Fréa Renewing Roots Community Group: Art for Wellbeing
This blog series follows the journey of a survivor support group made up of men and women who were either born in or gave birth in Ireland’s Mother and Baby and County Home institutions and now live across the north of England. Some are first-generation survivors supporting their loved ones and trying to make sense of their own stories. We meet once a month across the north of England, creating a safe and welcoming space for connection, reflection, and sometimes just a good bit of craic.
The purpose of this series is to gently share the spirit of the group – the laughter, the moments of reflection, and the creative ways we’re supporting one another. We hope that by sharing some of this journey, others will feel less alone and might be encouraged to reach out, whether they’re seeking support for themselves or for someone they care about.
No personal stories or identifying details are shared without clear permission. The focus is on the collective experience and the power of coming together, after years - sometimes decades - of silence and isolation.
I’m A Dunce!
This month’s gathering brought us to the Irish World Heritage Centre in Manchester, where the group began a new creative writing journey, facilitated by Aoibh Johnston from Wee Yarn Productions.
It was a gentle session. Aoibh led with care - beginning not with instruction, but reassurance. That writing doesn’t have to rhyme. That spelling doesn’t matter. That you don’t need to be a “writer” to write. Slowly, some of the barriers began to drop.
As exercises began, memories and words started to emerge. Lines of poetry, fragments of thought, observations - all in the voices of people who, for years, were told not to speak. Or worse, told they had nothing worth saying.
One of the group described herself early on as “a dunce” - a word said casually, but clearly rooted in something painful. She wasn’t fishing for reassurance; it sounded like something she’d been told often enough that she’d come to believe it.
And then, from that same woman, came a spontaneous burst of poetry. Clear. Rhythmic. Full of heart. The room fell silent - not out of politeness, but awe. Everyone was still. And in that moment, everything she had been told about herself was forgotten.
We’re Here For You, Love
Later, another woman grew emotional while reflecting on her relationship with writing - a relationship poisoned early on by shame and the belief that she had nothing worth saying. She quietly stepped out to gather herself. A few minutes later, she returned - and as she did, several members of the group stood to greet her. One gently touched her arm. Another simply said, “We’re here for you, love.”
That was it. No drama. No questions. Just a kind of silent solidarity.
This wasn’t a therapeutic intervention. Just the kind of instinctive, unspoken compassion that defines this group. A moment that captured exactly why survivors asked for this space - a space where you don’t have to explain yourself because the people around you already understand.
The impact of the institutions didn’t end at the gates. It travelled through education, confidence, the sense of who you are and what you’re capable of. Many in the group still carry the belief that they aren’t smart, that they can’t write, that creative expression is for someone else.
But this session challenged that.
It showed that voice isn’t about vocabulary - it’s about truth. And that truth, when spoken or written, can be healing.
We left that day with a little more than we arrived with. A bit more confidence. A few words on a page. A feeling of having been heard - by others, and maybe even by ourselves.
If you’re reading this and wondering whether this group is for you – whether you’d fit in, whether it’s the right time – just know this: You’ll be met with warmth, understanding, and maybe even a bit of laughter. You don’t have to say anything. You don’t have to explain. Just come as you are. We’ll be here.
If you’d like to learn more about the group or how to get involved, please get in touch.
You can reach us via email at renewingroots@frea.org.uk or call one of the team:
Patrick: 07432 138 682 | Natalie: 07849 835 841 | Ciaran: 07732 901 782