A group of a families walk towards the camera along a gravel path. There is grass either side of the path and tall green trees behind them,

get creative outdoors!

Events For Families with a Visually Impaired Child or Parent

ART WORKSHOP - THE PARK CAMPUS, cheltenham
sATURDAY 16th Nov 2024

SOCIAL WINTER WALK
jan 2025

the lost flock - show in a day
Apr 2025

Join us on one (or all!) of our upcoming outdoor event days for families with a visually impaired parent or child.

First up in November – an art workshop at The Park Campus in Cheltenham. VI artist Sarah Goddard will guide us on a sensory journey to inspire or our own nature artworks.

January is the return of our winter walk social and cosy hot chocolate! A great chance to catch up after the Christmas holidays.

At Easter, we will bring all of our artistic creations from the previous year together for a mini performance. Even if you’re joining us for the first time, everyone is welcome and encouraged to get involved.

These events have been co-created since 2022 with a growing community of families living in and around Gloucestershire, and visually impaired artist & facilitator Holly Thomas.

The recommended age for children is 7-14 years but events are for the whole family to enjoy, so younger and older siblings are welcome too! 

 

Watch a short film (below) showing some of the best bits from a previous event!

CLICK TO BOOK YOUR FAMILY PLACE

FEEDBACK FROM FAMILIES

“She has have very limited contact with others who are visually impaired, so this event really reassured her that she isn’t the only one!”

“The audio description made the performance come to life more for her (child) but as a dyslexic adult it did the same for me too.”

“It was great to stop and just focus on spending time together.”

“It was a very happy, relaxed day & a lovely opportunity meet other VI families in a pressure free setting.”

A colour photo of a group of children holding hands to make a circle around a tree.
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A group of people stood on the top of a hill, holding bird puppets high to the sky. The puppets are made from sticks and coloured streamers.
Photo of families making a forest mobile
A group of families are walking away from the camera on the grounds of Westonbirt Arboretum
Untitled design (6)
Untitled design (8)

Art Workshop
Saturday 16th November, 1:30 - 4pm
The Park Campus, Uni of Glos, Cheltenham

  • Sarah Goodard, a sight impaired artist based in Cheltenham, will lead us around Pittville Park with some art prompts. 
  • We’ll make artworks representing how we each see and experience nature in our own unique ways and create a mini exhibition.
  • The workshop will finish at 3:30pm.
  • After the workshop we’ll have a drink in the cafe together!

ADDRESS: University of Gloucestershire, The Park, Cheltenham, GL50 2RX .

 

PARKING: There is an on-site pay and display car park with some blue badge spaces. 

Winter Social Walk
January 2025, 10am - 12pm
Gloucestershire - TBC

  • A relaxed and fun walk to keep everyone connected in the winter months. 
  • If you haven’t joined us before, this is a great way to connect with other families, meet our team and find out more about the events we offer.
  • We will end with a hot chocolate – marshmallows and cream included! 

ADDRESS: Gloucestershire location TBC

The Lost Flock - show In A Day
April 2025, 10:30am - 3:30pm
Gloucestershire - TBC

  • After a year of creative events, we’ll bring everything together to create a mini performance.
  • New families still welcome to join, there will be ways to get involved on the day. 

 ADDRESS: Gloucestershire location TBC

how to get involved

If you and your family are interested, complete this booking form and we just drop us email or give us a call. 

Contact Michelle:

Phone: 07870 998481

Email: Hello@HookAndLoop.org.uk

If you like, we can have a chat about what you can expect from the event so you can make sure it is right for you. 

We look forward to hearing from you!

WHAT TO EXPECT & pRACTICAL DETAILS

  • This is an ongoing project, you can join the events you’re able to attend.
  • Different activities on offer which cater for both younger and older children, and activities that the whole family can do together.
  • Artists, Holly, Sarah, Louise & Zariq, support you to create your own ideas and join in with the group.
  • Free time at lunch for all day events. Families usually bring a picnic or buy food from the cafe and spend time relaxing or doing more exploring!
  • We end the day with a hot/cold drink from the cafe (provided by us). We like a hot chocolate with marshmallows & cream! 
  • Everyone taking part is encouraged to give their feedback on what they enjoyed, what they want more of and what could be different next time. 
  • Travel bursaries are available upon request. Please let us know if this would be helpful for you. 
  • Events are free to attend. Supporter payments are optional – any income raised goes back into the project and future activities.

BACKGROUND

Photo of artist, Holly Thomas, stood in a forest clearing and talking to someone. She is wearing bright yellow trousers with sunglasses on her head.

For the past 5 years, we have been working with Holly to create outdoor experiences in nature for visually impaired and sighted children and their families. Holly’s lived experience has been the fundamental starting point when we have been creatively exploring the best way to describe dance performance for visually impaired audiences. (More about Holly in the audio clip below)

Holly has worked as a lecturer in performing arts for the RNIB and has taught dance to visually impaired adults and young people. She is also a member of the Bristol Sight Loss Council, Arts and Leisure sub-group.

 

More broadly, our company and our work have over 25 years in working with inclusive groups from children and young people to adults, disabled people, people with mental health conditions and people with complex needs.

more information

For more information, you can:

this project is supported by

Logo, National Lottery Community Fund