Time To…
Blog by Helen Willmott (Programme Director, Made in Corby)
What would you do if you had an extra day each week? Spend more time with your family? Visit a new place? Go to the gym? If you’re anything like me, an extra day would be quickly swallowed up by that never-ending to-do list. Those tasks, both at work and at home, you never seem to get round to, like painting the kitchen ceiling (the job I’m currently avoiding!).
But what if we made time for something a bit more fun? How about learning a new skill? Making new friends? Going to the theatre? I wonder what would happen if we made time for fun and laughter?
Last weekend, I accompanied a small group of local residents to Yorkshire as part of Creative Civic Change, a 3-year programme of new creative activities on the estates of Kingswood and Hazel Leys in Corby. We visited Yorkshire Sculpture Park to get ideas for how sculpture can be used to enhance the natural environment. We got loads of ideas and learnt new things, but something much more important happened. We smiled and laughed. We spent time chatting to people that we didn’t know that well before. We ate dinner together whilst reflecting on what we had enjoyed most. We’re all really busy people, with jobs, family commitments and volunteering taking up a lot of our time, but that weekend we made time to do something different, and really enjoyed ourselves in the process.
That’s why our new season of activity includes lots of opportunities to make time to try something new, to spend time with other people and, most importantly, to have fun. And these thoughts have inspired a new programme of creative activities for those of you aged 65 or over, aptly named ‘Time to…’ There’s a chance to join a singing group, try some gentle dance, theatre and visual arts. And in March 2020, we’ll be celebrating the importance of taking time to be creative at a 2-day event at The Core at Corby Cube.
For more information about Time To… and other projects, pick up our new brochure at Corby Library, visit our What’s On page or follow @MadeInCorby on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
