Chalk path at Grangewood Park

Chalk path at Grangewood Park

Celebrating 120 years of Grangewood Park, Friends of Grangewood Park organised a fantastic birthday on Sunday 12th September 2021. I was very happy to contribute to the park's special party!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD0hZb8lNSs

HOPE LIVES HERE

HOPE LIVES HERE

1st February 2020, I arranged to meet a group of friends to celebrate Lunar New Year in China Town but one of my friends wondered should we cancel the meet up as there was a fatal virus spreading around China. I said we will be fine as we were living in one of the...

CHRISTMAS COLLECTION 2020

CHRISTMAS COLLECTION 2020

Update 25th December 2020:Merry Christmas! We did it! Thanks to your kindness and generosity we have collected 200 gift packs, £1140 donations, bought 100 £5 Tesco vouchers, 40 pizzas and cakes for everyone at Brigstock House and StoneBridge Lodge on 23rd and 24th...

Looking forward to 2021

Looking forward to 2021

Remember the card we did last year? The children and I designed the lightning poem: “2020 will bring you plenty” (see below). It certainly did for all of us. A lot more than what we asked for. This year I have teamed up with cubs from The Croydon 44th Air...

Free Art Workshop

Free Art Workshop

ART PROJECT FOR REFUGEE CHILDREN AT BRIGSTOCK HOUSE, THORNTON HEATH CR7 Starting from September 11th, 2017 to 23th March 2020, Free Art run a weekly art and craft session from 10am -11am at Brigstock House, Thornton Heath. All sessions are run by volunteers with great...

Thank you NHS

Thank you NHS

During the first lockdown Mar 2020, Free Art teamed up with Andrea Perry and Neil Tanner from THCAT to paint the two planters for two GP surgery in Thornton Heath. #PaintLondonWithLove

HOPE NOT HATE

HOPE NOT HATE

I was painting the front mural at Ambassador House when the first Covid-19 lockdown struck the UK on 23rd March 2020. I was then stuck in the house for months then the death of George Floyd shook the world. I am not black, I am not white either. People rarely view me...

Thornton Heath Art Trail

Thornton Heath Art Trail

During lockdown March 2020, Free Art worked with CALAT Croydon and Thornton Heath Community Action Team to create a walking map to guide local residents through all the art projects in the area. The project is well perceived by the residents and encouraged people to...

Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvCklBzhX6k Thornton Heath stands with Black Lives Matter 11am Saturday 20th June 2020Ambassador House, CR7 7JG A small scale event which will demonstrate this communities support and show the importance of...

Poem and artwork by Year 5 – Ecclesbourne Primary School

Poem and artwork by Year 5 – Ecclesbourne Primary School

In February 2020, I had a chance to work with year 5 students at Ecclesbourne Primary school. We had 2 sessions on 2 Thursday afternoons. We read some books and I did a small presentation about refugees. The children then composed a poem about...

Shop window decoration for the Salvation Army

Shop window decoration for the Salvation Army

Running to Christmas 2019, my friend Caroline and I have spent a Friday decorating The Salvation Army Thornton Heath's shop window. The shop has an amazing collection of wonderful stuffs and has been a great help for the local community.Valentine 2020 It was good fun...

Reimagining Croydon Subways

Reimagining Croydon Subways

Croydon Council opened an ideas competition in December 2019 to improve the subway in Croydon town centre. We put in an application and got shortlisted in the non-professional category. Hurray!!! Here are our ideas on showcase by Fairfield Hall in February...

CHRISTMAS 2019

CHRISTMAS 2019

HOW WE DID IT! It is amazing how we did it and I still can't believe we did it! In September I have nothing but eagerness then Louise and Paul from the Salvation Army came onboard and gave us the hall for free. Ian McMeeken - the famous Santa Claus of...

Funky novelty board at Grangewood Park

Funky novelty board at Grangewood Park

That board! The one we all once or twice in our life poke our head in to take picture but never know what that call.We recently painted one at Grangewood Park. One side is for the fantastic Halloween event Spooktacular we have every year and the other side...

A nice walk to school

A nice walk to school

https://youtu.be/Y9eMgPsF9L8 Sometimes you start doing something and you think "s*** why did I do this!?!" It was my feeling the first morning we started painting Bensham Manor and Gillet Road footbridge. A pile of vomit greeted us in the middle of the...

Ambassador House Murals

Ambassador House Murals

In February 2019, Vân Dang was chosen by Croydon Council to work on the front walls of Ambassador House's forecourt, Thornton Heath, CR7 7JG. There was a workshop - part of the CR7 Square's project - at the old Weatherspoon Flora Sanders on Sat 2nd Mar 2019 to gather...

REFUGEE WEEK, June 2019

REFUGEE WEEK, June 2019

Thank you everyone who took your time to bake cakes and donated presents! We had our refugee week party this morning at Croydon Refugee Centre. The children enjoyed the dressing up, face paint, making the mask and especially the duck "fishing" and taking part in the...

Design the mural on platform 4 Thornton Heath station

Design the mural on platform 4 Thornton Heath station

In Autumn 2018, Averil - an active member of Thornton Heath Community Action Team has secured funding for a mural for platform 4 at  Thornton Heath station. Network Rail asked the community to submit the design so I came up with 3 options. The community vote for the...

CHRISTMAS COLLECTION 2018

CHRISTMAS COLLECTION 2018

Thank you everyone from Streatham Mums's network, Thornton Heath Community Action Team, Chetna from CR7 Culture, Mitra, Averil and Alicia from TFL and many others for your time, your kindness and your generous donations to put smiles on the children's faces....

Shree Sakthy Ghanapathy Temple’s mural project

Shree Sakthy Ghanapathy Temple’s mural project

Vân Dang is commissioned by Croydon Council to design and paint a mural at Ghanapathy Temple on Brigstock Road, CR7 7JJ. The Public Consultation Day was on 6th October 2018. 102 people voted for their favourite design, choosing one in the 3 proposed design. The online...

Banners on Melfort Road, CR7

Banners on Melfort Road, CR7

In October 2018, as part of Thornton Heath Community Action Team's Street Project, artist Samantha Warren led a project creating 10 street banners along Melfort Road in south London.Two of the banners chosen were from Free Art. The artworks included hand...

REFUGEE WEEK, June 2018

REFUGEE WEEK, June 2018

Following the success of Christmas Party, Brigstock House is going to organise a party on Friday 22nd June for Refugee Week 2018. Donations would be gratefully received of: Fresh fruit (grapes and strawberries): please drop off at Brigstock House 78-86 Brigstock Road,...

CHRISTMAS COLLECTION 2017

CHRISTMAS COLLECTION 2017

On Thursday 21st December 2017, Brigstock House organised a get together from 3 - 5pm. Donation of party food and especially fresh fruit are welcomed. If you would like to donate toys and presents please email share@freeart.org.uk to arrange a collectionFrom my...

School competition

School competition

In 2016, Free Art helped Thornton Heath Community Action Team to organise a competition to design a poster encouraging dog owner to pick up after their dog. The competition involved local schools and children to participate. The 3 winning designs were printed and...

We are open for collaborations and new projects! Drop us a line: share@freeart.org.uk