On Thursday 13th August 2026, ARTGU held its very first awards evening, bringing together supported adults, staff and families to celebrate an incredible year of achievements across the A Reason to Get Up (ARTGU) programme.

The evening was an opportunity to recognise the hard work, creativity, confidence and determination of ARTGU participants, and to celebrate just some of the many things they have accomplished over the academic year.

Making a difference in the community

Throughout the year, ARTGU got involved in many projects across the local community. One of the highlights was taking part in the Summer Steps Challenge alongside Building Futures (BFG) and raising an incredible £1,945 to help fund the BFG Duke of Edinburgh certification.

The Cook and Grow group also celebrated success at Guildford in Bloom, where ARTGU was awarded the Silver Gilt in the Best Neighbourhood Project category. The award recognised the work and commitment that went into making a positive difference to the local community.

They even took over the airwaves, hosting a halow takeover of the Surrey Hills Radio show and showcasing their voices, interests and talents to listeners. The takeover, which was completely written by the halow IT Crowd, spread vital awareness for halow and its services.

Click below to listen:

‍‍Halow Project Radio Show - 28 JUN 2026 by Surrey Hills Community Radio | Mixcloud

Creativity taking centre stage

Creativity has also played a huge part in ARTGU's year of success.

Crafty Creations began an ambitious flower collage project in partnership with Guildford Museum as part of its Gertrude Jekyll exhibition. The finished collage was displayed in the entrance hall of the Museum, giving visitors the opportunity to see the creativity and hard work of ARTGU's supported adults.

A number of ARTGU artworks were also selected for the DAiSY Windows of the World exhibition. The chosen pieces travelled all the way to Hong Kong!

Achieving employment goals

Some of the most significant achievements celebrated during the evening were the participants who moved into paid employment this year.

Three ARTGU attendees successfully secured paid jobs, taking important steps towards their employment goals. From Merrist Wood College to Waitrose, and working at a café in Aldershot, with the help of halow and the team at ARTGU we are seeing the impact of their hard work translate to huge achievements in their personal lives.

A year worth celebrating

The first ARTGU Awards Evening was a huge success. We are so proud of their progress, their achievements and the opportunities they have created for themselves and others.

The evening provided a wonderful opportunity to celebrate these successes together and look ahead to another year of ARTGU.

Congratulations to everyone who has been part of ARTGU's incredible year!

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