Camphill St Albans, Hertfordshire | Apt Creations and community social life


Apt Creations

Apt (Artists Producing Together) has grown into a thriving social enterprise based on a fusion of individual creativity and group projects. The art and design studio, craft workshops, Apt Creations Gallery, Café Apt and Apt Boutique offer a range of activities which people can experience as part of a varied weekly timetable or by concentrating on one activity for a longer period.

In the studio and workshops people can explore their own creativity in partnership with others, learning and developing skills and having the satisfaction of seeing their work sold in our shops.  The art studio produces unique hand-made greetings cards for every occasion which are especially popular with customers. Ceramic work ranges from simple shapes and plaques for use in jewellery design to casting with liquid clay, sculpted figures for seasonal decorations and the challenge of creating a form on the potter's wheel. Glasswork involves composing segments of beautifully coloured glass into striking abstract designs and natural forms, such as birds and butterflies, and soldering them into place to form exquisite hanging decorations.

Our Gallery and Boutique are thriving enterprises with the income helping to support the services offered by Camphill St Albans. They sell a wide range of high quality art and craft gifts, jewellery and clothing and provide work opportunities for people to meet and interact with the general public, learning retail and social skills with opportunities to train for NVQ qualifications. Café Apt opened in the Gallery in June 2009, providing additional work and training opportunities serving customers from a fully organic menu.

CLICK HERE to visit Apt Creations. 

Social and Cultural Life

Residents enjoy a varied social and cultural life with festivals, birthdays and other anniversaries being focal points for common celebration. People are supported to participate in activities of their choice and the vibrant city of St Albans and its close proximity to London provides ample scope for this. For example, one resident recently attended a photography course with the assistance of a volunteer and another has a weekly drum lesson.

There are visits to theatres, concerts, cinemas, galleries and museums. The simpler pleasures of visits to shops, cafés and pubs, cycling in the surrounding countryside or a walk in the park are all close at hand. At a weekly meeting, all residents are able to take part in planning evening and weekend activities and deciding which concerts, performances and other advertised events they would like to attend. Life can include auditions with a local theatre group and being given a part in a play, singing in a local choir, playing cello in an orchestra, being a member of a social club or gym, dancing lessons, swimming, sports clubs, classes at the local college and being a member of a church congregation.

Therapies

In addition to support to access services for staying healthy, support is available for a number of complimentary therapies, such as artistic therapy and eurythmy.

Contact

Camphill St Albans, 76 Sandridge Road, St Albans, Herts AL1 4AR
Telephone: 01727 811228   Fax: 01727 811909
mail@camphillstalbans.org.uk


Day Opportunities at Camphill St Albans

WE OFFER day opportunities to adults with mental health problems or learning disabilities who are ready to take a step forward in life.
Would you like to find a new way of self-development through learning, building your confidence and gaining new skills which can lead to NVQ qualifications? Would you enjoy working with others as a team in a friendly social environment?
CLICK HERE to discover what a new path of learning and growing can open up for you.

Ways to Quality

Statement of Intent for
Quality Self Regulation
 

Camphill St. Albans works with Ways to Quality, an international quality assurance programme. Developed for organisations in the fields of health, social care and education, Ways to Quality is officially recognised in Switzerland, Germany, Austria and France, and has been used in the UK since 2003. Working with Ways to Quality, through continuous self assessment and learning, encourages our community in achieving our aims in providing high quality services that meet residents' needs. 

Camphill St. Albans is being audited by the independent certification body Confidentia and aims to achieve Ways to Quality certification by the end of 2009. 

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