On 8th October, the Women’s Support Centre, Surrey, hosted their annual Art Awards at Watts Gallery, Compton. The artwork will be displayed as a free exhibit until 20th October.
The Women’s Support Centre, Surrey, based in Woking, has been providing support to women from across the county for over 10 years. A dedicated team of workers and volunteers support clients through trauma, homelessness, financial difficulties and navigating the criminal justice system.
Women who attend the art groups at the Women’s Support Centre and women from Surrey prisons submit their work to art awards. This year’s theme is ‘Past, Present, Future’ and women were free to interpret the theme and express themselves in various artforms. At the event there were multiple paintings on display, poetry was read to the guests, and the women from the art group produced and performed ‘The Trials of Lady Beth’, a short re-imagining of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Clients and employees of the centre as well as funders, partners and community leaders attended the event.
Manger of the Centre, Leanne Spiller, spoke at the event, saying: “The important part of having the centre, is the wrap-around support you get from entering a safe space. I’m sure there are some people here who can really vouch for that…” Leanne added “There’s something very special about it, and I hope that through events like this, and by working together, we can carry on delivering this support that women in Surrey so desperately need.”
Karen Jones leads the Art Group at the Women’s Support centre and thanked the women who produced the art at the awards: “Each year the quality just keeps getting better and better, and I think we’re all very fortunate to witness the bravery of these women.”
From 10th to 17th October, the Women’s Support Centre is taking part in the Big Give campaign to raise £10,000 that could be put towards vital resources for women in need.
The £10,000 could provide 200 hours of 1:1 support for women in need. Big Give helps double every donation received through the campaign page, meaning £5 turns into £10, £10 into £20 etc. If you would like to donate to the Women’s Support Centre, Surrey, make sure to donate between 10th and 17th October by following this link: Women’s Support Centre Surrey, for Women in Crisis (biggive.org).