Vita Nova

Our partnership with Vita Nova has led to successful residential courses for individuals recovering from drug and alcohol addiction at our Totleigh Barton centre. Vita Nova have been providing individually tailored workshops on issues such as addiction, alcohol, self-esteem, equality and diversity for over 10 years, enabling individuals to build and maintain independent and successful lives in their communities. The group published an outstanding new outsider poetry publication in December 2011.

MUJU/Arvon Young Playwright Partnership

Arvon worked in partnership with Muslim Jewish Arts project MUJU to offer two grants to a young Muslim and a young Jewish playwrights to attend a Theatre course at Totleigh Barton, our centre in Devon. MUJU provide platforms for cross-faith and community collaboration through education workshops, theatre productions, arts festivals, writing commissions and other live events. In November 2011, the two grant recipients attended the course, which was tutored by Simon Block and Frances Poet.

Foyle Young Poets

Arvon works in partnership with the Poetry Society to run an annual residential course for the winners of the prestigious Foyle Young Poet competition. In February 2011, the 15 winners in the 15-17 age group visited The Hurst, The John Osborne Arvon centre in Shropshire, for a week-long course tutored by Luke Kennard and Jane Draycott. February 2012 will see a new group of Foyle Young Poets attend a week at The Hurst. You can read the winning poems on the Poetry Society website.

Freedom from Torture

Arvon tutors worked with members of the Freedom from torture's Write to Life Programme over the course of a residential week led by published writers to produce an anthology of new work called The Human Heart.