Take Care St Helens

It's been a strange old year so far. But one thing's for sure, creative activities have been a lifeline for lots of us.

As we begin our tentative steps back into classrooms and workplaces, we're going to be sharing some of our summer projects, and we'd love to see yours!

To get involved:

• Pick up a copy of the St Helens Star (every Thursday - 27 August to 24 September)
• Look for the 'Take Care St Helens' section - a challenge a week for 6 weeks!
• Pull it out
• Share your photos, drawings and creativity #TakeCareStHelens and tag us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter - we'll repost, and The Star will print some of best ones too!

Scroll down to see what's coming up or follow along online #TakeCareStHelens

"Sometimes creativity can provide us with an important next step. It can help us to dare to think collectively about different ways of being together and create a new blueprint for the society we want to live in....so take care St Helens, and take action!"

Whether it's cultivating spider plant babies or your first crop of backyard tomatoes, we want to see your green fingered success stories.

Share them with us #TakeCareStHelens

This week's inspiration comes courtesy of Merseyside comic artist Cath Garvey. We published her comic Grow Your Own (all about how you can grow your own fruit and veg from leftovers) as part of our Care Compendium: Chapter 3 (read it here).

Pick up your very own copy of Cath's comic in the St Helens Star on Thursday 27 August.

It's week two of #TakeCareStHelens and you're in for a right old treat. Our fave lady in pink Kitty O'Shea is here to tell us how she conquered her fear of the internet to bring us I Heart Thursdays digitally during lockdown. What talent or skill did you master whilst being stuck at home? Whether it was mask making for key workers, or mastering sourdough, don't forget to tag us in your pics!

Share your lockdown hero with us: #TakeCareStHelens
@ourheartofglass (Facebook and Instagram) / @theheartofglass (Twitter)

This week we’re taking inspiration from local artist Emmer Winder’s art project Part of the Solution for our Care Compendium (Chapter One). Maybe you spotted Emmer’s life-sized retro drawings (pictured above) which thanked key workers and were posted on to phone boxes, walls and lamp posts across St Helens?

During lockdown we saw incredible acts of solidarity and amazing generosity. Now, as we face new challenges, it’s certain we’ll need to support one another again. So who is your hero? Was it a key worker? The care home nurse who stayed on site 24/7 to look after your nan? Or a doctor or nurse who supported you? Maybe the support came through the volunteers who sewed PPE and face masks or delivered your food parcels? Perhaps it was your mate - whose phone calls got you through the tough times.

Maybe your hero lived far away? Emmer’s stickers have travelled to Manchester, London, and even appeared in Madrid and Auckland, New Zealand!

How has your community cared for you and how have you cared for your community during this difficult time?

Share your stories via #TakeCareStHelens
@ourheartofglass (Facebook and Instagram) / @theheartofglass (Twitter)

This week, we are taking inspiration from artist Rudy Loewe’s beautiful illustration for our Care Compendium: Chapter 1 (pick up a copy of the Star to get your hands on one).

As Rudy explains “I wanted to create an image that highlights the different ways people are currently supporting each other within our communities; and remind people how much power there is in taking care of one another. I am a queer, trans, black visual artist and my work focuses on creating space for different kinds of sociopolitical conversations. I'm interested in how art can engage people in important topics and histories. “

We're almost there! This is the second to last week of #TakeCareStHelens

The last 6 months have really shown us what it means to be kind and it's been so amazing to see the community spirit in St Helens. Let’s keep that momentum going and spread the kindness! Inside this week’s issue you’ll find a poster designed by St Helens artist Kate Hodgson and young care leavers just before lockdown. More about the project here.

As Kate explains:

“It's really exciting that this poster will be delivered through doors so that everyone can enjoy it."

As for recommendations of what to do with the poster: spread the kindness - put it up in your window, post it through your neighbour’s letter box or send it to a friend.”

Share your photos of the poster up in your home, or window. We’d love to see them. #TakeCareStHelens

Upcoming weeks

Week 6: Take Care St Helens