Forgan Arts Centre is delighted to share the newly published Inspiring Scotland Creative Communities Report highlighting the impact of our Care Makers programme delivered January–June 2026.
Supported through generous investment from the Inspiring Scotland Creative Communities Fund, the project offered unpaid adult carers a regular space for creative respite, confidence-building and connection through drawing, ceramics, weaving, metalwork, collaborative sculpture and garden-based making.
Across 14 weeks of activity, carers described the sessions as “welcoming, safe and not just crafting, but something with invaluable layers”. Many spoke of developing new friendships, renewed confidence and the joy of trying creative processes they had never accessed before.
The report showcases the powerful role of continuity, trust and peer support in helping carers feel less isolated and more able to care for themselves and others.
As we celebrate the publication of this national report, we are also pleased to confirm that Stage Two of the Care Makers project will begin soon, expanding provision to support young carers in our community.
Kenny Christie, Deputy Director of Forgan Arts Centre, said:
We are proud to recognise the vital and often unseen contribution unpaid carers make every day in our communities. Care Makers has shown just how transformative creative respite can be when delivered with care, consistency and imagination. Our warmest congratulations go to Lead Artist Ruby Pester, our Programme Producer: Learning & Engagement Kirsten Wilson and all contributing arts partners for their fantastic dedication and commitment to this project. Their work has created a space where carers feel valued, supported and inspired.
Forgan Arts Centre thanks Inspiring Scotland for their continued support and investment in community-led creative practice. Download the full report below.
Creative Communities Scotland progress report
“Facilitating the Care Makers group over three years has proven that sustained engagement is foundational to building the stability, deep trust, and safe relationships necessary for meaningful creative expression, which has enabled our group to grow organically through peer-to-peer recruitment and thoughtfully support diverse needs, such as multi-generational care dynamics. It’s been wonderful to see and support this growth within the group over a prolonged period and it really feels like a thriving community is now well established. Pushing boundaries through ambitious, specialized processes like metalwork and welding allowed participants to try mediums they never imagined they could tackle, significantly boosting collective confidence not only through shared creation but also friendship and support for each other. The joy, enthusiasm and collective sense of uplifted mental wellbeing amongst the carers is palpable when they are talking, laughing and creating together.”
Ruby Pester, Lead Artist
Forgan Arts Centre has been awarded £50,020 from the Adapted Cultural and Creative Buildings Fund to undertake essential improvements to the Leng Home.
The award will enable Forgan Arts Centre to carry out urgent adaptation works that will safeguard the long‑term use of our building for the community in response to increased extreme weather events cause by our changing climate.
The fund, co‑designed and managed by Creative Scotland and the Scottish Futures Trust, is supporting organisations across the country to make practical improvements to their buildings, strengthen resilience to climate impacts, and generate learning that will inform future investment in Scotland’s cultural and creative estate.
Kenny Christie, Deputy Director of Forgan Arts Centre, said:
We are incredibly grateful for this targeted investment from Creative Scotland and the Scottish Futures Trust. This support allows us to take meaningful action to protect our building from the growing impacts of climate change. It’s a vital step in ensuring Forgan Arts Centre remains a safe, resilient and inspiring space for our community and for future generations.
The fund, co-designed and managed by Creative Scotland and public sector infrastructure body, the Scottish Futures Trust, is providing eight organisations with a total of £347,520 to make practical improvements to the buildings they own, and adapt to the impacts of climate change while generating learning to inform future investment in Scotland’s cultural and creative estate.
To read more, visit Scottish Futures Trust and Creative Scotland’s news announcements.
