Sharing hundreds more Bags of Creativity with our region’s children and young people

Last summer, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we delivered 9,000 bags filled with creative activities and inspiring materials to children and young people across Yorkshire and the Humber. This summer, we found we had enough arts and crafts materials leftover to create another 350 bags. We endeavoured to ensure children and young people still had access to these resources and delivered the remaining Bags of Creativity to five foodbanks across the region.

In July 2020, as the Bridge Organisation for Yorkshire and the Humber, we worked with Local Cultural Education Partnerships (LCEPs), social services and other community partners in Bradford, Doncaster, East Riding, Hull, Leeds, Rotherham, Sheffield and York to deliver Bags of Creativity. The bags were designed to make sure all children and young people can be creative at home by providing everything they need in one place, and included activities designed by local artists. You can read an external evaluation for more information on Bags of Creativity work here.

A year later, with the help of The Trussell Trust foodbank network, we distributed our remaining Bags of Creativity to children and young people across the region. We delivered the bags to foodbanks in Selby & District, Sheffield S6, Barnsley, Wyke and Pontefract. Families were able to pick up bags full of arts and crafts materials, along with their food supplies, to enjoy in their homes.

We were overwhelmed to receive such great feedback from the foodbanks and to learn how the Bags of Creativity have made a difference to the families’ lives:

“I got a lovely email from a family I dropped some off to, with their food parcel. They said the children were delighted to receive them especially as they were not able to do much with the children over the Summer. We had another family who came in earlier in the week with five children, they were blown away by all they left with.” Cheryl Whitton, Selby & District Foodbank

“They are an amazing resource… especially after a most challenging year with such disruption to schooling, childcare and socialising. I have no doubt they will bring a lot of much needed fun and inspiration to the children in our area, not to mention a little respite for their families too.” Mary Ford, Acting Secretary, Pontefract Food Bank

“… some of the families are really appreciative of them. Some comments have been:

• Really helped over summer as their child has not been able to go out and play as usual.
• Parent grateful as the family was isolating due to Covid and had 3 children in family so kept them entertained.
• Great to see imagination of her daughter whilst making things with the resources she had received.

Suzanne Storey, Barnsley Foodbank Partnership

Verity Clarke, Head of Bridge at IVE said:

“As we start heading towards a new normal, we recognise how the repercussions of the pandemic are, and will for a long time be, affecting the lives of children and young people in our region. We’re delighted to have been able to work together with The Trussell Trust; to ‘do our bit’ and see the Bags of Creativity make real and positive impact.”

You can still browse and download the Bags of Creativity activities from our database here.        

Find out more about Local Cultural Education Partnerships here

Bags of Creativity was funded through IVE’s Partnership Investment funds, as part of its Bridge programme for Yorkshire and Humber, with match funding and sponsorship from a wide range of partners. These include: West Design; Specialist Crafts; Derwent and Bic, LazenbyBrown, Cosy Direct.