We engAGE at The Gayfield, Edinburgh Fringe 2016
We engAGE are going to be at The Gayfield Gallery in Edinburgh from the 16th to the 22nd of August! This exhibition will bring together all of our previous work - both stories and creative processes created by older people living with Dementia and multi-sensory outcomes from our most recent Intergenerational Project, in the aim to change perceptions around Dementia.
We have various sessions on during the week - please get in touch at: claireford88@hotmail.com to find out more!
On: Friday 19th of August, 10 - 4pm / £55pp - We engAGE Training will be taking place for Artists, Carers, Care Staff to learn how to engage people living with Dementia in Technology!
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As part of our new project - The We engAGE Intergenerational Project we invite you to come and see the final exhibition which is on at The Customs House from the 17th of May to the 5th of June!
See our Press Release here:
We engAGE is an
arts project based in the North East of England, with a focus on older people,
specifically those living with Dementia. It uses creative digital apps on an
iPad to bring creativity and curiosity to life!
The We engAGE
collective is made up of four Artists: Claire Ford, Louise Rea, Sarah-Jane
Scott and Lesley Anne Rose who come from a variety of creative backgrounds, who
work together to provide new exciting opportunities for older people aiming to
connect them to the digital world and their inner creativity!
With numbers of
people living with Dementia set to rise in the next decade, We engAGE have
started a new strand to their work, working inter-generationally. The aim of
this is to build creative confidence for both age groups and to embed new
community relationships between schools and care homes, sustaining the
relationship for future projects.
30 Year 5
pupils were chosen from Sea View to be part of the pilot and have all
undertaken the training to become Dementia Friends. One pupil said ‘I will hold
their hand and make sure they feel safe’.
14 We engAGE
Creative workshops are currently underway based on the theme of ‘Woodland’, in
which children and older people are paired together. The theme was chosen due
to the amount of sensory stimulus available and the beauty of bringing the
outdoors in. The five senses are fundamental to people living with Dementia,
assisting in making sense of the world.
The we engAGE
collective will be bringing together aspects of the inter-generational
workshops into a multi-sensory installation named ‘Outside In’ at The Customs
House in South Shields. ‘Outside In’ will be available to the public to view
from Tuesday 17th of May to the 5th of June to coincide
with Dementia Awareness week, 2016.
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'We engAGE' is our NEW Name!! We have re-branded!!!
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We engAGE Packages that we offer!!
What does We engAGE offer?
We engAGE has TWO strands that it offers:
1) We engAGE workshops, training and mentoring based on the We engAGE model for individuals living with Dementia.
2) iPad based workshops inspired to raise confidence and usage for 'Silvers' (over the age of 50). These can be designed around the specific group with their needs at the forefront of what is covered in the session/s.
Please get in touch if you would like any more information or to discuss any bespoke packages that would meet your needs at: claireford88@hotmail.com
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Dementia Care Mapping - TRAINED!
Claire has been on an intensive four day training to learn how to use Dementia Care Mapping in practice, supported by the University of Bradford. We hope to put this into practice within We engAGE.
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Amsterdam - Dementia Care Homes and Dementia Village
As part of the TANDEM project - a collaboration between Equal Arts and Zona's Kiosk Presenteert meant that we got the chance to visit and observe various Creative Workshops in Amsterdam. One of the places we visited was the well-known Dementia Village. More information can be found here: http://dementiavillage.com
Residents have freedom to walk and explore the village on their own and have lots of independence when it comes to food, shopping and hobbies. There are 160 residents who are you housed with 7 people per house, meaning that everyone knows everyone well.
A great place with new and exciting concepts that i will take into consideration back in the UK…
Working and sharing good practice with Artists based in Amsterdam was fascinating. And we look forward to spending more time with them when they come over to the UK in July!
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Sustainability of We engAGE…
We engAGE is now been sustained at Nottinghamshire Hospice…with Graham Elstone carrying on delivering We engAGE workshops. The hospice have purchased there own iPads and incorporating it into their everyday programme.
We are currently mentoring 12 Care Staff and Volunteers at Abbeyfield Ilkley who have been trained on the project to continue and deliver We engAGE workshops as part of their everyday roles.
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Upcoming We engAGE Training Days
We engAGE are going to be running FOUR training days over the next year for Care Staff, Artists, Occupational Therapists or anyone who is interested in improving and engaging older people, living with Dementia.
The dates are as follows:
TBC 29th of June at Gateshead Library, Gateshead
27th of July at RT Projects in Durham
7th of September at ARC in Stockton
Date TBC in November at Rural Arts in Thirsk
If you would like any additional information or the course breakdown, please do get in touch at: claireford88@hotmail.com / 07828975335
Feedback from a Care Staff Member who attended We engAGE Training at LWDP in Preston:
"Amazing Course - Claire is a superb teacher - i would recommend it to anyone! I learned so much, Thank you"
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The We engAGE team are currently developing Digital, Creative Portfolio's capturing some of the work created on the various We engAGE Projects. This will be available in various formats such as on Mail chimp this Website, on the Storehouse App and in hard copy in a book.
We hope to capture the creative processes on the project……coming soon
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Can you believe it? We are nearly at the end of our second iPad Silvers Course at ARC in Stockton and will be concluding with a Creative Exhibition in the ARC foyer.
When? Thursday the 9th of July 2015, Afternoon
Why not come along and see what can be creatively produced on an iPad by over 50's!!
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NEXT THURSDAY - the 4th of DECEMBER at ARC in Stockton
* Celebrate the work of the Silver iPad Creativity Group and try your go at an iPad yourself!
* Ring up to book your place now at: 01642 525199
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A new advert has gone out today, advertising We engAGE 'iPad Training' that we run at LWDP in Preston! If you are interested…please call the number above.
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Additional funding has been secured to sustain We engAGE at Abbeyfield Ilkley!
* Watch this space for some more updates shortly!
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We engAGE is looking forward to attending the 'Tea and Teach' Event in association with Abbeyfield to support International day of the Older Person on October the 1st! We will be sharing the work developed and created by residents at Abbeyfield Alnwick on the We engAGE Project!
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Training THREE new Artists and Care Staff in Nottingham, in collaboration with Nottingham City Arts!
Last week was a busy week of training, exploring and sharing practices at Nottingham City Arts! We are looking forward to working with three new artists and three care providers - Eastgate Care, Abbeyfield and Nottinghamshire Hospice. Keep Posted for exciting updates and further opportunities!
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Three Artists for Nottingham have been recruited!!
I am very happy to announce that we have recruited another three artists to facilitate We engAGE workshops in Nottingham Care Homes!
They are:
Nicola Colclough
Graham Elstone
Lytisha Tunbridge
We are really excited to be working with them over the next few months! Welcome on Board!
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Are you Creative? Have you got a Passion to help others? Do you LOVE your iPad?
THEN - WE NEED YOU!!!
Follow the link below to see the Job and Person Spec:
http://www.city-arts.org.uk/call-freelance-artists-imagine-project/
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We engAGE delivering 'Taster Workshops' at Abbeyfield Events!
We are happy to be sharing Taster Workshops to staff at Abbeyfield Care Homes at two events in September. One in York and the other in Leyland, Lancashire!
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ARC, Stockton
iPad Creativity Workshops have been funded by Awards for All to run at ARC in Stockton with the Silvers (50+) iPad engAGE are excited to design and develop skills using the iPad! These will begin in September so keep posted for details here:
Click Here
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We engAGE / Nottingham City Arts Collaboration
We engAGE is very excited to start working closely with Nottingham City Arts and various Care Settings across Nottingham. We will be training Three New Artists at the beginning of September!
Click Here for the Job Description and Details to Apply!
Keep Posted to see how we get on!
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We are currently on with writing reports for various Arts and Dementia Journals - please see the 'Publicity' section for updates!
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We engAGE Exhibitions!!
(If you would like to attend please e-mail Claire at: claireford88@hotmail.com)
Here are the dates / times:
Abbeyfield - Gosforth, Newcastle
Saturday the 12th of April / 10:30 - 12:30
Thursday 17th of April / 2 - 4
Abbeyfield - Ilkley
Wednesday 16th of April / 12:30 - 2:30
Abbeyfield - Alnwick
Thursday 24th of April / 2 - 4 tbc
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AGE UK do We engAGE!!
AGE UK in the Sunderland Area have been successfully funded to run three, six week We engAGE courses! They will begin in April and run through to the end of July! We are excited to inspire other groups to become Digitally Creative and work collaboratively with AGE UK!
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Arts Council England / Baring Foundation fund The Courthouse, Hereford
Arts Council England and the Baring Foundation have announced the four successful
applicants to their jointly funded Arts and older people programme.In which one was to
The Courthouse in Hereford. I will be working closely with them to develop their
Creative Programme into the Digital (using the learning developed from We
engAGE)..WE ARE VERY EXCITED and CONGRATULATIONS!
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FOUR Abbeyfield Care Homes have been selected for We engAGE!!
The four Abbeyfield Residential Care Homes selected for We engAGE are:
- Abbeyfield House, Alnwick
- Grove House, Ilkley
- Castle Farm, Newcastle
- The Grove, Newcastle
We are excited to be working in these venues and meeting their residents and staff!
First workshops begin W/B 13th of January!
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Artist Development
For the last two weeks before Christmas, the four Artists selected for We engAGE have been training, collaborating, learning and designing but also working on 'LIVE' Arts and Dementia Projects across the North East. To have time and the space to explore ideas has been fantastic and we are now ready to begin facilitating on the project in the upcoming weeks!
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Hit Record
http://www.hitrecord.org
- An Open Collaborative Production Company (Hit Record) have devised a website in which you can collaborate with other Artists and use multiple projects across various Art Forms to create something new! We engAGE thinks this is a great idea and a way of innovatively bringing projects / people together. We hope to work on this shortly!
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Paper 53's New Stylus!
We engAGE has ordered the NEW Paper 53 stylus to trial out during the second phase of We engAGE. We are really excited as it has been designed to allow you to rest your palm on the screen! Previously this has been a problem associated with Stylus' on We engAGE as many older people want to naturally sit their hand on the screen! SO we are very excited about how this may improve engagement…!!
It can be found here:
http://shop.fiftythree.com
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We engAGE goes to Sydney, Australia for the 'Art of Good Health and Well-being' Conference!!
I had the fantastic opportunity of going out to Sydney, Australia to facilitate two We engAGE workshops as part of the Art of Good Health and Well-being Conference 2013.
And what an opportunity and honour it was....
I collaborated with another iPad Project that is taking place in Western Australia with the focus being on individuals with Learning Disabilities. The project is called stARTspeak, Check it out here: www.startspeak.org
- It was a real pleasure to co-facilitate an iPad Creativity workshop with Simone Flavelle from this project sharing and learning from each others' practices. Even though the group focuses are different the underlying aims and creativity is the same. It really opened up new doors and thinking for me which will become apparent in We engAGE's journey.
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THREE NEW ARTISTS working on the We engAGE Project!
Three new artists have been allocated onto the We engAGE Project - Phase Two!
They are....Sarah-Jane Scott, Lesley Rose and Louise Rea! Keep updated for news and the live feed during the upcoming weeks!
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The National Lottery : We engAGE Case Study!
Shortly We engAGE will be live on the National Lottery website to show how their funds are put into active and exciting projects across the UK! The link will be uploaded shortly!
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We engAGE Phase Two UNDERWAY!!
We engAGE has been funded for Phase Two of its Creative Journey by Arts Council England - so we are very excited to get things underway in a greater amount of Residential Care Homes in the North East of England!!
This funding will allow for a 'Collective' of Artists to form from various backgrounds and Art Forms to experiment, explore and inspire individuals living with Dementia to be digitally creative. I will also be travelling and facilitating We engAGE Workshops at this years 'Art of Good Health and Wellbeing' in Sydney, Australia - to learn and share ideas with leading practitioners in the field across the world.
http://www.artsandhealth.org/conferences/the-art-of-good-health-and-wellbeing-sydney-2013.html
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We engAGE NEEDS YOU!
The main aim of We engAGE is to empower and provide new opportunities for this hard to reach group, allowing them to experience creative excellence supported through an iPad.
We engAGE hopes to raise £2,000 to purchase four additional iPads. These iPads will be used to explore creativity and the outcomes will be exhibited. The iPads will engage individuals with dementia, health staff and loved ones, inspiring a wider community.
By producing an exhibition it will give the participants a sense of pride and acheivement, allowing them to explore the links between digital media and physical outcomes. From my previous experience individuals benefit from Apps which relate closely to everyday tasks, this exhibition will bring the creations to life.
The four iPads will be used in facilitated We engAGE workshops alongside a supported loan system. During this time individuals will have the chance to explore and build on their creative confidence to create pieces for the final Exhibition. The iPads will also provide iPad Creativity Training for Health Staff and Artists to raise awareness of the importance of Digital Arts in Dementia Care.
The We engAGE workshops will be facilitated over approximately a year. The exhibition will then combine various Art Forms and levels of Dementia, with input off care staff, families and friends.
THE EXHIBITION
What will the Exhibition do?
o Promotes Digital Arts as an art form for older people
o Dementia awareness to the wider community
o A sense of self worth for individuals
o Confidence
o Pride!!
o Creates a digital age
o Provides an end goal and point of focus
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Camerata Project, Manchester
A collaborative project was set up between the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester, the Camerata and with myself (incorporating my We engAGE Practice)...not to mention Shore Green (an independant living facility in Wythenshawe). This was a Pilot Project to understand how digital art and music can be combined to create a finished piece, developed by individuals with Dementia.
We facilitated three workshops each (The Camerata and Myself) but due to the time constraint it wasn't possible to develop a coherant relationship between the two art forms which made sense for the individuals and therefore we kept them seperate. They worked really well and through evaluative feedback we aware of the next steps if the project is developed further.
As part of this project, a film was developed to record its process. Watch this space! I will add it on shortly when it has been edited!
We facilitated three workshops each (The Camerata and Myself) but due to the time constraint it wasn't possible to develop a coherant relationship between the two art forms which made sense for the individuals and therefore we kept them seperate. They worked really well and through evaluative feedback we aware of the next steps if the project is developed further.
As part of this project, a film was developed to record its process. Watch this space! I will add it on shortly when it has been edited!
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We engAGE on Creative Dementia Arts Network..
In the next couple of weeks iPad engAGE will be on the Creative Dementia Arts Network and you will be able to find it at:
http://www.creativedementia.org/
I will also be delivering an interactive workshop at their National Conference on the 8th of April which i am really looking forward to! Keep Posted via their website to sign up for this fantastic conference!
http://www.creativedementia.org/
I will also be delivering an interactive workshop at their National Conference on the 8th of April which i am really looking forward to! Keep Posted via their website to sign up for this fantastic conference!
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Digital Cultures Presentation, Newcastle
I had the fantastic opportunity of presenting my ideas around the We engAGE project to the Digital Cultures Group as part of the TWAM network. This was really interesting and due to the conversations and debates evolving from the group it inspired other ideas for digital work with older people.
If you would like to be involved in the next networking event contact John Coburn with an expression of interest at:
john.coburn@twmuseums.org.uk
If you would like to be involved in the next networking event contact John Coburn with an expression of interest at:
john.coburn@twmuseums.org.uk
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The Pilot Project of We engAGE is now complete with majority of the Care Settings sustaining its Creative Work - Great News!! I hope to develop and manage a longer We engAGE project next, responding to all findings from the Pilot. KEEP POSTED!!
In the meantime...if you would like to read the Final Report from the We engAGE Pilot feel free to get in touch at:
claireford88@hotmail.com / 07828975335
Once Again, a HUGE Thanks to all those who were part of the We engAGE Pilot Project - the results and journey was truly special to be part of!
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The We engAGE Project has inspired all sorts of other exciting Digital Based Projects across the country too.
Most recently i have been working with 4D Creative, based at MediaCity in Salford. Commissioned by Merseycare at Aintree Hospital, i have been sharing my knowledge and skills of working with individuals with Dementia. The space was designed by 4D and automatically creates an exciting space to be creative and to loose yourself in....it is truly magical. All of the projections, music and lighting is controlled by technology, similar to the iPad. Therefore it has really embedded We engAGE and how technology can be used by this hard to reach group.
More information on their work can be found at:
http://4dcreative.co.uk/
As part of Dementia Awareness Week i will be promoting Carers Together services at Skelton Civic Hall....demonstrating the iPad Workshops (which have continued since We engAGE finished). Come Along to have a go....on Tuesday 21st of May!
Lancashire Worksforce Development Partnership have now develop ed 'Tea and Talk' afternoons for families and individuals affected with Dementia to come along to. iPad Creativity and Training has been developed for these every month, and over time confidence and ability will progress.
In the next couple of weeks i will begin a Digital Photography Project at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire working with the families on site! I am looking forward to exploring various techniques on the iPad to create the best results! The final pieces will be exhibited - Keep Posted for Additional Details!
IPad Creativity Classes are still very popular at Rural Arts in Thirsk. Whether you are interested in Visual Arts or Film and Animation - there is an iPad Course for you....
Sign up at :
http://www.ruralarts.org/product_categories/digital-courses/
Similarly i will be running iPad Workshops at the Bradbury Centre in Castleton beginning in September 2013, facilitating to a mixture of ages in an assisted living complex. These dates will be added in due course!
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Newsletter Four is here!!! Check out the 'Newsletters' Page!
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NEWSLETTER 4 from York Teaching Hospitals will be ready to view very shortly!
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We engAGE at York Teaching Hospitals is now FINISHED!!
After a whirlwind of Creativity with various patients at York Teaching Hospitals - We engAGE has completed its set of workshops. The collaboration between the Arts Development Team and Ward 37 Staff at the hospital was fantastic enabling us to deliver and explore the project effectively.
Over the next few weeks i will be completing evaluations of findings from the four care settings on We engAGE with the hope to develop a new funding bid to progress this work further.
WATCH THIS SPACE FOR NEWS AND UPDATES!!!
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We engAGE at York NHS Hospital has been utterly Marvelous....so far!
Seven Workshops have now been facilitated at York Teaching Hospitals, with the remaining three to come! It has been a whirlwind of information and a setting that has really developed the project in a different way altogether.
As a result of We engAGE it is apparent that there isn't a tool out there which adapts to an Older Person when engaging with an iPad, considering factors such as sensitivity, movement and interests. Therefore i have been exploring ways of overcoming this whilst working one to one with selected patients in the hospital.
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We engAGE set to go to York NHS Hospital tomorrow!
We engAGE begins Stage 4 of the project at York Hospital tomorrow!
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Intergenerational iPad Project!
Workshops are now completed with both Roseberry Primary School in Great Ayton and Carers Together in Redcar, focussing on the theme of World War Two.
The final showing of the film will be on Tuesday the 4th of December, which will bring both groups together to share and delve into this new developed partnership.
This project has been an absolute pleasure - with everyone thoroughly enjoying it!
I will now begin designing ways of implementing some more thorough intergenerational projects for 2013 to inspire community cohesion!
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Rural Arts, Thirsk - iPad Creativity Night Course!
If you would like to book on one or more of the following courses, follow this link:
://www.ruralarts.org/?product_categories=digital-courses
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SUSTAINABILITY AND OTHER IPAD ENDEAVORS!
I have recently delivered 'Line to Life' on behalf of Gallery Oldham's Big Draw which incorporated line drawings and music compositions for general visitors to Gallery Oldham. It was a great success and really interesting from my point of view to see how younger people in engage with the iPad in comparison to older people. We hope to sustain this and develop a programme using iPads too....hopefully we can do this for the Older generation also! KEEP POSTED FOR UPDATES!
The Intergenerational Project working with my first stage We engAGE group - Carers Together and Roseberry Primary School is all planned with it to be facilitated and ran during November, around World War Two (the school's curriculum).
LWDP iPad Creativity Training is planned for three dates at the end of 2012 / beginning of 2013 which really sustains the work i aim to do! I was able to present my training at an LWDP conference in Manchester with many people interested in embedding this way of working within their organisation.
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Stage Two of We engAGE at Kirkley Lodge Day Centre is well underway now and will be concluding at the end of this week in a recap / exhibition style workshop.
It has been ever so interesting working in this Day Centre and i have learnt and delved into many ways of facilitation both in a group format as well as through a one to one appraoch. All of these findings will be available to view on the Stage 2 Newsletter which will be out and about by the 16th of November!
Keep Posted!
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I have recently changed the appearance of my blog - so bare with me until it is all back to normal - feel free to view older posts rather than information in categories on the left!
Thanks!
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I will be developing a newsletter over the next couple of weeks which concludes everything that we created, developed and Apps that were used throughout Stage One...keep posted for more updates from the exhibition and developments for Stage 2!!
All Digital creations will also be available on this blog very soon!