A wide range of participants, from primary aged children to the elderly, have been celebrating the festive season with Independent Arts in the run-up to Christmas.

Our latest exhibition at our Creative Hub in Newport showcases the work of young people coming to terms with some of the difficult issues facing them on a post-pandemic Isle of Wight.

Independent Arts is hoping to help more long covid sufferers with a new 12-week programme of a singing therapy with a proven track record of helping people with breathing difficulties

If you pop into Independent Arts on Newport High Street on Saturday 19 November, you might notice that something’s different: there will be the usual warm welcome and free creative workshops, but instead of the regular staff and volunteers, these will be offered by students of the Isle of Wight Education Federation (IWEF), who will be taking over for the day.

It’s never too late to find your creative voice or benefit from creativity, as the vibrant new exhibition at Newport-based arts for wellbeing charity Independent Arts shows.

On Wednesday 5 October, as the first major event to mark Independent Arts' 35th anniversary, 115 people came together at Newport Minster, to sing their hearts out and celebrate our longest-running programme, SingAbout.

Our charity is 35 years old this year - and it fills us with pride. We are proud to support the most vulnerable, the loneliest and the most isolated, with uplifting and unimaginably high-quality creative experiences. We are hugely proud of the difference we make to the lives of those we serve. We see and hear the impact that being part of something special brings.

We join the whole world in sadness and reflection, on the passing of Her Majesty and pay tribute to her incredible long-standing commitment to the country and its people.