The Big Make 2026

The Big Make is an ambitious arts for wellbeing project, bringing communities of local people together to create group art, in a series of making workshops at our Skylight building, in Croydon’s iconic Surrey Street Market.

The Big Make workshops in sewing, ceramics, and 3D sculpture are being led by our professional artist tutors, and we have invited local homelessness sector services; community partners; businesses; supporters and individuals who care about ending homelessness in Croydon to join us around the art table between May and June 2026.

The group artwork we make will be shared in an event to mark World Homelessness Day, in October 2026,* and will be accompanied by an audio installation of voices captured during The Big Make workshops. The event in October 2026 will also launch our ambition to work together to amplify the voices of everyone affected by homelessness in Croydon, and globally, and to acknowledge the importance of local communities in sparking positive social change where we live and work.

We know art alone can’t end homelessness in Croydon, but it can open dialogue, nurture connection and trust; it can build self-confidence; it can create diverse communities who are working towards a shared purpose; it can spark compassion and empathy and increase positive feelings of self and belonging. And it can bring hope, light, colour, and form to human experiences that can sometimes be too overwhelming to put into words.

*All details about how to access The Big Make art event to mark World Homelessness Day in October 2026 will be available here as soon as they are confirmed.

Together we will end homelessness

The Workshops

Activating local communities for social change through art in Croydon

Sewing Workshop

In the sewing workshops we will design and create a piece of original textile art that will be added to a fabric collage as a powerful symbol of diverse local communities coming together to support the ending of homelessness in Croydon. The work will be shared alongside ceramics, art and a sound installation, in a public event to mark World Homelessness Day in October 2026.

Some packs of materials are available for schools who want to take part.

3D Art Workshops

In the 3D art workshops we will design and create a community of local people from papier mache all showing their support for the ending of homelessness in Croydon. 

Ceramics Workshop

During the Big Make ceramics workshop, as a part of community engagement, we will create 4,000 small handmade paper-porcelain discs, to represent a person in Croydon currently living in temporary accommodation or sleeping rough in the borough, according to the most recent figures from Croydon Council. While this number is large, it is likely to be an underestimate.

The idea for the ceramic part of The Big Make project, and collective co-creation was developed by Agata Nowak, a ceramic artist and our Arts for Wellbeing facilitator. These workshops also mark Refugee Week, 15–21 June 2026. 

For more information about The Big Make  email  Denise Keane arts for wellbeing coordinator at Crisis Skylight Croydon  denise.keane@crisis.org.uk 

Please note, participation in The Big Make workshops is by invitation only.