Stories

What happens when a young person is finally seen.

These are not testimonials we wrote for marketing. They’re letters, quotes and journeys from the families and students we’ve walked alongside.

Case study · Two years

From non-verbal at 17 to Plymouth University, studying fine art.

Nikki came to us at 17, having been out of mainstream education for four years. She wouldn’t make eye contact. She wouldn’t talk. She just drew — dragon after dragon, in pencil, on paper.

Nikki lives with Anthropophobia — an extreme form of autism where other people are experienced as a threat. She hadn’t been to a shop, or a hairdresser, or done any of the things teenagers do without thinking.

Within the safe walls of the studio, we found her to be highly intelligent, articulate, and possessed of a brilliantly dark, dry sense of humour. We just had to wait for her to feel safe enough to show us.

Over two years, she moved from pencil into clay, sculpture, the potter’s wheel, creative writing. When she mentioned an interest in taxidermy, we sourced the chemicals and the safety kit. She combined the pieces with her sculpture. The results were extraordinary.

We entered her for two of the Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall’s Young and Talented Creative Awards — one for writing, one for visual art.

She won both. £2,000 prize money. Two trips up onto a stage in front of a room full of people — the same young woman who, two years earlier, couldn’t make eye contact.

Nikki is now at Plymouth University, studying fine art.

In their own words

“I always knew I was creative. I had no idea just how creative I could be.”

— R, age 14, autistic · Joined September 2024

“I used to be in mainstream school until Year 8, but it was really overwhelming and made me feel invisible. I wasn’t learning much and felt like I couldn’t cope anymore.”

On where she started

“Every day I come to Be Creative, I feel excited. The space is safe and calm. If I get overwhelmed, they notice straight away. If I hadn’t come here, I honestly don’t think I’d have any friends.”

On where she is now

R is now working on a large acrylic-on-wood piece called UNA — a galaxy goddess holding a black hole above her head. She also helps mentor younger students who arrive at our sister site, Acrewood, struggling the way she once did.

“I was worried D’s anxiety wouldn’t allow him to embrace the sessions. Now when I drop him off he runs in excited. He has found his voice and gained confidence not only with creativity but in school and at home. Every child should have access to a resource like Be Creative — it’s a hidden gem.”

Parent of D

“Emma is incredibly compassionate, talented and professional. She connects to the child on a level that most other providers were struggling with.”

SEND Lead, on a Year 4 girl unable to attend mainstream school

Could the next story be your child’s?

Start with the free EHCP guide, or book a free discovery call with Emma and Richard.

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