Re-start

Introductions, mindful breathing and continuous line drawings tonight in the first session with our new art group. Well done to all the new art gang ❤️

If you live in Leeds and suffer from Long Covid, ME or CFS, then please get in touch l. We have groups running :

- from the Friday 10th May at 1pm
- from Weds/ Thursday evenings in September at 6pm

Please see the full ‘ The Long Covid Art Project’ post, which is pinned to our Instagram page. DM for more info.

# -Being -Being

So, the fabulous order is now here and I can finally put the boxes for our next group together, which has been supported by the brilliant .

At restart HQ, it has been a difficult few weeks with relapse, brain fog ordering statuses and juggling various family illnesses. However, we are finally starting to turn a corner and luckily my new fabulous art group are very understanding, about having to delay the first session by a week.

We have three Art groups running throughout 2024. Please get in contact if you would like to be considered for the May or September start dates. Please see the information and funding criteria, which is all in the ‘Leeds Long Covid Project’ post, pinned to the top of our Instagram page.

Thank you South Leeds Life 🙏🙏🙏🙏

Art wellbeing course for Long Covid sufferers - South Leeds Life re-stART Creative Outreach CIC, a not-for-profit art training company, has been funded to provide free art sessions to people living with Long Covid. The programme is designed to be relaxing and mindful and over eight weekly one-hour sessions participants will create their own art journal or sketchb...

⭐️Do you have Long Covid? Do you live in the Leeds Area?

⭐️re-stART is delighted to announce that we have had received further funding from the fantastic and . This support means that the programs are FREE for participants.

⭐️This funding will enable us to deliver the online 8 week Art Program to three new groups of Long Covid sufferers in Leeds, over the course of 2024. The 1hr weekly sessions are relaxing and mindful and participants will create their own Art Journal/Sketchbook. All materials, sketchbooks and tuition will be provided and NO PREVIOUS ART SKILLS or experience is necessary.

To be eligible to apply for this art program, participants will be required to meet a set of criteria:

*Be diagnosed with Long Covid by a GP or Health Professional,
*Reside at an address with a Leeds postcode,
*Have access to Zoom through a laptop or tablet (unfortunately we are unable to provide technical support or lend ICT equipment at this time.)

⭐️To apply, please contact us to confirm that the above criteria has been met and please include some basic details about yourself, including your email address and postcode. More information about the Art Program will then be shared with potential participants via email and/or a telephone call arranged if required. Please note that if we receive a high amount of interest, then participants will be selected at random and a waiting list created.

⭐️This is our next phase of the Leeds Long Covid Art Project, which has been designed by our Founder & Director Jess Taylor (nee Dun) , who was diagnosed with Long Covid in February 2022. We hope that you enjoy reading the feedback that we have had from our previous pilot program. Feedback is important to us at re-stART and we therefore expect participants to be willing to provide quality, constructive feedback that we can use to demonstrate our impact on wellbeing. Finally and importantly, please note that these programs are not Art Therapy and should not be viewed as such. This is art for wellbeing and not a form of psychotherapy.

Please share with anyone living with LC in Leeds, who may not be on Instagram/FB.

Playing around with pastels in our online art class today, led by art teacher . Discussing windows and whether they are constraints or a view out to the world.

Happy New Year to all of our followers and budding artists!

2024 will see a further 3 rounds of Art Journalling courses being delivered to people with Long COVID in Leeds, with thanks to the and .

We are also looking for people to support us with our website and social media in 2024, as well as seeking to collaborate with other artists, well-being practitioners and organisations. If this could be you…. please get in touch.

More details to follow soon and we will be back from 8th January 2024!

Much love - Jess, Ruth and the team at re-stART x



-Being -Being

Thank you to Jackie for letting us be part of her inspiring on Creativity, with contributors from all over the world.

Our Director shared her own story and reflected on why setting up re-stART has been such an important part of her own recovery.

Get a cuppa and listen in to tales of ordinary people turning their diversity into something moving and/or beautiful. Those of you suffering with long COVID/ME/CFS the poetry and music certainly hit the mark.

The whole episode is a testament to creativity as a healing factor. At re-stART we recognise this and are passionately absolutely driven to deliver our services; as a way of improving mental health and wellbeing.

Visit to have a listen and to browse over 100 episodes. Thanks Jackie for all you do ❤️

A simple yet effective way to draw contemporary Christmas trees last night!

The group chose whether to add water swirls with a brush or keep it linear and clean cut…

The good old masking tape was out again!

Do you have Long Covid? Do you live in the Leeds Area?

re-stART is delighted to announce that we have had received support from the brilliant Grants scheme.

This funding will enable us to deliver a second online Art Program to a small group of Long Covid sufferers in Leeds, over the course of 8-10 weeks. The 1hr weekly sessions will be relaxing and mindful and participants will create their own Art Journal/Sketchbook.
All materials, sketchbooks and tuition will be provided. Not only are PREVIOUS ART SKILLS NOT NECESSARY but we actively encourage absolute beginners.

To be eligible to apply for this particular program, participants will be required to meet a set of criteria:

*Be diagnosed with Long Covid by a GP or Health Professional,
*Reside at an address with a Leeds postcode,
*Have access to Zoom through a laptop or tablet (unfortunately we are unable to provide technical support or lend ICT equipment at this time.)

To apply, please contact us via message to confirm that the above criteria has been met and please include some basic details about yourself, including your email address and postcode. More information about the Art Program will then be shared with potential participants via email and/or a telephone call arranged if required. Please note that if we receive a high amount of interest, then participants will be selected at random and a waiting list created.

This is our second Art program, which was designed by our Director Jess Taylor (nee Dun) , who was diagnosed with Long Covid in February 2022 and continues on her recovery journey herself. We hope that the program will benefit more Long Covid sufferers and other health groups in the future. We therefore expect participants to be willing to provide quality, constructive feedback that we can use to demonstrate our impact on wellbeing.

Please share with anyone living with LC in Leeds, who may not be on Instagram/FB.

Such an effective session, where the tape peel was particularly satisfying!!!!

More feedback from our pilot group.
💚💛💚
Details will be following next week but we have received funding from to deliver the program to another group in Leeds. Thank you so much to them for accepting our funding application.

Mindful bubbles for a busy and exhausting week.

We love how everyone has the same direction but produces work in their own style and vibe.

Tonight we chatted about how these bubbles related to sone of the group’s illness and their feelings around their changed lives.

What words would you write in your bubbles?

We are looking forward to sharing some fundings news very soon!

If you live in Leeds and are concerned about ongoing and persistent symptoms in your child, post-covid, please visit your GP. There is a specialist Long Covid children’s service in Leeds.

A walk in the park might seem like a pretty normal activity. But for those people suffering with a chronic illness or disability, it can feel like a marathon. Or it may be inaccessible entirely because of the need to rely on a carer.

Whatever your goals are, we hope that you can access these sunny moments, sometime soon.

As we start to collate our feedback and measure the impact of the pilot; we wish to say thanks to all participants for giving us such heartfelt and fantastic reviews.

We are now going to look at producing more in-depth reflection and seeking ways to improve our program and delivery.

We are currently awaiting the decision from two funding bids, which would allow us to reach out to a further three groups in the Leeds area.

Keep your fingers crossed for us!

-Being -Being

Here at re-stART, we are starting to process the evaluation forms and feedback from our online art pilot program. It is such a vital part of measuring impact and moving forwards

As well as being grateful for these awesome reviews - we are also keen to know what could have been done better. So that we can improve before the next cohort 💪

-Being -Being

That’s a wrap! Tonight was our 8th and last session with the first of our Covid Art groups.

They have come so far!

Tonight we showed participants the power of different types of brush strokes, to create a fabulous letter page.
More to come…. as we seek further funding to continue this safe and supportive space for people with and post-covid or energy limiting conditions.

And we have officially had the STICKIEST masking tape ever. When I was a teacher - I could never get my hands on reasonably priced masking tape with any stick! Now there’s ripped paper all over the place… despite all the dabbing! 😂

- Jess - are-stART Teacher and Director

-Being -Being

That’s a wrap! Tonight was our 8th and last session with the first of our Covid Art groups.

Look how far they’ve come!

Tonight we showed participants the power of different types of brush strokes, to create a fabulous letter page.
More to come…. as we seek further funding to continue this safe and supportive space for people with and post-covid or energy limiting conditions.

And we have officially had the STICKIEST masking tape ever. When I was a teacher - I could never get my hands on reasonably priced masking tape with any stick! Now there’s ripped paper all over the place… despite all the dabbing! 😂

- Jess - are-stART Teacher and Director

I am extremely humbled and proud to have received this feedback this week. We have 2 weeks left of our pilot art project for people with Long Covid in Leeds. I’ll be honest, I’ve poured my heart and soul into this idea over the past year. I did it because I believed that I could really help people and these comments affirm that.

I set out on this journey because Long Covid is a horrendous illness that has changed my own life and that of my family’s life. Despite being a medically recognised condition with over 206 symptoms, it is an illness that that comes with a stigma that I don’t fully understand. But instead of spending my energy thinking about this, I wanted to put my energy into helping others through creativity and connection.

Over the next few weeks, it will be time to reflect and evaluate the pilot art program and decide on how to move forwards to help more people.

If you have registered to take part in the art programs, please bear with us, as we try to secure more funding and establish a few key things such as our website etc. (massive job but watch this space!)

Thanks again to and to my awesome art guinea pigs 🐹

Much love
Jess - Art Teacher & Director

I am extremely humbled and proud to have received this feedback this week. We have 2 weeks left of our pilot art project for people with Long Covid in Leeds. I’ll be honest, I’ve poured my heart and soul into this idea over the past year. I did it because I believed that I could really help people and these comments affirm that.

I set out on this journey because Long Covid is a horrendous illness that has changed my own life and that of my family’s life. Despite being a medically recognised condition with over 206 symptoms, it is an illness that that comes with a stigma that I don’t fully understand. But instead of spending my energy thinking about this, I wanted to put my energy into helping others in the same boat.

Over the next few weeks, it will be time to reflect and evaluate the pilot art program and decide on how to move forwards to help more people.

If you have registered to take part in the art programs, please bear with us, as we try to secure more funding and establish a few key things such as our website etc. (massive job but watch this space!)

Much love
Jess - Art Teacher & Director

Tonight we worked on some scissor drawings, inspired by the amazing Jim Dine’s tool prints.

Our journal stimuli was comparing our Long Covid to a pair of scissors and allowing the expression of a bit of anger, with the fact that Covid has done this. And against a rhetoric and stigma of Long Covid being “just a bit tired”.

Long Covid sufferers… how would you compare your illness to a pair of scissors ✂️?

Thankyou to and for giving a group in Leeds the chance to express themselves and use a creative outlet for their recovery.

Building watercolour layers tonight - thanks to all my participants in the pilot. We are learning from you and the feedback is highly valued 😊

Last week’s art session was all about the different ways to utilise masking tape. A low-effort method to divide your page and make shapes, where you can concentrate on colour mixing and mindful brushstrokes. On Wednesday, our group will be building up on top of their shapes and exploring mark making.

So far our course has been a fantastic mid week session for a small group of people with Long Covid in Leeds. We will be looking for the next cohort, once we secure additional funding.

Would you like to be on this waiting list? Or know someone who could benefit? Please pass it on or drop us a message 😊

Participants need to be diagnosed with an energy, limiting condition, such as long Covid, CFS, ME or a similar chronic illness, and live in a Leeds postcode. Sessions will run on a Friday, times TBC.

Our pilot online Art Program, for Long Covid sufferers in Leeds, is now in it’s 3rd week. The group are doing absolutely brilliantly and we are so grateful for them giving their time but most importantly, their energy
❤️💪🎨🖌️🖼️

and some beautiful last minute flowers from Adrienne’s flowers in Farsley, Leeds. What a shop! 💜💜💜

Good morning ☀️ Here at re-stART we are sending out positive energy to all those people having a very different Monday morning to their pre-covid lives 🧡🧡🧡

Long Covid is extremely isolating. Our ideas to bring people together through art are taking a long time to plan and deliver. But we are passionate about doing it.
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As an artist herself, our Director has got some big ideas. Not just for online courses to give people the skills and confidence to take up a new hobby. But for some more ambitious ideas to make some collaborative pieces of Art.
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Even if they take a lifetime…. they are going to happen!

Thank you to my lovely group of Artists who are taking part in our first online program that started today!

What a great start - exploring continuous line and the delights of pen and water technique.

Thanks we got there in the end!