If you need a little creative project as a distraction from the Tier 3 blues, join in with Hopes & Dreams, and help artist Xtina Lamb to make large illuminated lanterns for the Pentagon Shopping Centre in Chatham. They’ll be hung through the walkways and on display through until mid February.

The project is a commission from local charity and arts organisation Ideas Test, and the challenge is to make a colourful picture or pattern out of used plastic bags, on the theme of hopes and dreams… What are you looking forward to? What makes you happy? Is it a person, an object or place, or something else?

These collages look lovely when back lit, and will provide cheering decorations that will grow and be added to as more people get involved in the project. All you need is a glue stick, scissors and some plastic bags. Xtina will fuse the finished pictures with other layers of plastic to make them strong, then use them in the creation of large lanterns.

Get involved

Visit the Ideas Test website for more information, or watch Xtina’s how-to video on YouTube, or download the instruction sheet.

There are some activity packs available for people in Medway who do not have the things they need to take part, and who are unable to get hold of them in current circumstances. Please get in touch with Ideas Test if you would like one of these, contact@ideastest.co.uk putting ‘Hopes & Dreams’ in the email subject.