🏞️ From Park to Page: How The Greenhouse Sparked a Year of Creative Wellbeing

🌿 Planting the Seed

Early 2025, Think Big Do Bigger CIC began using The Greenhouse - a new community space in Victoria Park, Portsmouth to explore an idea: Could mindful art offer a calm, inclusive space where people could pause, connect, and reflect together?

The opportunity came through Portsmouth City Council’s heritage and regeneration project, which invited local groups to pilot activities in The Greenhouse. We saw this as a chance to test what we do best - using creativity and reflection to bring people together in gentle, accessible ways.

So we launched a short programme of Mindful Art sessions, offered on a Pay What You Can basis. Each week, participants were guided through simple creative and reflective activities designed to nurture calm, connection, and wellbeing.

🎨 Listening Through Creativity

Over several weeks, participants joined us in The Greenhouse - some seeking quiet, others looking for community, many returning each week.

As people created, conversations began to flow. They spoke about stress, isolation, and the challenge of finding time for themselves - but also about joy, belonging, and rediscovering creativity. The sessions became a gentle space to pause, share, and be.

“It’s the only time in my week that feels just for me.”“I’ve realised creativity can be about breathing, not achieving.”

Through this pilot, it became clear that there was a strong community need for regular, low-pressure creative wellbeing spaces in Portsmouth - particularly ones that feel welcoming, inclusive, and free from expectation.

🌱 From Pilot to Project

Building on the learning from the pilot, Think Big Do Bigger CIC applied to the National Lottery Community Fund to continue and expand the work.

We’re thrilled to share that funding was awarded - enabling us to deliver a year-long creative wellbeing programme, launching Tuesday 7 January 2025 in The Greenhouse at Victoria Park.

🕊️ Weekly sessions: Tuesdays, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm📍 The Greenhouse, Victoria Park, Portsmouth☕ All materials provided and free refreshments available💬 No need to book - just drop in!

Alongside the weekly sessions, we’ll also:

• Develop a volunteer programme to support community involvement and skills building.

• Deliver a series of outreach workshops across Portsmouth to reach people who might not yet access creative wellbeing spaces.

  
  

💬 What We Learned

From our time in The Greenhouse, we discovered that:

• Structured creative spaces can feel open and accessible when held with care.

• Free or low-cost access breaks down barriers to participation.

• Creativity can be a gentle entry point into connection and reflection.

• Listening to people’s experiences leads to stronger, more meaningful projects.

  
  

What started as a small pilot has grown into a year-long commitment to helping communities co-create, reflect, change, and thrive.

🌈 Looking Ahead

As we prepare to launch in January, we’re excited to see how this work continues to grow -nurturing connection, creativity, and care within Portsmouth’s communities.

The Greenhouse has become a symbol of what we believe in: that with the right space, time, and invitation, people naturally come together to create something meaningful.

📩 Contact: info@thinkbigdobigger.co.uk 🌐 Learn more: thinkbigdobigger.co.uk