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We asked PPI contributor Mary Zacaroli to let us know how the COVID-19 lockdown had affected her and the third sector and PPI work she does in her own words.

I run a social enterprise, Paint Buzz, using eco-friendly paints and finishes made by a UK-owned firm Frenchic; my aim being to help people find an upcycling project that has lasting positive effects for them and helps the planet. Upcycling can be wonderfully therapeutic and these particular paints, which are extremely safe and versatile, allows anyone of any age or ability (including those living with dementia) to take part.

Thanks to a two-year grant from Oxfordshire County Council I’ve been offering funded craft and upcycling activities to care homes and community organisations within Oxfordshire.

I was planning 2020’s programme when COVID-19 closed everything down.  Once it became obvious that lockdown was long-term, I contacted Children Heard and Seen (CHAS), a charity that supports the family where children have a parent in prison and suggested we run a pilot project together.

Mary blog (3).JPGCHAS runs a Zoom group on Wednesday evening for the adults to have fun and reduce isolation, so I joined in one evening and they came up with lots of projects to paint. Via Zoom meetings and their closed Facebook group, plans were refined, and colours chosen. I then dropped off materials and ran two Zoom tutorials demonstrating how to use the different paints. Those taking part loved sharing pictures of their newly painted doors, kitchen cupboards and furniture on their Facebook page.

I asked for feedback on whether this had improved their quality of life and if so, how? Responses included: “It helped with my anxiety and PTSD massively. It helped relax my mind” and “I feel that upcycling improves my mental health as when I’m extremely stressed, I paint to give my brain something different to focus on.” Some have continued painting, finding it a great way to deal with stress in lockdown.

Working with CHAS was an eyeopener, seeing how nimble they were at reacting to the new reality even though they are a small charity with limited funding. When lockdown started, they realised that families who already felt isolated and stigmatised would need their services even more, but many families were lacking the technology and internet access for staying in touch, so they ran an appeal, had 20 second-hand laptops donated and taught themselves how to use dongles and passed the knowledge and dongles on.

Table upcycled by a parent shielding in lockdownTable upcycled by a parent shielding in lockdownInitially they started with their regular Wednesday group, asking what people wanted and it grew from there. They have been running up to twenty groups a week. Activities include an author reading a story book, art group, fitness sessions, bingo, a youth advocate group, cooking sessions and a Teddy Bears picnic. Beforehand, staff send out ingredients or materials. Tuesday evenings two parents run a group for children who are concerned about their parent in prison. CHAS has been able to reach far more families in this way and maintain the strong rapport with the families they work with. I love their can-do attitude and fierce support for the families they work with and how they are guided by them in so much of what they do. They show what a community can do in lockdown when it pulls together.

I’ve started two more projects. One is with adults with learning disabilities who co-farm with the charity Farmability and their carers. The co-farmers painted a pot to fill with seeds while their carers are painting a small item of their choice to give them a bit of me time. The other project is with Aspire, an Oxfordshire charity that supports vulnerable people with housing and employment.

Longer term I’m looking to do a research project that underpins the evidence I see every day that this kind of activity can improve quality of life, both immediately and the longer term, and leave the participant with something beautiful and useful, such as a dirty white uPVC front door transformed by colour.

Blog posts

NIHR ARC OxTV Showcase event and Equity in Research toolkit launch

The ARC OxTV’s first in-person ‘Showcase’ event was held on Monday the 28th November at the Saïd Business School. The event marked the launch of number of new initiatives, including new funding and bursary schemes, and a new Equity in Research toolkit.

NIHR Academy Training Camp: My experience from a brilliant 3-day residential training camp

NIHR ARC OxTV funded DPhil student Lucy Goddard shares her experiences of the recent NIHR Residential Training Camp – just one of the many opportunities afforded by being a member of the ARC OxTV.

Natriuretic peptide testing and heart failure survival

NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer and GP Dr Clare Taylor gives a breakdown of the findings and their importance of a recent publication on heart failure and natriuretic peptide testing by herself and colleagues.

The Future of Public Involvement

Dr Claire Schwartz, ARC OxTV Programme and PPI Manager, shares her thoughts on the future of patient and public involvement.

Working with SARAH (the Strengthening and Stretching for Rheumatoid Arthritis of the Hand programme)

Dr Esther Williamson reflects on her time developing the SARAH programme for people affected by Rheumatoid arthritis of the hand, the subject of a recent NIHR evidence Alert.

Recent blog posts

NIHR ARC OxTV Showcase event and Equity in Research toolkit launch

The ARC OxTV’s first in-person ‘Showcase’ event was held on Monday the 28th November at the Saïd Business School. The event marked the launch of number of new initiatives, including new funding and bursary schemes, and a new Equity in Research toolkit.

NIHR Academy Training Camp: My experience from a brilliant 3-day residential training camp

NIHR ARC OxTV funded DPhil student Lucy Goddard shares her experiences of the recent NIHR Residential Training Camp – just one of the many opportunities afforded by being a member of the ARC OxTV.

Natriuretic peptide testing and heart failure survival

NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer and GP Dr Clare Taylor gives a breakdown of the findings and their importance of a recent publication on heart failure and natriuretic peptide testing by herself and colleagues.

The Future of Public Involvement

Dr Claire Schwartz, ARC OxTV Programme and PPI Manager, shares her thoughts on the future of patient and public involvement.

Working with SARAH (the Strengthening and Stretching for Rheumatoid Arthritis of the Hand programme)

Dr Esther Williamson reflects on her time developing the SARAH programme for people affected by Rheumatoid arthritis of the hand, the subject of a recent NIHR evidence Alert.

Latest news

Pharmaceutical companies reduce own greenhouse gas emissions, but action on supply chains needed

Pharmaceutical companies are reducing their greenhouse gas emissions, but can only meet their targets with support from their suppliers, shows first study of commitments and progress by the sector.

Research from NIHR ARC OxTV supported researchers key in new all-party government report evaluating government commitments on the digitisation of the NHS.

The report, authored by a panel of independent experts, gave the government's progress an "inadequate" rating, raising questions about the Government's capacity to guarantee that the health and social care systems have the digital underpinnings they require to meet the challenges they face.

NICE recommends NIHR ARC OxTV and Oxford Health BRC supported digital mental health technologies for children and young people for use in the NHS.

Two technologies from the University of Oxford, Online Support and Intervention for Child Anxiety (OSI) and Online Social anxiety Cognitive therapy for Adolescents (OSCA) were among four digital tools recommended for use in the NHS that can help children and young people with mild to moderate symptoms of anxiety or low mood.

Changes in children’s mental health and parents’ financial stress from March 2020 to October 2022

Findings from this report outlines the changes in child mental health and parental financial stress 30 months after the start of COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

Many adolescents game a lot without negative effects on their wellbeing

A new study published by University of Oxford researchers in an open-access journal, JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting, shows that although many school-age adolescents are spending considerable time gaming, it is not having a negative impact on their wellbeing.

OxWell Student survey annual report published

In 2021, more than 30,000 students from 180 schools in four English counties participated in the OxWell student survey, offering localised insights into the experiences of young people.