Collaboration with The Yard

Teapot Trust works predominantly in hospitals supporting children with chronic illness to cope with the emotional impact of their conditions. In recent years, we extended our reach to work in partnership with organisations that support children with disabilities and additional support needs in the community. 

A fantastic example of this work is our partnership with The Yard Dundee, which supports around 100 children a week and provides a vital lifeline for families. The Yard is a haven of play for children with disabilities, offering opportunities for fun, friendship and community building, as well as support and a sense of belonging. It is a place where children feel understood and safe and somewhere they can also take risks. 

Over the last three months, the Teapot Trust has been working in partnership with the Yard to offer creative sessions as part of their school’s programme.  

Teapot Trust Art Therapist, Kate Wood, has been working with children and young people who attend The Yard twice a week. 

“Working in The Yard has been a fantastic experience. It is a wonderful project offering children who can sometimes find full-time school difficult, a space for play. Working in partnership with the incredible staff team and seeing how the children engage with the art materials shows the value of having art therapy in community settings. The ethos of The Yard is to allow children freedom of expression and this is also true of art therapy, so it complements the work that they do well. ”

Staff working at The Yard are also enjoying the benefits of having creative therapy as part of their programme.

“It has been fantastic having an art therapist on site. We always have arts and crafts set up for the children and young people to explore, however having someone solely dedicated  and focusing on art with the children has allowed them to experience new opportunities. Working with new materials is opening their minds to be more creative and adventurous around art. The team has also noticed that Kate working with the parents and carers has reduced their anxieties around 'making a mess' with the materials. Slowly the parents are stepping back and allowing the children to explore and experiment with mixing the materials.”

And what do the children who attend think of the sessions?  

"It would be amazing if we could keep this going as Kate has formed a lovely bond with the children and their families, to the point they now ask if Kate is coming into the session."

“We love the clay that Kate brings us to play with”.

 “The no-mess play foam is great fun and we make creatures with it.”

The work taking place in Dundee has been funded by generous donations from local charitable trusts. This funding enables us to provide the art therapist's time and art resources to support children and young people in Dundee.