IAMFlow CIC

IAMFlow CIC firmly believes that creativity and collaboration can be powerful tools for social change. For that reason, we aim to create opportunities and access to arts, health & wellbeing group activities for underserved communities facing isolation and inequalities related to social, financial, mental, and/or physical challenges. We focus on breaking down barriers, supporting personal growth, and strengthening the community.We offer a diverse range of creative workshops designed to enhance both physical and mental well-being while fostering a connection with nature. These activities could include circus arts, dance, yoga, qigong, tai chi, physical theatre, and storytelling. We also create participatory performances that encourage creative involvement and self-expression, helping to reduce feelings of isolation and cultivate a sense of community belonging.The activities provided also extend to nonprofit organisations, including voluntary groups, charities, and other social enterprises, offering workshops and training designed to develop transferable skills that enhance community agency and wellbeing. We partner with local artists, teachers, and community leaders, tailoring our programmes to meet local needs, and prioritising inclusivity to ensure that everyone can get involved.We really care about the environment and love to incorporate nature into our projects, always promoting ways to protect it. Through this approach we hope to inspire positive change and build a kinder, more connected society. The inclusive and creative nature of the activities increases access to a safe and supportive space for participants to explore their emotions, express themselves creatively, and develop a deeper understanding of their own physical and emotional bodies in connection with the natural environment.

IAMFlow CIC is a group of performing artists and educators based in the South East of England with wide experience in theatre, circus arts, dance, and health & wellbeing. They focus on running eco-somatic workshops and creating interactive performances that explore our connections with ourselves, each other, and the environment.Through these projects, they aim to build an inclusive community where creativity meets health and wellbeing. They encourage participants to see things differently and embrace sustainable habits. Their workshops are open to everyone, offering a supportive space for people of all backgrounds and abilities to engage in meaningful artistic expression.By blending nature and the arts, they hope to inspire personal growth and collective harmony, empowering individuals to make a positive impact on the world around them.

IAMFlow CIC was formally established as a Community Interest Company in March 2025, but prior to this the team had been working together as a collective of freelance artists for approximately one year, working on a variety of projects. Recent activities have included:- Engagement project for Sunbury Embroidery Gallery at Manor Mead SEN School, attended by over 25 pupils and tutors
- Weekly qigong sessions at Staines Community Centre with an average of 8 attendees per session
- Dance classes for over 60s supported by Active Surrey Fund reaching over 30 people from the local area
- Circus skills and movement workshops for the Scouting Association, Stanwell Moor Village Hall and Community wellbeing Gardens, Ashford Youth Club, and Dynamo Ukraine, engaging with over 200 children and adults.
- Public performances and engagement for Spelthorne Artists Unlocked, Sunbury Embroidery Gallery 25th Anniversary Festival; performances to celebrate the efforts of volunteers from Waterway Pickers Staines and Spelthorne Litter Pickers. With continuous engagement and communication through social media reaching far and beyond the live performance audience.Overall, IAMFlow has built a strong record of using arts to bring people together and enrich the community. Its future work will focus on expanding these efforts further.

One of our directors, Daniel Hennessey (previously known as Ralph Taylor), is also the co-founder of the Waterway Pickers Staines, a local volunteer group that cleans local waterways and brings awareness about water pollution and its effect on our physical and mental health. IAMFlow's journey began in 2023 with the removal of the 100th shopping trolley from local water bodies. All the members of IAMFlow came together to celebrate this milestone with poetry, music and performances for the community. The trolley was transformed into a stunning heron sculpture by artist Ptolemy Elrington—www.hubcapcreatures.com. This was made possible thanks to the support of Intercultural Roots, who secured funding for the project and provided a platform to connect with other artistic collaborators.From then on, we decided to team up on more projects and officially became a Community Interest Company in March 2025. Howie the Heron has since become a symbol of our mission to inspire communities to reconnect with themselves, each other, and the environment in meaningful ways. Working together with the Waterway Pickers of Staines and Spelthorne Litter Pickers, a local voluntary group with more than 1200 members, we became aware that about 85% of the volunteers wouldn't meet outside their volunteering work, outlining the need of creating opportunities to celebrate their services, and connect outside of their voluntary work.

Earlier this year, we hosted a community dance to celebrate the ongoing efforts of the Waterway Pickers Staines and the dedicated volunteers who tirelessly restore and clean our waterways, helping water and life to thrive once again. The event marked the third anniversary of what we now call the "Shopping Trolley Saga." It was part of a global initiative held every two years by Global Water Dances , which brings together water-themed dance events worldwide to honour water bodies and recognise their vital role in sustaining life.We aim to launch an annual festival to coincide with Thames21’s PlasticBlitz event, held each year in early June and supported by the Waterway Pickers Staines. This festival will feature a series of movement and wellbeing workshops for volunteers and their families, culminating in a collective performance inspired by water, with Howie the Heron symbolising a cleaner environment and a stronger bond between people and nature.We are committed to continuing this work by educating local young people about the vital importance of protecting our natural environment and waterways. Through creative, hands-on activities, we will inspire them and their families to express themselves, foster teamwork and collaboration, and deepen their connection with the natural world.Ultimately, our vision is to create an online virtual community where all activities related to Howie the Heron and the stewardship of our waterways can be shared—a vibrant space for collective learning, growth, and a valuable resource for participants and the wider public to reconnect with and cherish our waterways and wildlife.

Ashford Youth Club

With funding from Voluntary Support North Surrey (VSNS), we delivered a circus arts project at Ashford Youth Centre targeting hard-to-reach young people, especially those in Year 9 and above. Over four weeks in October 2025, we held four workshops focusing on aerial acrobatics and tight wire walking. Despite the challenges of engaging this demographic, the project successfully involved a total of 10 young people in the workshops, with an additional 7 attending introductory taster sessions, demonstrating effective outreach and participation in a typically difficult environment.The Youth Club coordinator told us he was really impressed by the level of engagement and commitment by some of the participants who rarely involve themselves with the club's activities. During our workshops, he saw incredible improvements in their attention span and focus.'Given the short length of this workshop series, which we see as a pilot, we noticed clear improvements in the behaviour of regular attendees. This progress showed not just in how they interacted with tutors and activities but also in how they worked together and supported each other, boosting trust and teamwork overall. What worked especially well was working almost one-to-one with the most challenging participants. This had a bigger impact than trying to engage a larger group, proving that quality matters more than quantity when working with vulnerable young people.We can confirm the value of this kind of activity in underserved communities by seeing significant gains in attention span, commitment, physical coordination, emotional control, and social skills in a short time.

We were awarded the Escalate Arts Community Commission to deliver a series of circus skills and performing arts workshops in partnership with Dynamo Ukraine, a free initiative set up in 2022 to support displaced/refugee Ukrainian families living in Spelthorne who were affected by the war. This project responds to an identified need of engaging disadvantaged young people in the local area of Spelthorne in physical and creative activities.We successfully delivered four circus skills sessions, including a final presentation to an invited audience of family and friends. We engaged a total of 12 participants, who expressed a strong interest in joining regular activities with us. We were pleased to learn from the feedback forms how far some participants travelled to take part in the programme.We were also glad to see that, despite the short duration of the project, it not only met its objectives—increasing awareness of arts and cultural opportunities, developing creative skills, boosting confidence, and empowering young people—but also produced noticeable health benefits for participants. Due to the physical nature of the activities, some families reported that their children were calmer in the evenings, slept better, and felt more rested in the mornings.An added benefit was that several parents noted their children spent less time on screens and devices as a result of the workshops. One participant even stated at the end of the project, "This was the best thing I've done in my life."

"The workshops at Manor Mead School were remarkable, filled with empathy and thoughtful planning, engaging students in a meaningful way. Additionally, the promenade piece during the Open Weekend at the Walled Garden was a highlight, encouraging audiences to ‘open our eyes’ to the beauty of creativity. The enthusiasm displayed by both children and adults, particularly during the group dance, was heartwarming. Many regular visitors noted how the experience allowed them to appreciate the garden anew.
IAMFlow’s commitment to community engagement and inclusive storytelling has made a lasting impression. I look forward to seeing how IAMFlow CIC grows and develops its inspiring community collaborations." - Lunella Florence, Project Manager for Embroidery as a Means of Storytelling

"IAMFlow has been an fantastic partner for the 1st Egham Scout Group, bringing their circus skills expertise in to our broader group (ages 6 to 14) on multiple occasions. Their commitment to creating a safe and inclusive environment was evident, especially in their engaging instruction tailored to our neurodiverse group. IAMFlow's sessions not only taught essential skills but also fostered confidence and teamwork among our scouts. We highly recommend IAMFlow for their professionalism, dedication to safety, and ability to connect with diverse groups." - Alan Robson, 1st Egham Scout Group

"Thank you for your inspiring, informative and confidence building paddleboard session at Longside Lake. Seeing you work with our young person was inspiring, and under your guidance you would never think she suffers from anxiety that keeps her absent from college. She grew quickly in confidence. We had a lot of fun and she was chatty all the way home. Proud of what she achieved she has been sending her photos and video to family." - Sarah Groome, Nudge Education Practitioner

"Ashford Youth Club is the primary provider of open access youth work in Spelthorne. It adopts an inclusive approach with a free entry policy. The club fully supports the positive impact of IAMFlow’s involvement and its unique ability to benefit young people who may struggle with success or self-confidence.
The staff were excellent, demonstrating the right level of encouragement and understanding to bring out the best in the young people. It would be difficult to find more skilled practitioners in delivering challenging activities.
We are keen to continue working with IAMFlow in the future due to the clear positive effect it has on young people in our community. We believe its approach is unique and its execution exemplary." - Nick Charalambous, director of Ashford Youth Club