New Touchstone project aims to help people affected by grief

Suffolk Community Libraries is working with a local artist and St Elizabeth Hospice on a new community arts project to help people affected by grief or losing someone through forced migration.

‘Touchstone’ has been designed and led by Suffolk based photographic artist Gillian Allard with funding from The Arts Council England and Suffolk County Council.

Gillian is working with Suffolk Community Libraries’ Arts Programme and St Elizabeth Hospice’s bereavement service LivingGrief. She has created Touchstone for the forthcoming Platforma Festival.

Touchstone aims to support people to explore their grief through workshops involving photography, writing, shared storytelling and connection to place.

The project recently launched with two workshops at Gainsborough Community Library in Ipswich which encouraged anyone who has lost someone to submit a photo of them to then create a meaningful tribute with the photo transferred onto a special memory pebble.

The workshops are supported by artists and grief professionals who will help those attending write a message in their own words.

Following the workshops, there will be a chance to visit either Felixstowe or Dunwich beach for a moment of reflection with the specially designed pebble, which will be released onto the beach as part of the art project. After the pebble release and a small exhibition, participants will have a copy of their memory pebble to take home thereafter, to keep forever.

More workshops are taking place as follows:

• Ipswich County Library on Tuesday 16 September and Thursday 18 September from 10.30am to 1.30pm
• Woodbridge Library on Monday 6 October from 10am to 1pm.

Full details and booking forms can be found on the St Elizabeth Hospice website. Please note photos of loved ones need to be submitted before the workshops.

Gillian Allard, said:

“Touchstone is a unique project that helps people in our community explore grief and remembrance by creating a special tribute to a loved one. We will use art, togetherness and nature to help us to express ourselves.”

Hugh McElhinney, Compassionate Communities Lead at St Elizabeth Hospice, said:

“Thank you so much to Gillian and Suffolk Community Libraries for their support with this project. Touchstone is a fantastic initiative that will make a real difference in supporting those affected by grief, offering a unique approach through the arts.”

Platforma Festival is taking place in East Anglia in autumn 2025 and is being produced by Counterpoints Arts.

If you’ve experienced loss through grief or separation, and would like to join the project’s free workshops, or find out more you can also contact hugh.mcelhinney@stelizabethhospice.org.uk

The artworks created through this project will be displayed in Ipswich town centre during the Platforma Festival in October – more details to follow. To find out more about Gillian’s artwork, visit her website.

Anyone affected by grief can also find support and information at www.livinggriefhub.co.uk