On the 15th June 2019 SLOW held a special sibling workshop at the Ecology Centre, in the heart of the wildlife reserve in Gillespie Park, Islington.

The workshop was generously gifted to SLOW by the amazing Cloud Workshop New Zealand who have been running creative art workshops with bereaved children since 2008. This workshop was also supported by the Angus Lawson Memorial Trust.

The workshop was led by Cloud Workshop with the theme of ‘Peg Guardians’.  Cloud Workshop has a long tradition of making talismans to ward away sadness and strengthen us. The peg guardians were inspired by Guatemalan Worry Dolls and Depression era toys that were made from everyday objects such as pegs and wooden spoons.  The peg guardians have had to work hard over the years – helping to keep bad dreams away, reminding us of someone we are missing, comforting their spirit, comforting our own spirit, trying to provide strength against bullies (and encouraging talk with adults about this). After an introduction from Deb, the children brainstormed on the qualities they wished their guardians to portray and then created their figures with flat pegs, fabrics, papers, felt, decorations and character faces.

Children took part in a ‘show and tell’ at the end of the workshop describing their work to other children, team members and parents. The combined volunteers from SLOW and Cloud Workshop worked very hard throughout the afternoon to create a very successful and activity packed workshop.

Thank you to both our sponsors – Cloud Workshop and Angus Lawson Memorial Trust.

Some information about SLOWsibs

SLOW runs creative workshops for bereaved children that have lost a brother or sister so they can meet each other with the aim of reducing isolation, building resilience and confidence and making new friends. We provide a safe space to explore feelings and develop their creative skills.

SLOWsibs meets quarterly and previous workshops have included cupcake decoration, miniature worlds, gardening, marbling, decoupage and Christmas wreath making. Children aged 6 years to 15 years are invited to attend the groups.

Take a look at our picture gallery here to see some of the wonderful and creative work from our SLOWsibs.