BAGNALL BREW AND BISCUITS

Bagnall Brew and Biscuits (BBB) is a weekly community café, started in May 2022, run and maintained under The Oasis Partnership Social Prescribing Project umbrella.

BBB provides a welcoming, non-judgemental, safe space where people can drop in without an appointment to have a cuppa, play board games and socialize. It has been very successful (See Table 4 for details), with an average of 10 people attending each session and friendships developing between attendees.

During the winter months BBB acted as a warm space where people could receive a hot drink, biscuits, and enquire about help and support if needed.

Individuals don't need to attend on time or every week, there is no financial obligation, attendees have the choice to sit and chat, or not, and the choice to play games if they would like. There is always a member of staff and volunteer present to help facilitate conversation, set up games between people, and importantly, recognize if someone requires further support.

The Oasis Partnership celebrated BBB’s one-year anniversary in May 2023, with the Bagnall Brew and Biscuits Big Birthday Bonanza. 38 clients, staff and volunteers attended the celebration, which included home baked goods, party food, birthday decorations, and games. There was a free raffle with donations from local businesses including dinner and music at a local restaurant, haircut, handmade glass etching donated by a client (see below), and vouchers for several local café’s.

"Thanks for referring me to the activities run at the Bagnall Centre, I can't believe I've been going for over 18 months now, Guitar with Jon is a blast and meeting up with the Brew and Biscuits Gang is the highlight of my week, I hope I can get on Molly's Cooking class again. As a SSAFA Caseworker it's great knowing you're there to refer Ex Service Personnel for support/advice. Thanks again for all you and the team do." - Alfie

The sewing circle is the second group set up by The Oasis Partnership social prescriber. The group has 6 regular members with a mixture of experience of knitting, crocheting, and embroidering, and others who are just starting out, oftentimes, those with more experience assisting others who need guidance. The group is made up of predominantly women, but with a range of ages from 22-80.

The support of local charity Work Aid allowed us to stat the group by offering free materials following the generous donations of second hand material, wool and haberdashery. Clients can use materials provided such as knitting needles, yarn, embroidery silks etc. at no cost. This has helped us to ensure the group is accessible to all, as financial barriers were cited as a reason clients were not engaging with craft groups in the community.

Earlier this year the group made blankets they donate to local hospitals. Over the Christmas period many attendees made Christmas gifts, while others who are grandparents are often making blankets and garments for grandchildren in their lives.

All individuals in the group have differing needs, including being lonely and socially isolated, some are carers, some people in recovery, and experiencing physical and/or mental health difficulties.

The mental health benefits of the arts are now widely accepted, and doing so in a group setting employs a social element. Crafting while socializing is particularly helpful for individuals who find group settings difficult, it creates instant common ground and a talking point 'what project are you working on?', while keeping hands busy helps ease anxiety and maintain grounded in the moment.

Over time, the group opened up about their life experiences, finding common ground with people they wouldn't usually meet. The group often 'shoot the breeze' and have a good laugh accompanied by cups of tea and biscuits. At times, more talking and drinking tea is accomplished than the projects at hand!

As the group has become closer, different acts of kindness have been witnessed, by sharing, from craft knowledge and patterns, to freshly baked cakes at Easter, plants from peoples gardens, and even fresh vegetables from allotments, building a sense of community amongst the crafters.

‘"The sewing circle has been a great place to meet other likeminded people. Kindness, understanding, empathy is at the heart of each meeting which is accessed by people with diverse needs. Some want to learn new skills and others want to just be with others. For me, the sewing circle has enabled me to place perspective to my own set of circumstances and I have found a genuinely caring environment which gives me solace when needed." - Jane