Shrewsbury yoga and wellbeing centre secures generous Arts Council England Funding

A Shrewsbury-based yoga and wellbeing centre has been awarded a £22,000 grant by Arts Council England (ACE) for the roll-out of a brand new community project that will offer extensive workshops and classes combining creativity and wellbeing for local communities.

The money will enable local creatives to deliver new experiences that support community engagement, specifically for people who would otherwise not have access, including refugees, people experiencing physical and mental health challenges, as well as many other groups of people such as young carers and those experiencing homelessness. 

The project, called Creative Awakening, is being spearheaded by Jenna Blair, owner and founder of the growing Shrewsbury-based yoga studio, ‘Jenna Blair Yoga’, located in Belle Vue. The funding will see Jenna and a team of local creatives and other yoga teachers offer introductions to journaling, painting, crafting, sound therapy, as well as further yoga sessions. 

The grant follows Jenna Blair Yoga’s recent successful National Lottery Awards Community funded project where a £10,000 grant saw over 600 people access yoga classes and workshops, including sessions for people living with cancer, classes for people with dementia as well as classes for carers.  

Jenna Blair said, “I’m blown away to have been awarded this grant by Arts Council England and it’s fantastic that we can build on the momentum we started last year on our community work. I am hugely passionate about the power that both creative practices and yoga can have on our lives - the two are so connected and help us to find opportunities for self-expression, relaxation and mindfulness, as well as being invaluable in supporting our wellbeing.

“The scale of the funding means we’ll be able to offer a breadth of enriching creative experiences that support people’s wellbeing, as well as helping to develop new skills. Through this generous funding, we’ll be able to reach more people than we’ve been able to reach before, specifically for those most in need or who wouldn’t ordinarily have access, thanks to Arts Council England.”

The funded workshops will take place at Jenna Blair Yoga and will also be offered across venues and communities in Shropshire.

Initial workshops have been confirmed together with charities including Shropshire Mind as well as Headway, a charity supporting people living with brain injuries.  

The full programme of activities will be shared soon, with updates found at jennablairyoga.com and across Jenna Blair Yoga’s social media channels, including Facebook and Instagram.