EVERY MARK MATTERS
An Inclusive Drawing Festival for SEND Children, Young People, Parents, Carers, Siblings and Families
Presented by Spectrum Studio, Barkingside Art Club & Redbridge Outdoor Arts
Part of The Big Draw Festival 2026 – Make a Mark
📅Friday 21 August 2026
🕒3:00–5:00pm
📍Fullwell Cross Library
FREE EVENT
JoinSpectrum Studio, Barkingside Art Club and Redbridge Outdoor Artsfor an inspiring afternoon celebrating creativity, inclusion and community through drawing, painting, printmaking and making together.
Designed especially forSEND and neurodivergent children, young people, parents, carers, siblings and families, this welcoming event offers creative activities, sensory experiences and opportunities to connect in a relaxed, inclusive environment where everyone can participate at their own pace.
Creative Spaces
🎨Aldborough Room – Draw • Paint • Print • Create
Take part in creative workshops, collaborative drawing, painting, printmaking and community artwork inspired byThe Big Draw Festival 2026 – Make a Mark.
✨Fairlop Room – Sensory Glow Room
Experience an immersive sensory space with lights, projections and movement-based activities designed to encourage creativity, exploration and wellbeing.
💙Hainault Room – Quiet Creative Space
Relax with colouring sheets, drawing activities and quiet creative resources in a calm, welcoming environment.
☕Parents & Carers Tea Party
Enjoy refreshments and snacks while meeting other families, connecting with local artists and finding out more about creative opportunities in Redbridge.
🏅Meet the Artist & Redbridge Outdoor Arts Awards
Meet local artists, discover the Arts Award programme and explore creative opportunities for children and young people throughSpectrum Studio, Barkingside Art Club and Redbridge Outdoor Arts.
Accessibility
♿ Wheelchair accessible venue • 🚻 Accessible toilets • 🚗 Accessible parking nearby • ✨ Sensory Glow Room • 💙 Quiet Space • Suitable for all abilities
FREE EVENT
Limited Spaces Available – Booking Essential
Reserve your place today!
Every Mark Matters. Every Child Belongs. Every Imagination Shines.
Every Brushstroke Matters – FREE Community Art Workshops
Join Barkingside Art Club, Creative Ambassadors & Spectrum Studio for two days of FREE, inclusive creative workshops as part of Ilford InColour 2026.
📅 Saturday 15 & Sunday 16 August 2026
⏰ 12–4pm
📍 Ilford High Street – in front of Argos
🎟️ FREE – booking required
Workshop Sessions
Saturday 15 August
12:00–1:00pm – Spectrum Studio SEND Session
A quieter creative session for SEND children, young people and their families.1:30–2:30pm – Inclusive Community Workshop
3:00–4:00pm – Inclusive Community Workshop
Sunday 16 August
12:00–1:00pm – Inclusive Community Workshop
1:30–2:30pm – Inclusive Community Workshop
3:00–4:00pm – Inclusive Community Workshop
What’s happening?
🎨 Paint Your Own Mini Mural
💡 Light Up for Inclusion Craft
🖌️ Cast Painting
During each one-hour session, participants will have the opportunity to explore the different creative activities.
🖼️ Pop-Up Mural by Creative Ambassadors & Spectrum Studio
Our Creative Ambassadors and Spectrum Studio young artists will be creating their own Pop-Up Mural throughout the event from 12–4pm.
The workshops are welcoming and inclusive for children and young people of all abilities and their families.
Spaces are limited – please book your preferred session in advance.
BARKINGSIDE ART CLUB – SEND ACTIVITIES
Welcome to our dedicated SEND (Special Educational Needs & Disabilities) information page. This page highlights our ongoing programmes, specialised sessions, inclusive events, and community collaborations, designed to support SEND children, young people, and their families across Redbridge. Here you’ll find details of our upcoming activities, creative programmes, and new opportunities that celebrate inclusion, creativity, and meaningful engagement.
Friday Mixed SEN Sessions
Our inclusive Saturday workshops are open to children and young people aged 4 – 16 years.
Sessions include:
Creative art and engagement
Dance and Sensory activities
Access to our Digital Games Room and Glow Room
📍 Friday 5-6:30pm | Mixed Group | 4–16 yrs
Friday SEND Girls Art Sessions
A special creative session just for SEN girls!
📍 5:30-7:30pm | Art + Digital Games Room Access
Creative Art
Bollywood Dance
Disco & Games
Social engagement in a safe space
Glow Room
Redbridge Outdoor Arts: Spectrum Studio Special
We are proud to continue our partnership with Redbridge Outdoor Arts as part of their summer programme, running from June to October.
Barkingside Art Club brings Spectrum Studio to each event, offering inclusive, creative activities that welcome SEND families, children and young people.
Our aim is to encourage families to join the Redbridge Outdoor Arts experience — take part in hands-on visual art sessions, explore creative play, and stay to enjoy the fantastic outdoor performances.
Redbridge Forum
In 2025, we partnered with Redbridge Outdoor Arts and Vision Redbridge to design and deliver creative programmes for Redbridge Forum.
We ran two holiday projects Easter and Summer offering visual art activities, games, multi-sensory stations and creative engagement for SEND families.
These sessions provided fun, inclusive and meaningful opportunities for children, young people and their families.
Fun, inclusive, and creative sessions designed especially for Forum members.
MegaMix All Together Hub for SEN Families
MegaMix is a long-standing Redbridge programme that we have proudly delivered for several years, offering inclusive, high-quality creative engagement for SEND families, siblings and the wider community. MegaMix 2025 was an outstanding success just as inspiring and energising as previous years bringing families together through accessible workshops, dedicated SEND spaces, and our All-Together Hub model. We are incredibly grateful to Redbridge MegaMix for their continued partnership and funding, and we are already excited for MegaMix 2026. Watch this space for new developments and future opportunities. More details will be posted soon!
Soul Studio Wellbeing for SEND Parents
Soul Studio is a dedicated creative wellbeing space for parents and carers of children and young people with SEND. These sessions offer a calm, supportive environment to connect, create and recharge through guided art activities.
Delivered in partnership with EPT (Empowering Parents Together), Soul Studio provides free monthly workshops, designed to reduce isolation and build a sense of community among SEND families. As a SEND parent herself, our Director and Art Educator Eliyah Qureshi understands these challenges first-hand and leads the sessions with empathy and creativity.
Soul Studio offers a range of activities — from drawing and printmaking to collaborative projects and creative wellbeing workshops. These programmes help parents meet others with shared experiences, explore creativity, and feel supported.
Alongside EPT, Soul Studio also works with other organisations across Redbridge and beyond, providing accessible workshops and creative programmes for SEND families.
More dates and booking information coming soon.
Side-by-Side: Sibling Engagement Project
Side-by-Side: Sibling Engagement Project
Side-by-Side is a supportive, creative project designed by siblings of children and young people with SEND. It gives SEND siblings the chance to shape their own space — a place created by them, for them.
The aim of the project is to help siblings:
Connect with others who share the common experience of being a SEND sibling
Design a safe, non-judgemental space that reflects their needs, ideas and personalities
Express themselves creatively, in ways that feel natural and meaningful
Share their experiences and insight with others who understand
Build friendships and feel less isolated
Create artwork that represents their journey, voice and perspective
Many SEND siblings can be quiet, reserved or overlooked. Side-by-Side offers them a space where they feel understood, valued and supported — a place where they can create, connect and grow alongside others with similar experiences.
One-to-One Creative Support & Engagement
Before Covid, we provided highly supportive 1:1 creative engagement sessions, and we are pleased to be re-opening these programmes for children and young people who benefit from personalised, creative approaches.
Our trained professionals will lead specialised one-to-one creative programmes, designed with a therapeutic outlookto support emotional expression, confidence, communication, and skill-building through creativity.
A waiting list is now open — register your interest to secure a place.
How It Works
Apply
Submit your interest through our waiting list.Assessment
Our team will carry out an initial assessment to understand the child or young person’s needs, interests, and goals.Personalised Programme
We will design a highly creative, supportive one-to-one programme tailored specifically around the child or young person — focusing on creative engagement, confidence-building, communication, and wellbeing.Ongoing Review
Sessions are monitored and adapted to ensure consistent progress and meaningful engagement.
Inclusion in Every Workshop
Barkingside Art Club is an inclusive space for all.
Every one of our clubs — whether it’s the Junior Club, Portfolio Club, or our Creative Ambassador Scheme holds two dedicated spaces for children and young people with SEND.
These spaces are designed to support young people, helping them develop their own creative journey at a pace that suits them. We focus on:
Confidence and creative growth
Building friendships and social connections
Providing a safe, welcoming space where they can reconnect, explore, and express themselves
Valuing each child’s creative development and celebrating their individuality
At Barkingside Art Club, every child and young person is supported, included, and encouraged to grow through creativity.
These placements are based on an assessment process.
Get in touch for a chat about your child’s needs and explore available options.
Disability Festival
Contact Us & Bookings
support@barkinhgsideartclub.com or Contact Eliyah 07889829218