Creating Ground CIC

16/06/2026

Refugee Week 2026 is here! 🌍✨
This year’s theme is Courage, and we are celebrating the resilience and creativity of migrants with two special events.

💛 There and Here – A Celebration
Our dance group will be performing as part of Luca Silvestrini's Protein's annual Refugee Week event! Join us, Protein, and Greenwich Borough of Sanctuary for a communal meal and incredible arts celebrating the contributions of refugees and migrants.
✨ Saturday, 20th June at Woolwich Works✨
Reserve your free here: https://www.woolwich.works/events/there-here-a-celebration-refugee-week-2026

💛 Exploring Courage with Women's Interfaith Network
In collaboration with WIN, we’ll be exploring the theme of courage through our own journey of being Rooted & Rising. We are also very excited to share an exclusive film created with our Heritage project! We'll let you know when the film is available on our website!

15/06/2026

What a fun and informative session we had last Wednesday in Together for Wellbeing where we explored the Five Ways to Wellbeing:
⛹️‍♀️ Be Active
💬 Stay Connected
📚 Keep Learning
🎁 Give
👓 Mindfulness/ Paying Attention.

We enjoyed the hula hoop and colourful kinetic sand activities, helping us learn, connect and, be mindful together.

Thank you to everyone who joined and to Greenwich Mental Health Hub South East London Mind for making it possible! 😊

🌱💙

15/06/2026

🌱 Celebrating 10 Years of Rooted and Rising 🌱

🦋 In our 10-Year Celebration at the atmospheric Gwest Hall, alongside our live events, we showcased an incredible exhibition of artwork created by our members, including jewellery boxes, embroidery pieces, mixed-media flowers, and our stunning giant butterflies as the centrepiece. 🦋

Butterflies symbolise spring, growth, transformation, and rebirth. Across many of the cultures represented within our organisation, they also embody the soul, freedom, courage, and hope.

Today marks the opening day of Refugee Week 2026 (15-21 June), and we are inspired by this year’s theme: Courage. For people seeking sanctuary, courage is often a daily necessity - the courage to face uncertainty, learn new languages, navigate unfamiliar systems, and build new lives and communities.

Over the years, Lucie, Rose, and Laura have inspired and supported our members through imaginative and engaging creative projects. Through programmes such as My Creative Skills, Creative Skills Online, and Together for Wellbeing, women have come together to create art, learn new skills, build friendships, and develop strong networks of support.

These creative sessions have helped improve wellbeing, build confidence, and foster meaningful connections across cultures.

Here are some highlights from our 10-Year Exhibition at Gwest Hall, beautifully captured by Sohaila Ferrier https://www.instagram.com/sossyfez/, alongside memories from our creative arts sessions throughout the years. 🙏🏽

You can also explore our Virtual Exhibition, showcasing work produced by our My Creative Skills group before and after lockdown:
www.theground.org.uk/virtual-exhibition

A huge thank you to the The National Lottery Community Fund, University of Greenwich, and Greenwich Mental Health Hub South East London Mind for supporting our various Creative Arts for Wellbeing projects and helping make this work possible. 🙏🏽

08/06/2026

💫 Our Archive project continues to grow, and we'd love everyone to share their own reflections and memories in the comments below:

💭 What does Creating Ground mean to you?
💭 What is your earliest memory of Creating Ground?

🎉As part of our 10th Anniversary celebrations, we launched Archive Project to celebrate our journey so far as an organisation and create a lasting legacy for the future.

🙏🏽 A huge thank you to Lydia Powell, whose dedication, attention to detail, and passion have made this project possible. By training our Stronger Together Leaders in interviewing skills and supporting the creation of powerful audio recordings, Lydia has helped ensure that Creating Ground’s story is captured and shared with wider audiences. 🙏🏽

🎙️ At our exhibition, visitors listened to excerpts from selected interviews conducted by and with our members, then edited and produced by Lydia. The audio in this reel offers a glimpse into those stories.

✨ To explore the full recordings, scan the QR code at the end of the reel or follow this link https://www.theground.org.uk/rootedandrising

You'll hear first-hand the memories, experiences, and moments that have shaped Creating Ground into what it is today.✨

🙏🏽 Thank you, Lydia, for your incredibly meticulous and dedicated work in helping preserve Creating Ground's story for future generations.

🌟Huge thanks to The National Lottery Community Fund for helping us tell our story!

05/06/2026

💜 A positive United For Dignity meeting on Tuesday!
We had meaningful discussions about the issues affecting migrants, particularly those facing the challenges of No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF). Together we also began planning an inspiring dance project with Luca Silvestrini's Protein that will raise awareness of the realities and experiences.
Looking forward to bringing this important story to life through creativity and collaboration. 🤝🎭💃

Huge thanks to Global Dialogue

04/06/2026

What are you doing on Saturday 13th June?

Join Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network for a wonderful event, United in Courage: Voices of Strength and Solidarity 🫂

A community-led day of music, art, learning and family activities celebrating Refugee Week & the courage of Lewisham’s migrant communities.

11AM - 4PM at the Richard Hoggart Building Room 142, 143 & 150, Goldsmiths, University of London

Drop in for a session or stay for the day, you won’t want to miss this celebration!

Reserve your space for free here:

A community-led day of music, art, learning and family activities celebrating Refugee Week & the courage of Lewisham’s migrant communities.

02/06/2026

☀️ Braving the heat for an unforgettable Heritage Storywalk in Greenwich! ☀️
What a joyful and inspiring day it was to be joined by the Deaf community DMCS - Deaf Multilingual Community Support CIC

A massive thank you to our incredible women for so beautifully weaving your personal journeys and diverse cultures into the local history of Greenwich, showing us all how our roots connect us.

It was a true privilege to see everyone listening, learning, and connecting. Huge thanks to our amazing BSL interpreters, Gemma and Mehdi, who ensured every voice was brought to life, and thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for supporting this project.

🎥 We've also got something special in the making! 🎥

01/06/2026

We’re proud to introduce the United For Dignity Team! 💜 ✨ A group of migrant women using lived experiences to campaign for change and raise awareness of the impact of No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) policies on our daily lives.

💪Together, we are building collective power, advocating for dignity and inclusion, and pushing for change.💫
From our very first in-person meeting, where we collectively chose our team name: United For Dignity 💜🌟

With support from Global Dialogue, we’re working towards a more just future for all. Watch this space for more updates soon 👀

28/05/2026

Reading through your messages from our 10th anniversary event and feeling incredibly grateful.

Thank you for all the love and kind words and for being a part of this journey💚🧡💛

Huge thank you to the The National Lottery Community Fund for funding our special event ✨💚💚