Cambridgeshire Expressive Arts and Counselling Centre C.I.C

05/11/2025

Contact us 📞 We are here to support you 💙

04/11/2025

🦔 With Guy Fawkes Night fast approaching, please remember to check your bonfires for hedgehogs who may be sleeping!

🦔 Our spiky friends are rapidly on the decline and you can help to prevent unnecessary loss. Follow this wildlife friendly advice from British Hedgehog Preservation Society 🤎

🔥 Don’t build your bonfire until the same day that you will light it. The longer it’s left, the more likely that a hedgehog will find its way into your bonfire.

🔥 If you need to build your bonfire in advance, make sure you place chicken wire one metre high all the way around the bottom. This should be placed at an outward angle to make it more difficult for hedgehogs to climb.

🔥 If you have stored materials for your bonfire outdoors, before building it move them to a different patch of ground before you start.

🔥 Always place the bonfire on open ground but never on a pile of leaves as a hedgehog may be hiding underneath.

🔥 Always check the entire bonfire for hedgehogs before lighting it. Remember that they tend to hide in the centre and bottom two feet in particular.

🔥 When checking, lift parts of the bonfire section by section using a pole or broom. Do not use a fork, spade or rake as this may injure a hedgehog.

🔥 Use a torch to look inside the bonfire and listen for a hissing sound, as this is the noise that hedgehogs make when they are disturbed or distressed.

🔥 Always light your bonfire from one corner, rather than in the centre, in order to give hedgehogs a chance to escape if they need to.

🦔 Remember, remember the Fifth of November but don’t forget about our wildlife!

Please share! 🤎

01/11/2025

Sneak peek! Keep your eyes on our page for something exciting coming up soon🎄🎅

31/10/2025

Whilst Halloween can be a lot of fun for many individuals, it can also trigger anxiety and overwhelm for others.

Being Halloween aware and safe, both for ourselves and others is really important.
Boundaries, respect, safety, and understanding is key.

No matter whether you’re planning to have a quiet evening in, or going out, take time to plan your activities… and feel more prepared and relaxed.

CEAACC would like to wish everyone an enjoyable and safe time! 🎃 🥰

Photo: View of Ely Cathedral from outside CEAACC.

31/10/2025

👻🎃Happy Halloween 🎃 👻

30/10/2025

Artwork from our 'Spooky Creativity' session at CEAACC.

The 'Ghost' directive involved drawing/expressing how we present ourselves outwardly, and then how we how we feel underneath (under our external 'mask').

The activity explored emotional and physical experiences and feelings through colour, mark making and different materials 👻🎨

The 'Bat' directive explored themes that can often feel consuming and overwhelming, especially when experiencing chronic health issues, illness, and pain. From a distance, the bat looks bright, colourful, and patterned. However, up close you can read and gain insight into someone's personal journey. 🦇

Art making can be a powerful tool to develop personal awareness and wellbeing, and also commuicate with others💙

29/10/2025

"If you are always trying to be normal - You'll never discover how amazing you can be"✨️

28/10/2025

We are all set up and ready for our Spooky Creativity session at CEAACC 🎃

This group is for adults, and has a focus on managing and processing chronic health conditions (pain).

Megan is the therapist running the group.... and some fun creative activities planned🎨

Feel free to pop along, even if it's just for a bit....😊

28/10/2025

What is your favorite season ? 🌱☀️🍂❄️

Changing seasons can affect mental health by influencing mood, energy, and sleep patterns, often due to changes in sunlight, which can disrupt the body's internal clock and hormone levels. While many people experience a milder version called the "winter blues," a more severe form known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) can significantly interfere with daily life and requires professional attention.

❤️Winter SAD:
This is the most common form, with symptoms often starting in the fall or winter and improving in the spring.

🩷Symptoms: Low mood, irritability, oversleeping, loss of interest in activities, difficulty concentrating, changes in appetite, and fatigue.

🧡Cause: Reduced sunlight can affect the body's production of serotonin and melatonin, hormones that regulate mood and sleep, respectively. This can throw off the body's internal clock (circadian rhythm).

💛Summer SAD:
Some individuals experience depression during the summer months, feeling better in the winter. Symptoms may include agitation, anxiety, insomnia, and a poor appetite.

💙The "Spring Blues": Even without SAD, the pressure to be happy and energetic in spring can lead to feelings of sadness, low energy, and withdrawal, especially if they don't align with their emotional expectations.

💚Other factors;

🩵Holidays: The holiday season can bring pressure to socialize and spend money, leading to stress and exhaustion for some.

💜Weather: Factors like temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure can also impact mental health.

🤎What you can do?;

🖤Recognize the signs - be aware of how seasonal changes affect your mood and energy.

🩶Adjust your routine - spend time outdoors, especially in the morning, to get more sunlight exposure.

🤍Consider vitamin D - talk to a doctor about whether a vitamin D supplement could help, as it's linked to serotonin levels and mood regulation.

❤️Seek professional help - If your symptoms are severe and interfering with your daily life, it's important to seek professional help from a doctor or mental health professional.

🩷Click the link below to find out more about SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/a-z-topics/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad

27/10/2025

How are you feeling? 🩷

27/10/2025

Hello all,
We have just one day left until our first Creativity session for Adults living with Chronic Pain here at CEAACC in Ely.

There are still some spaces left, so anyone who has been interested and unsure, please do fill in the booking form below and come along. The aim of this group is to provide a positive and healthy outlet for those that struggle with living with a Chronic Condition.

I myself have been living with chronic pain for nearly 20 years and feel incredibly passionate about providing a safe space that allows those living with chronic conditions to not only engage with the difficult feelings that come with living, but an outlet to attempt to process these, without judgement, doubt or disbelief. Instead offering acceptance, encouragement and understanding.

If any of these things are areas you struggle with, I hope to see you here tomorrow. Cost is £5 per person, which covers tea, coffee, snacks and supplies needed.

Please book in for your chance to partake in spooky creative outlets as a way to positively process what living with chronic illnesses can be like. Run by a chronically ill counsellor. October 28th 10:30-12:30. Due to the size of our accessible room there are limited spaces for the session. If enoug...