MESS ROOM
creating safe spaces for imagination and creativity
The MESS ROOM is an inclusive space for fun, accessible, and innovative artistic workshops. We create a welcoming environment where everyone can explore creativity, build confidence, and connect with others. Our open, collaborative approach fosters independence and peer support while breaking down barriers and reducing social isolation.
With over 30 years of combined experience, MESS ROOM Artists specialise in helping people with disabilities express themselves through inclusive activities and diverse communication methods. We have particular expertise in working with individuals with sight loss, ensuring accessibility for all.
We collaborate across sectors—with schools, community groups, and expert partners—to raise awareness, provide training and mentor the next generation of MESS ROOM advocates. As professional artists, we also develop unique commissions, curate exhibitions, and organise cultural events that promote inclusivity, equality and the extraordinary talents of our participants.
"The MESS ROOM approach is...if somebody says they would like to knit with yogurt, we just ask - what flavour would you like?"Wendy Daws
The MESS ROOM is more than just a room
We are a creative, inclusive organisation offering fun, accessible, and innovative artistic workshops for all. Our open, collaborative approach fosters independence and peer support, empowering everyone to break down barriers and reduce social isolation.
MESS ROOM is directed by Wendy Daws
With 20+ years of experience working with diverse groups, Wendy leads a team of artists dedicated to helping blind and visually impaired individuals express themselves in creative, engaging ways. Using inclusive activities, tactile materials, and adaptive communication methods, they empower participants to explore new artistic possibilities with confidence and independence.
Art is for all regardless of age, ability or background
MESS ROOM believes everyone can be a maker and be inspired by the creativity of others. We provide a safe, supportive space where individuals can create freely and gain confidence in their abilities. Our workshops and programs are flexible and person-centred, tailored to meet the unique needs and goals of each group.
We work with local artists and community groups
We raise awareness, provide training, and mentor the next generation of MESS ROOM advocates. As professional artists, we create unique commissions and exhibitions that showcase the talents of our participants. We also organise cultural events and projects that champion inclusivity and equality for all.
In Partnership with Kent Association for the Blind
Follow MESS ROOM on Insta
We’re excited to share a bit about the feature on lead artist Catriona Faulkner from MESS ROOM Creatives in the new Local Authority article. @localauthoritynews
In the interview, Catriona talks about her practice as a hand-stitch assemblage artist, creating intricate works from carefully collected objects where every material carries meaning. Her work often reflects experiences of chronic pain, memory and resilience, forming layered pieces that invite viewers to look closely and uncover the stories within. As she explains, “Everything within my work means something.”
Catriona`s role at the MESS ROOM has been as lead artist for MESS ROOM Creatives, supporting a group of socially isolated adults to explore creativity in a supportive studio environment. Through the programme, she encourages experimentation with materials, storytelling through making, and building confidence through shared creative practice. Catriona has also been leading one of our Kent Association for the Blind Art Groups. @kabartgroups
MESS ROOM Creatives River Medway Journeys, a UK Shared Prosperity Fund project, is currently on display at The Historic Dockayard, Chatham @dockyard.chatham
The exhibition celebrates the River Medway - its history, symbolism and the connections it holds for the local community.
On display at The Historic Dockyard, Chatham, The Namur Room.
7–31 March | Wednesday to Sunday 10am - 4pm
Read the full interview via the link below, and visit the exhibition to see the work created through the project.
https://www.localauthority.news/everything-within-my-work-means-something/
Photography by Gary Weston @spaghetti.weston
#RiverMedwayJourneys #MessRoomCreatives #CreativeMedway #CreativeMedway #AssemblageArt #UKSPF #ChathamDockyard
Image description:
A photograph of three women standing in the Crypt of Rochester Cathedral. Catriona is standing in the centre. She is wearing a bright pink, sleeved dress and has short black hair. Either side of her are fellow Mess Room artists, Libbie and Shona. All are wearing red Mess Room lanyards. This is during the exhibition launch of the KAB art groups show, Taking Flight.
Our recent workshops with the Kent Association for the Blind art groups @kabartgroups have been exploring the wonderfully tactile world of wet felting, led by artist Libbie Watson. @lwatson_design
Participants have been learning everything from felting terminology and techniques to the physical processes that transform loose wool into fabric. The materials themselves became part of the sensory experience, with the textures of mesh and bubble wrap adding another layer of discovery to the making process.
Felting is wonderfully physical, too. Rolling, pressing, and even throwing the wool helps the fibres bind together, bringing movement and creative health into the session.
Our KAB Medway group had a lot to share:
“I’ve learnt so many new things today about felting - I didn’t know throwing it would make it felt further!”
“It’s about enjoying and experimenting with the process.”
Confidence has been growing across the group as everyone becomes more comfortable exploring new materials.
Next up, the group is excited to try felting around balloons to create bubble shapes and small 3D vessels - we can’t wait to see what they make.
#CreativeHealth #WetFelting #AccessibleArt #KABArtGroups #InclusiveArts #CreativeMedway #KentAssociationForTheBlind @kentblind
Image descriptions:
1, A group of adults sit around a large table in the MESS ROOM studio during a felting workshop. The table is set up with bubble wrap mats, rolling pins, cups, and felting materials. At the front of the table, Libbie stands and explains the felting process, gesturing with her hands while the participants watch and listen.
2, Small bundles of soft wool in bright colours, including orange, green, yellow, blue, and red, are arranged on black card squares. A red mug and containers of pens and tools sit nearby on the table. The loose wool fibres appear light and fluffy, ready to be layered and worked into felt during the session.
3, A close-up shot of some hands gently laying ontop of some bright orange fibres above their blue bubble-wrapped work station. A small yellow sunflower tattoo peaks out of the bottom of their blue-sleeved shirt.
In February, we spoke about Low Vision & Age-related Macular Degeneration.
This month (March 8–14) we focus on World Glaucoma Week.
Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of preventable blindness worldwide. It often develops slowly and without obvious symptoms, which is why regular eye tests are so important. Glaucoma typically appears as a gradual loss of peripheral (side) vision, often described as tunnel vision, where the field of view narrows while central vision remains.
Through our work with blind and partially sighted artists, we’re constantly reminded that creativity isn’t limited by vision.
This World Glaucoma Week, we’re celebrating the artists who continue to create, explore and share their perspectives while we encourage everyone to look after their eye health and get regular eye tests.
#WorldGlaucomaWeek #AccessibleArt #CreativeHealth #VisuallyImpairedArtists #InclusiveArts #CreativeMedway #AltText
Image description:
A smiling man sits at a craft table while working on a mosaic artwork. He holds a pair of scissors in one hand and is surrounded by small coloured pieces of card and foam used to build the design. In front of him is a square mosaic picture of a dog made from small cream, brown and green pieces arranged on a dark background. The table is covered with red craft mats and scattered tools and materials
International Women’s Day 2026
Today we’re celebrating the incredible women who power the MESS ROOM.
MESS ROOM is proudly run by a team of freelance women artists, each bringing their own creative practice, perspective and passion into the studio. From illustration and textiles to tactile making, facilitation and creative health, every workshop is shaped by the lived experience, skills and generosity of the women who lead it.
In their own words:
“Being part of the MESS ROOM has built up my confidence in leading - and helped grow an amazing team of brilliant female creatives.”
“It’s a real pleasure to be part of such a powerful, positive team of inspiring women. I was welcomed into the fold with open arms.”
“The MESS ROOM has been such a big confidence boost for me. Creativity grows best in community.”
“I love working at the MESS ROOM because I’m surrounded by inspirational women who support one another with enthusiasm, creativity and generosity.”
“It’s wonderful to volunteer in a space that supports young women at the start of their careers - and to be part of an inspirational team of women.”
“When I wanted to explore learning outside the classroom, I had little idea what groups like this offer - enrichment for volunteers, emerging artists and those developing their practice. And it just so happens that, mostly, the leaders are women inspiring women.”
Happy International Women`s Day from MESS ROOM CIC.
Photography by Gary Weston @spaghetti.weston and Rikard Osterlund @rikardolino
#InternationalWomensDay #IWD2026 #WomenInTheArts #WomenSupportingWomen #CreativeCommunities
Image description:
A collage of photographs showing women artists and facilitators connected to the MESS ROOM. The images include smiling portraits of women of different ages and backgrounds, candid moments of creative workshops in action, and group shots inside gallery and heritage spaces. Some women are demonstrating techniques at tables, others are talking and laughing with participants. The overall feel is warm, collaborative and celebratory, highlighting creativity, community and women-led practice.
I did not plan to start MESS ROOM.
About twenty years ago, I signed up as a volunteer with Kent Association for the Blind. It was meant to be four taster sessions.
It never stopped.
The work grew into art groups across Medway and beyond. Alongside that, I was researching how cultural spaces could become more accessible and meaningful for blind and visually impaired people.
Years later, in 2017, MESS ROOM was born, becoming a CIC in 2021.
But the seeds were planted long before that.
My volunteering was never separate from my artistic practice. It shaped it.
Ultimately, I believe that a physical or mental disability does not cancel out a creative one.
In 2017, Annie Lucas wrote about my practice in Enbosu, and put it into words more clearly than I ever could:
“We can all be makers.
And we can all be moved by the making of others.”
That belief sits at the heart of MESS ROOM.
For more projects by Wendy Daws, please visit: www.wendydaws.co.uk
@wendydawsart
Image description:
A smiling woman with short, vibrant red hair and straight-cut fringe faces the camera. She wears black cat-eye glasses and a black turtleneck jumper. Her expression is warm and confident. Behind her is a striking grid of small square tiles in metallic copper, gold and silver tones. Each tile features embossed patterns and illustrations, creating a textured, reflective backdrop that gives the portrait a creative feel.
Photograph by Rikard Osterlund @rikardolino
#MessRoomProjects #InclusiveArts #BlindArtists #VisuallyImpaired #CreativeMedway @mdoatlarge @kentblind
For World Book Day, we’re celebrating our ‘Book of Hope’, a collaborative artwork created in 2023 by The MESS Room and members of the Kent Association for the Blind Art Groups. @kabartgroups
The project was part of the Baton of Hope initiative, raising awareness of suicide prevention and encouraging open conversations about mental health. @batonofhopeuk
Our Book of Hope was designed to be experienced through touch as well as sight.
Each page was made using Selotape layers (from @aelab.uk), and tactile pictograms embossed onto foil, creating hopeful symbols that can be explored with fingertips. The result is a book that invites people to connect with messages of hope in a sensory, inclusive way.
Books don’t have to be traditional pages and ink - they can be textures, symbols, and sounds.
If you’d like to read more about the event, you can find the story here:
https://news.kent.gov.uk/articles/a-show-of-hope-for-kent-and-medway
And if you’re blind or partially sighted and want support accessing reading, the Kent Association for the Blind has fantastic guidance on accessible formats and support services here:
https://www.kab.org.uk/get-support/help-advice/independent-living/reading
#WorldBookDay #BatonOfHope #MentalHealthAwareness #KentAssociationForTheBlind #SensingCulture
Image descriptions:
1, A KAB artist crouches beside the Book of Hope installation and reaches out to touch one of the embossed tactile panels. The person wears a cap, sunglasses and a backpack and is exploring the raised foil designs by hand. The artwork stands on a plinth in a bright exhibition space, with other artworks and display materials visible in the background.
2, Three members of the MESS ROOM team stand behind the large sculptural book installation. The pages are embedded with small rectangular pieces of embossed metallic foil in gold, copper and silver tones, each featuring tactile patterns.
3, A close-up view of the tactile pages of the Book of Hope installation. In front of the pages stands the Baton of Hope torch, a polished metallic torch with gold and silver detailing displayed on a stand.
MESS ROOM CIC
A project by Wendy Daws | Established 2017
“If somebody says they would like to knit with yoghurt, we ask what flavour?”
That’s how we work.
If you are blind or visually impaired, you are welcome here.
If you have ever felt left out of creative spaces, you are welcome here.
If you simply want to make something, explore, connect, you are welcome here.
Inclusivity comes first.
Art is for everyone.
MESS ROOM CIC
For further information about MESS ROOM CIC, please visit: www.messroom.org.uk
Logo by Mark Barnes Design @mbarnesdesign
Image description:
A bold red background featuring a slightly tilted white rectangular frame. Inside the frame, the words “MESS ROOM” appear in large, playful white lettering. Each letter is uniquely shaped and irregular, giving a handmade, creative feel that reflects an artistic and expressive identity.
#MessRoomProjects #InclusiveArts #BlindArtists #VisuallyImpaired #CreativeMedway #CreativeHealth #AltText
