There a places available on workshops throughout the school summer holidays for people interested in exploring their creative talent.

Local artist Cieran McKay has been awarded £10,000 by Invicta FM to run creative workshops at Sunlight during the school summer holidays. The project is called Medway Create.

Volunteers between the ages of 16 – 25 will assist professional artists and a youth worker to run workshops tailored for 12 – 18 year olds. The dates are scheduled every Wednesday and Friday between 30 July and 5th September between 9am and 4pm.

On Tuesday, 1 July the Chief Constable of Kent Police, Michael Fuller, saw first hand the excellent work of Sunlight Development Trust, Community groups and volunteers, in the Sunlight Centre.

Michael Fuller was accompanied by PCSO’s Jo White, Mick Dann and Kathryn Francis who are familiar faces on local streets. They hold regular surgeries at the centre, get involved with community activities have forged positive relationships with local people.
Matt Pearse, Michael Fuller, PC Homam Al-Sinawi and Ram Ray

Foundation stage children from Burnt Oak Primary School released butterflies in the High Hopes Community Garden at Sunlight for the second year running. The school children watched the chrysalises develop in class and on Friday 3rd June and Thursday 12th June Teachers and Teachers Assistants brought groups to the High Hopes community garden to release newly ‘hatched’ butterflies. The High Hopes garden group planted various species of wild flowers and bushes to provide food for butterflies and moths.

TA Fay Bingham releasing tortishell butterfly

The official opening of the Sunlight community garden was on 29th May at 1pm.

Over the last 3 years a group of Sunlight volunteers from a wide range of backgrounds have converted a derelict dump behind the Sunlight Centre in Gillingham, into a beautiful green oasis which local people can enjoy.
High Hopes community garden

High hopes community garden open

Paul Clark officially opened the Kent Autistic Trust gallery at Sunlight on Friday 13th June. The café, main corridor and Honeybees room display high quality pieces from people who use Kent Autistic Trust services. Some artists with work in the gallery come to activities and groups at Sunlight.

Comments so far include:
A very good exhibition of some excellent work
Very interesting and professional exhibition
A very positive, fresh show. A great opportunity to showcase local talent.

Please have a look on the walls next time you are in the centre.

Paul Clark witht KAT at gallery opening

This year’s Love Music Hate Racism event at the Command House on Saturday 7th June was a great success. It may be realistic to state that the selection of artists brought a range of culture unseen before in a one day event in Medway.

Acts included:
● Reggae / R&B Jahson
● Gospel The Munroe Gospel Choir
● Folk The Singing Lions
● Indie Panic Plan / The Spangalitos
● Acoustic / Indie Eskimo
● Indie / Psychedelic The Long Weekend
● African drumming Usifu Jalloh
● Hip Hop / Rap / Reggae Mecca 2 Medina
● Jazz The Jazz Faction
● Opera Matthew Crane
● DJ Mikey Ragga
● Dance Jades Street Dancers

Jay - sound engineer

Radio Sunlight is broadcasting live on the internet from the Love Music Hate Racism festival today between 1pm and 10pm. Come down and enjoy the range of music or tune in...

www.medwayhosting.com/lovemusichateracism

Last year the same volunteers organised a fantastic LMHR event attended by up to 3000 people at The Command House and land in front of Chatham Library. This year the council is allowing us to use even more land and there is an even more diverse selection of acts, entertainment and food.

David Cameron at Sunlight

David Cameron, opposition leader and Conservative MP for Witney, came to Sunlight on Tuesday 3rd June for a high profile launch to their new Green Paper which introduces policies to support volunteers.

Sunlight is proud to announce that 3 new cafes are now open in the Medway area based on the living room cafe's success here at the Sunlight Centre.

Julie has been selected by volunteers and staff for a prestigious Sunlight Development Trust Award of Recognition.

Sunlight was delighted by the appointment of our chief executive as one of the UK’s 25 social enterprise ambassadors – follow this link to find out more: www.socialenterpriseambassadors.org.uk

Bob Smith’s therapeutic clinic idea to offer life skills, advice, counselling and complementary therapy can now become a reality. Sunlight was selected by public votes on Thursday 29th to win enough lottery money to develop the project. Plans have been drawn to modify ‘Room 2’ to make more practical use of the space, with a mezzanine floor, catering facilities, computers and rooms designed to provide a welcoming and comfortable environment. When complete, volunteers and practitioners will have a suitable area to deliver the help people have been asking for and local people will be able to make better use of the centre.

Vote Sunlight (3 slide presentation)

Open doors for Medway residents. Phone the People’s Millions Big Lottery Fund competition, so we get enough votes to win the funding. The number to call for this project is 08702 433 602. The number is also released in the Daily Mirror today. Watch ITV Meridian News for more information on this project between 6pm and 6.30pm today. If enough of you vote between 9am and midnight on Thursday, Sunlight will gain the money to build an innovative drop-in clinic called the ‘Open Door’. It will specialise in providing universal care for a broad range of conditions which many people find difficult or impossible to find help for.