Dyslexia and Me Over twenty years ago, at age 18, I was diagnosed with dyslexia. At the time, I didn’t fully understand what it meant and I was mainly pleased that I got a free laptop to use at university. I knew that spelling was hard for me, that reading felt frustrating, and that learning took a little more effort. I was lucky to have parents who set a strong example of hard work and perseverance, [...]

Art of Recovery Portsmouth 2026 In March, we opened the doors of Victoria Park to welcome Portsmouth into the Art of Recovery exhibition a day that had been months in the making. A powerful celebration of creativity, courage and community, bringing together people with lived experience of addiction and substance misuse, the families and workers who support them, all while thanking the services walking alongside them every day. Curated by Creatful’s founding director, Nancy, in collaboration with Project [...]

Little Acorns Natural Creativity Afternoon For Easter Nancy visited The children of Little Acorns holiday clubs and nursery along with Preacher the storyteller who entertained the children before lunch with his own stories and one written by Elouise, one of the children. Preacher sparked the kids curiosity by asking them how they'd run a car without fuel, allowing them to come up with their own fun solutions After the children had lunch it was Creatful's [...]

Creative Writing With Sarah Sarah has been one of our women’s mental health group members in Buckland for years. She’s a kind, thoughtful woman and incredibly creative. She likes drawing, often sharing her sketches with us, and also has a passion for creative writing. Over the years I’ve watched Sarah grow in confidence, and recently she took a brave step: she approached our group host, Ali, to ask if she could facilitate an activity for the group. [...]

Our recycled Pen art for Repair café Havant Nancy, our director, has been keeping her used pens over the past two years to create a wonderful piece of art to donate to Repair Café Havant as a really representative symbol of their ethos of reusing what many consider rubbish or waste for creative purposes. Nancy says “I always save all our empty pens in my pen grave yard, when I have enough I make art and donate it [...]

Meet Charlee, one of our wonderful Creatful volunteers Charlee volunteers at Project W and Creatful Havant. Charlee brings a calm, grounded presence that makes a world of difference. The women who attend these groups may be navigating challenges like homelessness, addiction, or abuse and Charlee meets each person with authenticity, compassion, and care. Her lived experience allows her to connect in ways that feel deeply meaningful. She helps create a space where women feel safe, seen, and [...]

Community Art in Action Community art has become a vibrant and essential part of Creatful’s creative health programme, and over the past year it has brought people of all ages together to make, imagine and connect in ways that strengthen wellbeing and community spirit. These projects aren’t just about making something beautiful; it's all about belonging, confidence, shared purpose and the quiet joy of creating side-by-side. Community art offers benefits that ripple far beyond the final [...]

In 2024, Project W opened its doors in Portsmouth to create a safe, holistic space for women facing addiction, homelessness, and the lasting impacts of trauma. The project is rooted in lived experience, ensuring that every woman who walks through the door is met with understanding, compassion, and practical support. Every Wednesday and Thursday, women can drop in and access multiple services under one roof. Here, women can:  Share a hot lunch in a welcoming environment  [...]

Journaling has long been boxed into the "Dear Diary” stereotype — a linear, daily log of events and emotions. But what if we reframed it entirely? What if, from a young age, journaling was introduced not as a chore or a confessional, but as a creative, flexible tool for self-expression, reflection, and emotional regulation? Embedding journaling early in life — and removing the pressure to write neatly, consistently, or chronologically — can have profound long-term benefits for mental health. When [...]