Resources, Marketing & Visualisation

As I have not received the correspondence back yet about whether Meyrick Rise has the resources for the workshops, I have decided to go ahead and start planning and budgeting just in case their response is that they do not. The budget I will be given by the university is £50.

Within this budget, I will purchase 2x £5 snacks for the elderly participants as I’m aware that blood sugar can be a concern and I also think it will help foster that playful and relaxed environment which I am keen to harness creativity in. I also plan to buy some crackers, biscuits, and fruit.

The next thing is pens, I don’t want to buy cheap biros that won’t last, because they may want to continue writing on their own in the future, so I will buy black ball-point pens. Each pack is usually £3, I will by x4 just to be on the safe side, which adds up to £12. This is because participants may forget to bring their previous pens to the next workshop.

Also, I plan on having 5-6 participants and will purchase writing books for each of them. WHS has a special offer on Rhodia Classic Staple Bound A5 Ruled Notebook Assorted Colours, at 3 notebooks for 2. Each book is £3, so £12 pounds allows for 6 books. However, I think I will play it safe and buy 9 at £18, just in case some of them forget their books at the second workshop. I will also purchase just straightforward paper as a backup, in case any of the participants prefer A4, or it can be used as planning, ideas generation paper. This will cost £4 from WHSmith: A4 White Wide Ruled Pad. Altogether the resources for the workshops will come to £44, which is within the £50 spending budget.

In late January I will contact Meyrick Rise again to organise a quick meeting with a staff member at Meyrick Rise in early February to discuss the workshops and answer any of their questions/ run through my plan. I will also arrange to see the activities room and give them several of my creative writing workshop posters to put up to advertise the workshops. This should allow a couple of weeks for the posters to be noticed before the first workshop commences. Seeing the activities room will also help me feel settled on the day of the first workshop as I will have some familiarity, which I think will help calm my nerves.