It’s all happening at Ark T!
From the CEO
Ark T has felt wonderfully alive over the past couple of months — full of colour, creativity and community spirit. From young people finding their confidence through MySpace and HerSpace, to whole-school art projects and our busiest-ever Community Lunch, we’re seeing every day how much these spaces matter.
We also know that things continue to be tough for many — and as the nights draw in, everything can feel a little heavier. Now more than ever, it’s worth remembering the difference creativity can make to all of us. If you’re finding things difficult, try to pause, breathe, and do something small and creative. It doesn’t need to be perfect — fold a scrap of paper into an interesting shape, doodle for a moment, jot down a thought. Even tiny acts of creativity can help us feel more grounded.
And remember: we’re here. You’re always welcome to drop into the Welcome Space for creativity, community and connection.
Warm wishes
We’re winners!
We’re thrilled to share that Ark T has been recognised in the Southern Enterprise Awards 2025, receiving Most Innovative Mental Health Charity and Best Children’s Mental Health Intervention Programme for Art Nest. These awards are a wonderful acknowledgement of the creativity, compassion and commitment that our team, artists, volunteers and participants bring to Ark T every day. We’re so grateful to everyone who helps make this such a special, supportive and inspiring place.
Community Lunches
Since our last newsletter, we’ve hosted two more wonderful Community Lunches. In October, Mazz, one of our talented artists from the Ark T Collective, led a beautiful Creative Sharing Tree activity, inviting everyone to add their thoughts and hopes for the community. In November, we enjoyed our busiest lunch yet, with the incredible Jali Fily filling the Welcome Space with the sound of the kora – a performance that lifted everyone’s spirits.
Our final Community Lunch for 2025 will be on 8 December from 12 noon at 242B Barns Rd, OX43RQ. Please do join us for an extra special celebration – we’ll have an incredible opera singer from Oxford Opera singing celebratory songs!
Our monthly lunches are busier than ever, bringing people together over food, friendship, and creativity. We’re funded until the end of 2025, but need to raise £5,000 to keep the lunches running through 2026. If you can, please consider supporting us – every donation helps keep this special community tradition alive. You can donate here.
Creativity Changes Lives
Our Creativity Changes Lives programme is full of energy at the moment. HerSpace Junior and HerSpace Senior have been getting wonderfully imaginative — making Halloween masks and diving into this term’s theme: Be Kind, Be Brave, Be Yourself.
Our MySpace Online group, which supports young people experiencing school avoidance, is also flourishing. It’s been a joy to see their confidence grow, the projects they’re developing, and the genuine friendships forming along the way.
Demand for these groups has been enormous — we’ve had more enquiries than ever — and we’re working hard to secure the funding we need to keep them running (and hopefully open up a few more) well into 2026.
MySpace Connect
We were thrilled to host another MySpace Connect event on the 29th — a supportive, creative space for neurodivergent young people. It was brilliantly attended, with lots of new faces and current MySpace participants meeting in person for the first time. The atmosphere was warm, relaxed and full of creativity. We’re now fundraising to make MySpace Connect a regular part of our programme in 2026. Thanks so much to our team member, Nicky, for making this happen!
Dance for Dementia
We’re delighted to share that our partnership with the Royal Ballet, Mumo Creative, and Dancin’ Oxford has now come to life, with our Dance for Dementia pilot programme beginning in February 2026. This project has been a long time in the making, and we’re so grateful to our friends across the dance community for their passion and commitment. We can’t wait to see the joy and connection this programme will bring to our Art T community.
Art Nest
The Art Nest team has been busy working on a lovely whole-school project with Orchard Meadow Primary. Every class is creating big, beautiful butterflies to brighten up areas of the school that were looking a little tired — and the transformation has been amazing.
All of this is happening alongside the seven cohorts of children taking part in Art Nest this term. A huge thank you to the team for bringing so much colour, creativity and care into the school.
Exhibitions
Our new exhibition, Imagination and Exploration, celebrates the creativity of three inspiring members of the Ark T community – Kerry, George and Brendan. Each artwork tells a story of curiosity, inspiration and personal growth, capturing the joy of creative expression and the courage to share one’s perspective with others. The exhibition is a beautiful reminder of how imagination can open new possibilities and connect us in unexpected ways.
Ark T Out and About
Our CEO, Catherine, has been out and about flying the flag for Ark T over the past couple of months. She joined the celebrations at the opening of the new Schwartmann Centre for the Humanities, took part in Oxford University’s newly renamed strategic innovation group, Equinox, and travelled to London for HX25 — a new wellness conference exploring how wellbeing shapes good leadership.
She’s also been connecting with partners at the County Council’s Household Support Fund stakeholder event and catching up with residents at Oxford City Council’s Leys Community Event.
Each of these moments has brought fresh learning, new relationships and ideas we can bring back to Ark T — all helping us to keep building a kinder, more creative and connected community.
Thank You
To everyone who has joined a lunch, supported an exhibition, or simply cheered us on — thank you. You are at the heart of Ark T, and together we’re showing that creativity really does change lives.
