Letting creativity soar:
“I’ve learned a lot about different types of art. There are things I wouldn’t have heard of before, but then I try them and discover I love them.”

When a picture says a thousand words:
“People with long term conditions can often be dismissed or overlooked. But at Helium, nobody sees the disability. They are interested in the person, and helping them become a better artist.”

Crafting with Confidence:
“It made me feel included. Knowing that other people have similar health issues, and that I wasn’t alone.”

Creating possibilities:
“Every workshop was good. The coordinator was always coming with new ideas I’d never thought of before. I would go every chance I could. Instead of just sticking to sketching and painting, it opened me up to different styles. Anything that was 3D and involved making something with your hands was great.”

Finding Freedom Through Art:
Isolation and anxiety have been the biggest struggles in recent years for Ruth, who has spina bifida hydrocephalus and scoliosis, and is paralysed from the waist down…

Creating moments of calm:
“Not everybody is going through the same things as me,” Barbara explains. “But they’re all going through something.”

No-one can remember when Helium became an excuse for a day out, but they’re glad it did. For sisters Ellie and Leah, the creative arts workshops and camps were a great way to squeeze in a few extra hours with their new best friend, Amelia. For their mums, Helium was a chance to catch-up, take a breath, and just ‘be’…

Allergies were part of Tom’s* life from Day 1. First it was breastmilk, but that was just the start of his journey. The list got longer and the reactions more severe. His mum will never forget how it felt to watch her son go into anaphylactic shock. It was his first birthday. He had an allergic reaction to the cake.

There aren’t many 8 year olds who know the words ‘Bardet-Biedl Syndrome’. DJ does. They are the reason he has so many seizures, and why the doctors keep testing his eyes. He knows he is going blind. But it was a long time before he was able to say the words out loud.

Spinning confidence and creativity with Helium Arts. Paul didn’t know you could use a salad spinner to paint pictures. He dripped in the colours, put on the lid, and gave it three spins. It was amazing! Paint splatters and patterns danced across his paper plate. He was definitely taking this one home to show mum.

A creative flair that lit up lockdown. Saoirse clicked refresh one more time. She couldn’t wait. It was Sunday, and that meant a new art project was about to hit the family inbox. She had loved everything Helium Arts had sent so far, but dressing up as a milkmaid was a definite highlight. Her mum, Sheila, thought it was hilarious – watching her and her sister get the angle of Vermeer’s jug exactly right.

Sinead tried to listen, to take it all in. She felt numb with grief. Grief for the future she had imagined for her new family. Grief for the baby whose life would be over almost as soon as it began. Even if they went for open-heart surgery, she knew the odds would be against them.