Southwick at its best: New exhibition which rose out of the pandemic

A new exhibition which rose out of the Covid-19 lockdowns will open soon in the Southwick area.

The pandemic threatened to leave people isolated in their own homes - but not in Southwick.

They battled back after the pandemic

The Southwick Reach group sprung into action. Once lockdown restrictions eased, they came up with a plan to end loneliness through projects such as the Together In Southwick scheme.

Members visited all sorts of North East destinations including the National Glass Centre, Beamish Museum and the Lindisfarne Gospels.

When they got back to Sunderland, they used new-found skills to create great artwork.

'A real hunger for regular workshops'

And that's exactly what will be on show at the Southwick Streets event at Carnival House on The King's Road on July 7, from 2pm to 4pm.

Together in Southwick was funded by the Lottery Community Fund and artistic director Lyn Killeen said: "It is lovely to be working here in Southwick with such wonderful participants and friends."

After Covid-19, there was 'a real hunger for regular workshops to continue,' Lyn said.

It's a 'valuable therapeutic process'

"It’s rewarding to see people expressing themselves through creativity as well as connecting with peers and forming new friendships. Group members regularly feed back the benefits of taking part and as a result, I know it is vitally important to continue this valuable therapeutic process."

To find out more about the Southwick Streets exhibition, either come along on July 7, from 2pm to 4pm, or visit the Southwick Reach Facebook page.