Art On Your Doorstep – The Delivery Diaries
All Aboard – Art On Your Doorstep Hits The Road
Singing on the bus – a popular pastime for school kids, football supporters and Cliff Richard alike. And, it would seem, for the shoppers joining the Supported Shopping bus service that Thirsk Community Care provides for local residents. This week, as part of Rural Arts’ Art On Your Doorstep project, the passengers are joined by Amy Joan, a country music singer. Amy has brought her guitar, some lyrics and boundless energy to get the whole bus involved.
“We’ve all been singing along”, exclaims Joan, one of the passengers, “even the driver!”. It’s clear that everyone has enjoyed the experience. There are requests for favourite songs, and even a bit of dancing. There’s also quite a haul of shopping bags – the group have been to Ripon to hit the supermarket, and Amy joined the volunteers in assisting some passengers with their purchases.
Amy learned about Art On Your Doorstep from her lecturer – she’s studying Community Music at York University. When I asked why she chose to get involved, she explained; “this is just so different – bringing the music onto a bus!” Amy has been singing her whole life, but only doing performances for the last two years. She’s clearly a natural, not only getting everyone involved, but also taking the time to get to know them.
Joan is a lady I recognise from the Art Café last month. “Joan made the best tile” the others agree. Joan tells Amy and I that she used to go to a regular class but since that finished she put her materials in the garage and never took them out again. She has signed up to the Art On Your Doorstep service to get back into art, and is looking forward to one of the participating artists visiting her at home.
It’s fantastic to see many of the passengers taking part in the other activities that Art On Your Doorstep offers. This is clearly a popular way for local people to stay in touch with each other, and their creative side.
Here is a short video of Amy Joan performing on the bus:
For more information about the Art On Your Doorstep service for older people living in Thirsk, call us on 01845 526 536 or email sue@ruralarts.org
