Clay, conversation and connection at Llanrumney Hub

Today’s session at Llanrumney Hub was all about easy access and plenty of choice. We set up a clay-making station at the back table so people could drop in as they wished, while others relaxed at the main table and chatted. The activity was delightfully simple: shape “clay biscuits” and add your initials. It sparked conversation, gentle humour, and lots of creativity—and we’ll add colour by painting them next time.

From an occupational therapy perspective, clay work does a lot of hidden heavy lifting. Rolling, pressing and shaping clay provide graded resistance that can help stimulate hand dexterity and fine motor coordination, while the tactile feedback supports body awareness and engagement (Bae & Kim, 2018). Creative group activity also offers social benefits: making together invites conversation, turn-taking and shared focus—key ingredients for building confidence and connection. On a wider scale, the World Health Organization’s scoping review of more than 3,000 studies shows that arts engagement contributes to prevention, health promotion and the management of long-term conditions across the lifespan (Fancourt & Finn, 2019). For people living with dementia, arts-based approaches are associated with improved quality of life and support for behavioural and psychological symptoms, making them a valuable non-pharmacological option alongside everyday care (Deshmukh et al., 2018).

What we noticed at the Hub matched that evidence: hands were busy, conversation flowed easily, and the room had that lovely mix of concentration and light-heartedness. Sometimes the simplest making task is the best doorway into creativity, confidence and connection.

References

Bae, Y.S. and Kim, D.H. (2018) ‘The applied effectiveness of clay art therapy for patients with Parkinson’s disease’, Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine, 23,

Deshmukh, S.R., Holmes, J. and Cardno, A. (2018) ‘Art therapy for people with dementia’, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (9)

Fancourt, D. and Finn, S. (2019) What is the evidence on the role of the arts in improving health and well-being? A scoping review. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe