Welland

Welland is our wellbeing project in Elland, including an annual community festival as well as year-round activities. Welland provides opportunities for Elland’s community to come together, be creative, and express themselves. We enable local people to explore and try new things that not only benefit their individual wellbeing but also strengthen community spirit.

In 2020, we focused on supporting people who were disproportionately challenged by the pandemic:

children and young people, and their schools
older isolated residents
people seeking sanctuary in Elland

We explored new ways of working that enabled people to access creative wellbeing opportunities from their homes, and we are continuing to develop these for 2021. Find out more below.

A group of volunteers from Welland. They are standing smiling at the camera and there are pop up Welland banners on each side of the image.

‘Curiously Creative’ Virtual Schools’ Workshops

Supporting the resilience and wellbeing of children in Elland through dance and creativity.

Created specifically in response to the pandemic, we want to support teachers and schools in providing opportunities for their pupils to connect back with each other, express themselves, and learn in a way that is fun and inspiring.

Each virtual sessions is created specifically for a key stage, and there’s sessions for early years all the way up to key stage 4!

Join our brilliant dance artists, Matt and Jess, to support children with their learning and wellbeing, including:

Empathy
Resilience
Communication and team work
Processing experiences
Self expression
Fun and joy!

SESSIONS ARE FREE FOR ALL SCHOOLS IN ELLAND & CALDERDALE

SIGN MY SCHOOL UP!

Well and Happy Boxes

A little box of happiness delivered straight to the homes of vulnerable adults in Elland.

Created specifically for isolated and vulnerable residents in and around Elland, including those seeking asylum, our boxes consist of beautiful and creative products and resources that promote, joy, connection, and creativity.

Our summer ‘Well and Happy’ and winter ‘Well and Merry’ boxes have been a huge success and we hope to offer more of these in the future. If you’d like to support us to do this you can do so here.

The outside of our Well and Happy Boxes, wrapped in multi=colour paper ribbon. The boxes are white and purple - the purple is a watercolour splash shape.

Photo shows a 'Well and Merry' wellbeing box from above - the box is white with a pale blue and silver winter design on the top, including trees, a reindeer, and snowflakes. Text on the box reads: Hello. Here's a special gift of winter warmth and merriment for you! We hope you enjoy it. With love, Sam and the team at Curious Motion x

Online dance & wellbeing sessions

Weekly classes on Zoom are continuing, plus we have new audio sessions on the way!

A group of dancers on Zoom - some are pointing at the camera, and some have their arms out to the sides. They are all smiling.

Welland’s Story

Welland was started in 2018 by Sam and Susan, in response to conversations with local residents and small business owners in the community – many commented on a lack of opportunities available in the town, and the need for new, positive activity that helps to strengthen community spirit and improve wellbeing.

So, in June 2018 we piloted a one day festival, bringing together local wellbeing practitioners, artists, and organisations to provide a range of new activities the community could get involved in for free!

It was a huge success, and so in 2019 we extended the main event to a full weekend, and also ran a series of individual opportunities, including community walks, a workplace wellbeing networking event, and a series of ‘spark meetings‘ where the community could give us their ideas.

We received lots of positive feedback from local people, and many of them were keen to access activities on a regular basis, so Welland now consists of a variety of offerings at different points each year.

Dancers from Northern Rascals all crowded around the Welland Festival bright pink banner. They are all holding dance poses and smiling at the camera.

About Elland

Elland is a Yorkshire market town with a fascinating heritage – it celebrated it’s 700^th birthday in 2017!

Elland was recorded as Elant in the Domesday Book. The town’s name is derived from the Old English meaning ‘land by the water, river or land partly or wholly surrounded by water’ (wikipedia).

Excitingly, there’s lots of development planned for Elland over the next decade, including a new train station, a community hub, and redevelopment of the town centre.

You can find out more about Elland on Visit Calderdale.

Two people taking part in Taekwondo - one person is jumping up in the air and the other person is standing facing them. There are more people in the background doing Taekwondo.

Move Well, Live Well 2019

Welland 2019 saw a vibrant mix of workshops, activities, and performances for people of all ages to get moving, and explore ways to live happier, more connected lives.

An incredible 1178 people participated in our activities and we collaborated with 54 practitioners, artists, and organisations.

We also coincided with Global Wellness Day and took part in Children’s Art Week, enabling us to bring new, diverse, and exciting opportunities to our community.

Huge thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund, Calderdale Council, and the amazing local businesses and organisations who helped fund Welland 2019.

2018 – Welland Begins!

The very first Welland!

Our one-day pilot event where we brought together practitioners, support services, and artists in and around Elland to explore what wellness means for our community.