A Fife organisation which nurtures the creation, understanding and appreciation of internationally significant high quality contemporary craft and visual art, has ended the year with the presentation of three cheques.
Since 2019, Fife Contemporary has been working with groups of carers in Kirkcaldy, Glenrothes and Lochgelly.
Supported by The Robertson Trust, which aims to improve life in Scotland for those most in need, the project enables carers to take time out from their busy lives to concentrate on their own creativity.
Paired with artists working in a media they’d like to explore, they’ve designed a series of products which Fife Contemporary has then sold online, and also at two Bowhouse fairs with Tea Green.
As well as the huge benefits derived from the activities themselves, a major element of the project is giving profits from sales to the three carers’ groups, so that they can purchase treats for themselves.
In December 2021, Fife Contemporary was able to send cheques of £200 to each of the three groups.
Fife Carers’ Centre
Fife Carers’ Centre came into being in June 1995 with one part-time worker with the purpose of developing recognition and support for carers within Fife.
In 1996 The Princess Royal Trust for Carers along with NHS Fife and Fife Council agreed to joint fund a carers’ centre for three years.
Since then, with further funding, this has expanded to 13 staff and deals with more than 70 new contacts from carers and over 50 repeat contacts each month and the number is growing all the time.
Receiving the adult carers’ group cheque, Lesley Childs, depute manager of Fife Carers’ Centre in Kirkcaldy said: “It’ll go a long way to helping keep our Creative Carers’ group busy!”
Fife Young Carers
Meanwhile, members of Fife Young Carers received the cheque for both youth groups.
So far, young carers at the Care project have worked in clay with Gavin Burnett, and illustration with Alan Grieve.
The Youth Focus Group (now Voices of Change) helped create the CARE brand & logo with Maeve Redmond; and adult carers have worked with Rebecca Sharp to create two special scents used in candles and solid perfumes.
Jewellery
With Stefanie Cheong, they have also designed a range of jewellery called Symbols of Care.
This latter activity was undertaken during lockdown, with packs distributed to carers by post.
Fife Contemporary hope that further similar activities with artists, delayed by the pandemic, can proceed in the new year.
