Soft Ground: Textiles and Self-Soothing

Soft Ground is a programme of free weekly drop-in textile-based art sessions designed to support mental wellbeing through creativity, routine, and communal making. The sessions are open to all but particularly welcoming to neurodivergent participants.

What: Drop-in textile-based art sessions designed to support mental wellbeing

When: Every Friday, 2–4 pm, from 31 July to 11 September 2026 (no session on 21 August)

Where: SET Social Peckham, 55a Nigel Road, London SE15 4NP

Facilitators: Sue Mayo and Jenny McIlhatton

Sue Mayo - 31 July and 07 August

Sue works with recycled and preloved materials. In these sessions, participants will explore ways of joining materials together by connecting images, words and objects to create handmade bunting, garlands and hangings. The workshops will introduce simple plaiting and weaving techniques, as well as the use of air-dry clay to make buttons and beads. Participants will also create images and poems by cutting, rearranging and reworking magazines and newspapers. The sessions will focus on making, sharing and connecting materials, with the aim of creating decorations for the body, the home and public spaces. The workshops are designed to be welcoming and flexible, allowing participants to join in at their own pace, take breaks when needed, and make work for themselves and others.

Jenny McIlhatton - 14, 28 August, 4 and 11 September

is an artist specialising in textiles, with a background in fashion, repurposing fashion waste and found objects in her practice. Through this series of workshops, participants are invited to embrace the Japanese principles of wabi-sabi: the idea that something showing wear or age does not always need to be replaced. All the materials used throughout the workshops come from fashion industry waste. The playful samples of stitching and weaving produced across the sessions will help participants explore how processes of restoration can enhance beauty. Jenny will share simple, mindful stitch exercises, using rhythm and repetition to slow down and create a meditative experience. Participants will create memory collages, intuitively selecting textures and colours to appliqué, stitch, or weave.

All sessions are hosted at our partner venue, SET Social Peckham, a vibrant community art space. Sessions will conclude with refreshments, creating a relaxed space for conversation and connection.

The project is designed to benefit neurodivergent individuals seeking gentle, creative ways to support their mental health, as well as anyone in the local community interested in art-making for wellbeing. It particularly supports those who experience anxiety, sensory overload, or social isolation. The consistent weekly format and low-pressure environment will provide structure, comfort, and accessibility.

Programme curated by Sylvia Keck, Community Engagement Curator at Looking Forward. Realised in partnership with SET and thanks to the support of the National Lottery Community Fund.