On July 17th, eleven young adult carers took part in a Graffiti and Circus Skills Workshop hosted by Camille and Jem from the Everyman Cheltenham.

The evening kicked off with a graffiti pen session led by Camille. She taught us how to draw graffiti-style letters in 3D, making them appear as if they were popping out of the page. Everyone had the freedom to choose what they wanted to draw; some picked the first letter of their name; others chose significant numbers or symbols.

As we immersed ourselves in the creative process, the room buzzed with excitement and concentration. We spent time perfecting our designs, adding intricate details, and bringing them to life with vibrant colours.

After a short snack and drink break to refresh ourselves on a particularly warm evening, Jem took the stage with his impressive circus skills, starting with juggling. We then got a chance to test our own skills, and Jem’s approach to teaching us was both patient and encouraging. We began with one ball, gradually progressing to two, and some of us even managed to juggle three!

Next up, Jem introduced us to plate spinning. Each of us selected a colourful plate and tried to spin it fast enough to keep it stable. Jem explained that the faster the plate spins, the more stable it becomes. While some plates ended up on the ground, the thrill of getting them to spin successfully was exciting.

Jem's circus skills workshop continued with the diabolo, a juggling prop that proved to be quite challenging. We learned how to fling the diabolo into the air and catch it on the way down. Despite the difficulty, most of us managed to get the hang of it and experienced the joy of a successful catch!

Finally, we tried our hands at hat tricks, throwing hats into the air and attempting to catch them on our heads; and though most of the hats often found their way to the floor, it was a fun and light-hearted way to end the workshop nonetheless.