Most of those services have been provided at what is now the charity’s new, permanent base, off Mill Road, which it took on after being given a three-year grant worth £205,000 from the National Lottery.
Santiago-Val said having somewhere to officially call home – in which people experiencing social isolation, inequality or mental health struggles could be creative without prejudice – was “really important”.
“We really needed a safe space for our participants who are often experiencing trauma and significant crisis in their lives,” she added.
“We’ve got loads of different things happening here, which is amazing – it’s quite incredible.”