Hundreds receive wellbeing boost from rural arts group
Nestled away in a bucolic cabin in Weardale, The Wiggly Path CIC has helped over 200 people in rural County Durham improve their wellbeing since its launch last year.
Offering the perfect respite for those seeking to learn new skills, socialise or simply try a new experience, the social enterprise is the brainchild of Colin and Sarah Wilson.
The enterprising husband-and-wife, who hail from nearby Witton-le-Wear, both worked in the design department at Northumbria University prior to setting up the community interest company, which has allowed them to channel their shared love and experience of the arts into giving back to their local community.
The organisation champions the role of the arts, creativity and traditional skills in promoting health and wellbeing in rural County Durham by working with local organisations and communities to develop projects and programmes that respond to the needs of the people in the area.
Woodcraft, weaving, stitching and traditional printing are just a few of the crafts and skills that participants can turn their hands to, as well as joining the group for informal catchups to discuss everyday rural life.
Colin said: “At first, the idea was to have people pay to attend workshops, but then Covid and the cost-of-living crisis hit, and gradually, different institutions began asking us to run classes to help people who were struggling with isolation.
“That is where it really took off. We didn’t realise just how big the mental health crisis actually was in rural areas such as County Durham. Now the majority of activities we do are classes to help people who feel isolated or simply want to boost their wellbeing.
“We even host children’s classes where parents can participate alongside their kids while taking a break from the everyday routine.”
The Wiggly Path CIC only began delivering workshops in October 2023, yet it has already attracted over 200 participants and with additional activities in the pipeline for the winter months and throughout 2025, including team-building workshops for businesses, Sarah and Colin are excited to see what the future holds.
“We really have been blown away by the response we’ve received so far from the local community,” Sarah added, “particularly given that so many people who come along have never even been to an arts class before or tried their hand at half of the things we practice.
“The feedback we’ve received has been incredible, not only from those who have attended our classes, but also from our partner organisations and the local community groups we work with, so going forward the plan is very much to continue building on that.
“Over the coming weeks and months, we will begin introducing a few new activities, some of which will be festive themed, and as we look to 2025, the aim is to expand into delivering team-building sessions for businesses and other such community groups.
“We will also be attending events, such as Blanchland’s Christmas Market later this month, which will help us to further raise awareness of how participation in such creative activities can help transform lives and hopefully inspire more people to get into arts and crafts.”
The Wiggly Path CIC has been supported by funding and advice from the Social Boost Durham programme. Delivered by the North East BIC, the programme is one of the pilot initiatives being delivered across England, funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, to help stimulate social entrepreneurship in target areas.
Michelle Booth, social enterprise boost manager at the North East BIC, said: “We are proud to have played such a key role in The Wiggly Path’s journey so far.
“Their community-centred mission is exactly the kind of thing we love to support – programmes or organisations that can have a real, positive community or environmental impact while also becoming a viable business in their own right.
“Sarah and Colin’s work has already had such a positive impact upon hundreds of lives across the Weardale area and we look forward to seeing how they continue to grow from here on out.”
To find out more about The Wiggly Path, visit https://www.thewigglypathcompany.com/