Creative Odyssey

Poems From A Norfolk Farmhouse CD read by Mal Cannell

CD featuring favourite poems read by Norfolk antique dealer Mal Cannell. Including works by Edward Lear, Hilaire Belloc, G K Chesterton, John Masefield, Lewis Carroll, Christopher Marlowe. We made this CD in 2020 to spread a little joy and calm. Funds will go to Children with Cancer UK and Creative Odyssey Art/Nature/Wellbeing Projects. CD £11, Incl. P&P.

£11.00

Odyssey Postcard Exhibition 2020

The Exhibition held at Mandell’s Gallery between 24 – 29th Feb 2020 raised £5000 for Children with Cancer UK and £1400 for the Creative Odyssey Project, a series of community arts projects to support people through hard times.

You can still support our fundraising by purchasing Odyssey tiny artworks @creative.odyssey on Instagram all money will continue to go to CWC UK and Creative Odyssey.

Thank you so much to everyone who has donated and purchased artwork so far.

Interview by That’s TV.

Lantern Workshops and Parade – update

The Winter Lantern Parade has been postponed until further notice. Paper and willow lanterns were created in schools and community groups in the Beccles area, UEA students, Brilliant Makers Clubs in association with Access Art in Cambridge across the UK and at workshops in Raveningham. The Ship of Light, created as a collaborative project with artists Sarah Cannell, Rachael Long and Andy Jarrett, will be lit at the end of the Lantern Parade and was displayed at the Norfolk Makers Festival 2020 at the Forum, Norwich.

Background to The Creative Odyssey and Henry’s Odyssey

Sarah Cannell – Artist/Curator

My son Henry was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) on January 9th 2016 when he had just turned 7. Within 48 hours his whole life had been turned upside down and an ambulance ride to Addenbrookes confirmed his diagnosis with intensive chemotherapy treatment starting immediately. The first 6 months of treatment threw relentless physical and psychological challenges at Henry with hideous side effects from chemo and steroids which caused a lot of pain, weight gain, anger and restricted mobility. 3 years of ‘maintenance’ treatment for boys with ALL means 3 years of daily chemo, weekly antibiotics and blood tests, monthly check ups, 3 monthly chemo under anaesthetic and emergency stays in hospital if Hen’s temperature went over 38c, for this reason Henry had to be within 90 minutes drive of a UK hospital at any time for the duration of the 3 years to avoid sepsis and complications during treatment. Incredibly, and thankfully, Henry got through his treatment which ended in March 2019, he is officially in ‘remission’ and March 2024 will be ‘cured’. In 2018 whilst still on treatment we organised a fundraising exhibition of donated postcard sized artworks from artists for Children with Cancer UK and for a trip at the end of treatment for Henry.

Wading through PTSD

This has been our life for such a long time it is normal for our family. What we didn’t see coming at the end of treatment was the massive psychological impact for all of us, particularly Henry, from taking multiple traumas in our stride. We were warned by hospital staff (doctors, nurses and psychologists) that people can have a ‘bit of a wobble’ at the end of treatment. For Henry this has meant severe separation anxiety and PTSD which has impacted his daily life in many ways including terrible nightmares, disturbed sleep, panic attacks, high anxiety and sickness phobia. Accessing help through school and NHS mental health provision has been gruelling and limited in it’s helpfulness. Whilst his school have tried to help with extremely limited resources we have found overall psychological help has not been there in the way we have needed it. We have had to find our own way through an extremely difficult time and whilst we are still struggling we try to be positive and find creative solutions from wild swimming, hypnotherapy, reflexology, clay therapy, art therapy and many more approaches.

The Healing Power of The Arts

Throughout everything, I have felt the strength and healing power of the arts in so many facets of our #creativeodyssey from the artwork hanging on the walls at Addenbrookes and Norfolk & Norwich hospitals, to the incredible response to #henrysodyssey in 2018 from local and international artists, to the simple act of stitching, drawing and making at home and in hospital rooms with Henry and his friends over the past few years. I truly believe that #artwillsaveus in so many aspects of our lives, particularly when it involves wider communities, and this is part of the reason for planning the Winter Lantern Parade and Ship of Light for March Spring Equinox 2020. We need something to work towards and to look forward to which will spread a bit of light and magic, a focus away from the challenges of PTSD with the idea that using simple materials and making art together, celebrating art and nature will benefit everyone’s mental health regardless of what challenges life has thrown at them.

The Amazing Artists

Christine Allman, Katy Armes, Diana Ashdown, Malcolm Ashman RWA RBA ROI, Bob Baker, Ellie Baker, Peter Baldwin, Sarah Bale, John Bardell, Andy Campbell, Corinna Barrell, Sarah Bays, Keron Beattie, Mrs Bertimus, Garlinda Birkbeck, Laura Bos, Mary Blue Brady, Helen Breach, Mandy Brooke, Charley Anne Brown, Rachel Buck, Rachel Burchell, Vanessa Burroughes, Judith Campbell, Edward Cann, Clare Cansick, M Caton, Linda Chapman, John Christie, Carrie Clarke, Rebecca Clifford, Katarzyna Coleman, Linda Combi, Eileen Coxon, Cat Croxford, Polly Cruse, Malcolm Cudmore, Alec Cumming, Rachael Dalzell, Patricia Davidson, David Davies, Natasha Day, Caroline Denyer, Charlotte Dickens, Prue Dobinson, Stephanie Douet, Gill Dove, Sophie Duel, Zelda Eady, Alex Egan, Anthea Eames, Jane Ebel, Jean Edwards, Alex Egan, Ashley Elder, Patrick Elder, Rosemary Elliott, Chloe Ellis, Chrissie Everard, Katie Falcon, Tor Falcon, Pam Fielder, Gill Forsbrook, Nina Mae Fowler, Tessa Fox, Emilia Foyster, Zannie Fraser, Luis Frutos, Beth Groom, Serena Hall, Maggi Hambling, Dorothy Hanna, Suzie Hanna, Celia Hart, Bill Hayward, Richard Hemmings, Bridget Heriz, Tom Hill, Elizabeth Hindle, Sally Hirst, Vicki Honeywood, Spadge Hopkins, Annalise Horsley, Annie Hudson, Liz Humphries, Gennadiy Ivanov, Jayne Ivimey, Maz Jackson, Brian James, Olivia Jeffries, Clare Johnson, David Johnson, David Jones, Gray Jordan, Yusuf Keten, John Kiki, Elizabeth Kozmian, Diana Lamb, Martin Laurence, Sue Lee, Chrissy Leech, Paul Levy, Chris Lewis-Smith, Mary Littlefield, John Link, Hannelore Lucie Smith, Jean MacMillan, Chloe Mandy, Richard Mills, Laure Van Minden, Edwin Mitchell Finch, Jane Mitchell Finch, Cornelia FitzRoy, Caroline Mackintosh, Sue Maufe, Marion McConaghie, Valerie McMullen, Carol Miles, Liz Monahan, Eric Moody, Nikkita Morgan, Sarah Morgan-Birch, Catherine Morgetroyd, Mary Muir, Gill Munn, Verity Newman, Su Nicholls, Dee Nickerson, Amalia Nolan, Anna Osborne, Helen Otter, Emrys Parry, John Peddar, Jacqui Petrie, Maddy Pikarsky, Ian Piper, Liz Pratt, Maricruz Prieto, Ann Richardson, Louise Richardson, Kirsten Riley, Roxana de Rond, Sula Rubens, Vicky Russ, Jane Sanger, Carol Saunderson, Malca Schotten, Gaia Shaw, Emma Shipton Smith, Lucy Smith, Sarah Smith, Meryem Siemmond, Valerie Sims, Nicola Slattery, Jude Smith, Lucy Smith, Fern Spray, Jane Stebbing, Nicky Stainton, Annemarie Stirling, Chrissy Sturgess, Ronnie Suffling, Jeremy Taylor, Dom Theobald, Graham Thomas, Gwyneth Thomas, Kerry Timewell, Pat Tinsley, Corrin Tulk, Ayse Ucuk, Clarissa Upchurch, Teena Vallerine, Kate Walker, Lydia Ward, Georgina Warne, Zheni Warner, Monika Wesselmann, Jane West, Rebecca Whatley, Joceline Wickham, Les Williams, Ava Wogelius, Eleanor Wood, Simon Woodward, Terry Wright, Megan Yardley.

You can still support our fundraising by purchasing Odyssey tiny artworks @creative.odyssey on Instagram all money will continue to go to CWC UK and Creative Odyssey.

Odyssey Postcard Exhibition 2020

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