Schoolchildren Get 'Art And Soul' Through Run With It Charity

Children from Walkington School in East Yorkshire have designed and made greeting cards that will be sold alongside professional artists’ work in Beverley.

Taking place from the town’s Flemingate shopping centre, the 10-week learning programme is run by the educational charity Run With It.

This is just one of the hugely popular programs offered by Run With It to raise literacy and numeracy levels throughout Hull and East Yorkshire.

“Our whole aim is to take children out of the classroom, give them real life skills in more informal settings and make learning fun. So, in this case, the Flemingate Shopping Centre is their classroom – and they leave us as published artists, feeling so inspired, it’s lovely to witness. They design and create something that is tangible, that a member of the public can actually buy from Art and Soul in Flemingate. There is a permanent display inside the shop just for our children and it’s really popular with buyers.

“In the past, we’ve had children from other schools who want to go back into the shop with their parents to buy their own card and find that it’s already been sold. Of course, they are devastated at that point, but the pride that they feel when they realise that someone loved their work so much they’ve taken it home with them, that’s priceless.”

Over one hundred local artists sell their work at Art and Soul, a vibrant cultural hub in Beverley. As a result, Run With It has become its chosen charity and it regularly collaborates with the organization.

Whenever students come into Art and Soul, Erin Bullough works with them on customer service. She said:

“It is a pleasure to work with the students and charity, talking to them about all things art and creativity. It’s imperative that young students should be allowed to get creative, as it is not only proven to help mental health, it also shows that there are career options that can celebrate their creativity and ideas.”

Lisa Dawson, Director of Run With It, said:

“This is such an amazing opportunity for the children to gain valuable creative and business skills that will undoubtedly stay with them for the rest of their lives. Not all children thrive in the traditional classroom environment so by taking them into a a real-life setting, they are developing Maths and English skills without even realizing it, while at the same time increasing their self-esteem and confidence and developing aspirations and employability skills for the future.”

All proceeds from the sale of the greetings cards are donated to the charity.

As of now, Run With It has four education centers, including one at Hull’s MKM stadium, another at Bridlington Town Football Club, and a fifth at Beverley’s Flemingate shopping centre.