MORE than 400 people made their mark this month in our Creative Age Challenges.

Staged as part of our Creative Age projects, the fundraising events saw communities come together for the mass drip painting and wearable glass-making challenges.

Launched 18 months ago at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and National Glass Centre, Sunderland, Creative Age provides artist-led sessions for people living with dementia and their carers.

Led by the interests of both groups the challenges on June 10 set out to raise funds to support further dementia-friendly arts activities at venues across the region.

The artistic efforts of older people taking part and members of the public who joined in on the day saw more than £1,300 raised through sponsorship and donations.

Douglas Hunter, our co-director, said: “It is fantastic to see a project like Creative Age develop, make a real difference to the lives of participants and capture the imagination of the whole community.

“We originally devised the project to support cultural venues to widen their offer for people living with dementia and provide a way of raising sponsorship that wasn’t reliant on physical ability.

“For hundreds of people to get involved in the first Creative Age Challenges for the region is a humbling show of support for the work we carry out and what Creative Age is achieving.”

At National Glass Centre people got to grips with engraving and decorating glass, with more than 200 wearable glass pieces handcrafted by the Creative Age group going on sale.

Over at BALTIC visitors joined in an action-packed day of drip painting and animation model making inspired by the work of Rodney Graham.

Alongside creating the giant canvas, the Creative Age group and our group for older carers were sponsored to direct and capture three films working with care settings and schools in Gateshead.

The Creative Age groups, set up with funding from Arts Council England and Comic Relief, currently run in six venues across the North East and Cumbria.

To find out more or to get involved please ring 0191 477 5775.