‘Together We Bloom’, Photography, Art and Poetry Exhibition took place on Sunday 14th September at the Willenhall Chart Community Hub, together with Willenhall in Focus C.I.C and Willenhall Growing Together with a mission to promote growth, healing, community, creativity, purpose and mindset.
This event was championed by Tal Singh of Soul Brite Seva CIC and supported by other Community Champions and ofcourse the community themselves!
Tal Singh welcomed everyone coming together despite the weather. Sureena Brackenridge MP of Wolverhampton North East (pictured) had also come to speak and support the event.
Poet Saida Chowdhury (pictured with Sureena Brackenridge MP) was kindly given the opportunity to launch her new poetry collection, ‘Broken Minds’, celebrating recovery and removing the stigma for discussing mental health. Wolverhampton Poet Laureate - Kuli Kohli, Poet and actress Katie Victoria and Poet and publisher Hugh Ashton of j-views Publishing all read their thought provoking poetry. Tal Singh ended the wonderful event with poetry himself!
The book launch saw the artwork of Christiane Jenkins of SUIT (Service User Involvement Team Wolverhampton) being displayed for everyone to see. This piece of art had been gifted to be the front cover for ‘Broken Minds’. Everyone commented on how beautiful it was, especially the gold leaf picking up the light from which ever angle you looked at it from. The book launch was a success, with the Deputy Mayor purchasing a copy and Sureena Brackenridge who had written the Foreword for ‘Broken Minds’ could finally see it in print. She explained how moving she finds Saida’s poetry and revealed how she would be sitting down with the book later that evening and encouraged everyone to purchase a copy.
Saida's friends Radley Russel, Chi Lam and Andreas directors, producers and actors who had worked on the online series 'Noir' together, had come to support the event and the book launch. They were really impressed by the whole event.
The community that gave Saida Chowdhury her first opportunity to be on the panel for the first ever Willenhall Live, allowed her to read poetry at the first Netwalking event, and a local Website developer HBK Solutions gifted her, her own website in the power of empowering and community is where she found herself being invited and returning, to do her book launch. They welcomed her, just as they welcomed every other person that came through those doors.
Saida's expreesed 'Willenhall and the individuals here making a difference to people's lives on a daily basis are testimony to that helping eachother, has ripple effects of goodness that help society. They certainly are a community that embraces and uplifts everyone whether you are from Willenhall or not. I am so thankful for everyone who were involved in organsing this and to Tal Singh for inviting me to do a book launch here amongst such amazing individuals."
Jack Sparra sponsored and co-ordinated the rooms at the Willenhall Chart Centre which serves the community for a wide range of uses. Originally organised to be an outdoor event enjoying the community garden space the weather was forecast for heavy rain, but did that stop them? Not at all. The community still came in the pouring rain, together to celebrate creativity and the beautiful things that a community working together can produce.
Cllr Chris Bott, Deputy Mayor of Walsall came with her husband was really impressed with everything that had been organised and all the art that was presented.
Councillor Klara Margetts and Natalie Latham Councillor for Willenhall South sponsored and put on an amazing buffet whilst Louis Gill served tea and coffee in coffee, in mugs which no one was expecting but was a nice, comforting surprise. Trevor Latham of Willenhall in Focus CIC and Wolverhampton Photographer Graham Stubbs videoed and photographed the event.
Lisa Peters-Sherwood and Rosco Bentley provided art pieces from both the Cubs and the Lets Hang out Youth Zone, showcasing the talent of the younger members of the community. Michelle Sleigh of the Cosy Corner and St Giles School bought wonderful art pieces and Willenhall History and Heritage Society bought nostalgic photos of the town.
Anthony Jefferson Hanson also came to showcase his larger than life paintings that wowed us all.
