folk Hall on Thursdays at 6.30pm for two hours.
Tell me more
Two therapists guide the participants, who are encouraged to draw any feelings they may struggle to vocalise. Studies show that expressing thoughts and feelings on paper can ease mental burdens.
Interaction with fellow members is considered the most important element of the session, with organisers reporting that participants find sharing varied experiences liberating. Everyone in the group is sworn to confidentiality so members can be fully comfortable sharing their stories.
Sign me up!
Visit estuarycounsellingand psychotherapy.com/groups. Each session costs £25, including all art materials.
The stitching group that’s SEW friendly
What is it?
Hand Stitch in Sudbury, Derbyshire, is a group for those who are looking to refine their hand-sewing and stitching skills.
The group meet twice a month at The Old Village Store to experiment on recycled and vintage fabrics and make items from blankets to bags.
Tell me more
Christine Griffin, 66, who lives alone, joined the group four years ago. ‘Before, I was feeling very lonely, having just fallen out with my closest friend of nearly a decade,’ she says.
‘The sewing group saw me through the worst of it as I don’t have a partner to talk to.’
Founder Jackie Howard, 63, says: ‘When people have troubles, we talk. Combined with the sewing, it is very healing.
‘You can switch off and think about which button or colour of thread to pick.
‘We become friends for life through sharing this passion.’
Sign me up!
Email Jackie at [email protected]. A two-hour session costs £15, which includes all materials and home-made cake.
From art therapy to life drawing, here’s a host of interesting ways to get crafty – and friendly – across the country
Find meaning in life drawing
What is it?
ATYN Life Drawing Club invites locals in Edinburgh and Glasgow to sketch nude models while enjoying a few drinks.
The classes are set to a custom playlist, put together by the organisers and open to requests, with some sessions even enjoying a live music act.
The group meet at Cabaret Voltaire in Edinburgh on Tuesday evenings and Glasgow’s Sloans pub on Mondays.
Tell me more
The class offers the chance to sketch two models who pose in separate rooms and switch after a midpoint break for 20 minutes, when participants can refresh their drinks at the bar.
People should bring their own materials (though basic equipment like drawing boards are available to borrow) and arrive early to chat to fellow art-lovers before the session begins.
Sign me up!
Visit atyn.co.uk or their Instagram account @atynudes. Classes cost between £11 and £13 for a two-hour session.
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