"I Wish You Joy"

A Christmas Greeting from our Artistic Director

The end of 2020 is special for me as it marks exactly one year since I became part of the Talitha Team, first as an Associate, and now as Artistic Director - and my, what a year it’s been! This year, as I’m sure has been the case for many, has had its ups and downs. Yet, through it all, there is nothing I would rather be doing. I have loved every moment of being a part of Talitha - from taking the hands of residents at Dalemead care home (pre-covid, of course!) and looking in them in the eye whilst saying the Talitha greeting, “I wish you joy”, to looking into the eyes of our new incoming practitioners through the camera lens of Zoom - this year has been a bumpy, but truly rewarding ride. I read recently that if you jot down 3 things that you are grateful for everyday, your happiness levels can increase by 15%, and if you express that gratitude to someone, your happiness levels will stay that way for up to a month.

1. You! The support, love and generosity of our supporters during these times - I am so grateful for those who are passionate about the therapeutic power of the creative arts and delivering it to those who need it most

2. The incredible people - our staff, practitioners, incoming practitioners, trustees, and creative teams who offer their gifts and talents to help those who are made vulnerable by abusive situations, trafficking and dementia

3. I am grateful for everything that we have been able to achieve through our work this year, including; the programmes we were able to deliver in the early months of the year, “The Other Pond” play which we were able to perform at Dalemead care home before March’s lockdown, the online Talitha Talk events, our new practitioner training, and all of the moments we have shared together with the wider Talitha community

4. Most of all, I am grateful and optimistic for the future. While we have had to halt our front-line programmes this year, we have used this time to grow our roots, putting ourself in the best position for our branches to flourish in the New Year. We have spent time building a new website, creatively fundraised through our 10th Anniversary Auction grown our partnerships, trained via Zoom, and planned and strategised in order to hit the ground running, once we are able to safely provide the arts workshops that are so desperately needed (as so many of those we normally work with have been badly hit this year). It turns out that coming out of these strange times we will likely be busier than ever - and we are ready for it!

Well - there you have it, I couldn’t help but share 4 things with you that I am grateful for, and with it I am feeling the happiness that sharing can bring. I hope you can take some time this week to do the same - write down 3 (or 4!) things you are grateful for and share them with someone you are thankful for. I’d like to wish you and yours the most wonderful holidays (no matter what that might look like for you this year) and from me, and all of us at Talitha, may I say - “I wish you joy”.

Much love, Jenna