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During what is currently a challenging time for everyone, Newport Live’s Arts and Sports Development teams are working to support people’s wellbeing, spread happiness and share love and kindness throughout Newport.

Running between St Dwynwen’s Day on 25th January, and St Valentine’s Day on 14th February, the teams will be compiling and sending out wellbeing packs to support individuals who are isolated in order to help them get creative and stay active. Working alongside pupils in Newport Live’s Alternative Education scheme, The Arts Development Team based at The Riverfront Theatre and Arts Centre will be creating packs that will include resources from local artists and school children, craft activities, a bulb to pot and watch grow as we move into spring and summer, sweet treats and also links to fitness and wellbeing resources. 

Danielle Rowlands of The Riverfront’s Arts Development team comments 'Teams across Newport Live are working on Share The Love, a project hoping to bring some cheer in a dark and dreary period and highlight opportunities to engage in lots of lovely activity, places to get support and remind people of the care and love being shared across our community. The project is primarily aimed at isolated older adults but with the wider hope that we connect with as many people as possible and encourage them to share the love.’

Richard Dale, Sport and Physical Activity Development Officer for Newport Live said 'This is another opportunity to support the community of Newport with their wellbeing during the pandemic. The students on our Alternative Education programme are playing a fantastic role in collating and delivering the packs in a Covid secure manner to people who are unfortunately finding themselves more isolated due to the current pandemic.  These online sessions complement our other projects and digital activity to help people stay Happy and Healthy at Home and provide opportunities to take part in exercise and artistic activities in a safe and responsible way whilst at home.'


In addition to these packs, a range of other activities will be taking place to help the people of Newport to Share the Love. 

The teams are calling out to everyone to get creative inspired by the work of CONSUMERSMITH which is currently on display at the Riverfront. The piece is titled ‘May Love Be What You Remember Most’ and stands as a memorial for life lost in recent times. As part of Share the Love the Riverfront team are encouraging people of all ages to get creative on the same theme as the painting and draw, write, paint, rap, dance, or any other format and send what you create so that it can be shared and displayed at The Riverfront. More information on the work of CONSUMERSMITH and how to get involved can be found at newportlive.co.uk/gallery.

Share the Love is also linking with local groups to celebrate Newport’s history, in particular the Folk on the Footbridge and Memories of the Transporter Bridge projects. Both projects are looking into the history of two of Newport’s most iconic landmarks and are calling out for people to share their photographs and memories of the landmarks in order to be part of the history of the bridges.

On the 1st of February a 28-day wellness challenge, the Kindness Calendar will start, encouraging participants to complete a different activity linked to wellness each day during that month. The activities are all based on loving a different area of life, including their community, their friends, their planet and staying creative. The challenge will be shared on social media, and The Riverfront would love to hear how participants are getting on with the challenge and share your pictures.

Share the Love will also include links to Newport Live’s new live fitness classes that will be starting from 1st February and are available to join via Zoom. The Riverfront also want to highlight some of their local partners and ways they are keeping participants active and creative, including Naz at Art Clwb, Tin Shed Theatre Co and their Twinning project and Ballet Cymru. More information and resources and the full activities that are taking place for Share the Love can be found online at newportlive.co.uk/sharethelove.

Share the Love has been made possible thanks to the donations received from Newport Live members, customers and audiences as well as funding from Sport Wales. To find about more about how you can support Newport Live’s vital community activity and donate to future projects like these visit newportlive.co.uk/support-us.