Rotherham community group helping people write their way to wellness

A Rotherham-based community organisation has been awarded a £5,000 grant to run creative health workshops for people who have experienced trauma.

Pen & Purpose CIC received the funding from South Yorkshire’s Community Foundation (SYCF) to help deliver its popular creative health groups.

The free, weekly sessions, which run at Rotherham Tesco Community Rooms and Rawmarsh Social Prescribing Hub, focus on mental wellness through reflective art and creative writing.

Each session explores a different theme and includes facilitated discussions, movement, nutrition and lifestyle guidance, alongside one-to-one peer support.

The SYCF funding has been used to purchase the materials, tools and craft equipment needed to run the workshops.

Founder and director of Pen & Purpose, Rachel Lindley Love, said:

“We are so grateful to South Yorkshire’s Community Foundation. The funding has allowed us to invest in more materials for people to express themselves with.

“A lot of the time funders may think they’re funding a crafting project. Actually, it’s so much more than that because they’re funding connections, recovery, wellness and self-expression.”

Rachel’s vision for the group was born from lived experience and a belief that people heal best when they feel safe, seen and valued.

Since launching two years ago, Pen & Purpose has welcomed over 2,385 attendances.

“I created Pen & Purpose back in 2024 in response to unmet community need, especially loneliness, trauma, isolation, addiction and long-term mental health challenges, particularly affecting women and people with histories of childhood, sexual and domestic abuse.

“The intention was never about fixing people, but about walking alongside them, gently helping them reconnect with creativity and purpose. And that’s exactly what we are doing.

“We’ve been working with the local Chamber of Commerce and RIDO over the last few months to develop a private sector offer that brings the magic we’ve seen in the VCS into the workplace.

“We’re now offering creative Connection Sessions for businesses, designed to help colleagues build genuine connection, creativity and wellbeing at work.”

One participant said: “Before Pen & Purpose I was isolated and scared to leave my home. Now I’ve made lifelong friends, found a safe and supportive space, and returned to work doing a job I love.”

South Yorkshire’s Community Foundation is the region’s largest grant-giving charity. Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the Foundation has awarded more than £40 million in grants to grassroots organisations across South Yorkshire over the past four decades.

Jess O’Neill, Grants and Partnerships Manager at SYCF, said: “Pen & Purpose is a fantastic success story. What started out as a small acorn of an idea has grown into a real lifeline for so many people. We’re proud to be able to fund this fantastic group where people feel safe and are given the opportunity to grow through creative wellbeing.”

Sessions run on Mondays between 10am and 1pm and Fridays from 10am to 12pm at Rotherham Tesco Community Rooms, on Drummond Street, and on Wednesdays from 10am to 1pm at Rawmarsh Social Prescribing Hub on Barbers Avenue.

To join call 07935 000866 or email hellopenandpurpose@gmail.com.