How Grantham Adult Colouring Group is helping people reconnect
A group marking its eighth anniversary is helping people tackle loneliness and mental health issues through art.
Teacher, author and publisher Abbirose Adey, 45, set up the Grantham Adult Colouring Group in 2017.
The free-to-attend group meets every Tuesday from 10.30am to 11.30am at Grantham Library.
Attendance is optional and free allowing participants to drop in for an hour whenever they want.
Participants use pencils or fine-liners, or bring their own materials.
Abbirose, who returned to the area in 2010 after living in Australia, discovered the therapeutic benefits of adult colouring through a friend.
“Colouring has something different for everyone,” she explained.
“It can be a way to relax the mind, similar to meditation, and offers a unique social interaction.”
The group also combats the common misconception that colouring is a child’s activity, with adults from various backgrounds enjoying and benefiting from colouring together, transforming it from a solitary “childish” activity to a social, therapeutic experience.
The group has evolved beyond a structured workshop, becoming a community-driven initiative where members get involved in additional activities like the Christmas Tree Festival.
“It’s not my group anymore,” said Abbirose.
“It belongs to the members. They come when they want to. I’m not here as often as I would like to be due to work commitments, but it just holds itself together.
“It is literally just about the friendliness and personalities that are in the group and how we connect when we’re here.
“Colouring can be a very solitary activity, and that’s fine, because you experiment with colours and things. But in the group, we share what pens we’ve been using and things. We just chat, and sometimes it’s the only contact people have with other people. It’s their outing of the week.”
As a trained teacher and published author, Abbirose has also created complementary resources, including Colours of Unfrozen, which accompanied her mother Ladey Adey’s book Unfrozen.
The book details how Ladey used faith to overcome life’s disappointments and discouragements, as well as navigate challenging life situations.
Colours of Unfrozen, which supports the original text, also has a Christian angle, with pages that reflect on biblical verses.
However, Abbirose added: “You don’t have to be Christian to colour the book.”
Other books in her series include Colouring 101, which provides additional tips, hints and tricks for colourists, and the Little Unicorn series, which explores not only colouring for children but other educational topics such as dinosaurs.
Members can share tips and get help colouring pages.
Abbirose says there’s no pressure on participants to complete pages and that sometimes her own projects can be left for months without being touched, while others are finished within a day.
Participants range from regular colouring enthusiasts to those seeking brief social connection.
For members, the group represents more than just an art session; it’s a lifeline for individuals seeking connection, creativity and mental wellbeing in a supportive environment.
Paul Atherton, 69, recently retired from his car valeting business and has been a member of the group for just three weeks.
“All my customers were my friends, so when I stopped working, my world shrank,” he said.
“Then there’s always something to do around the house and so you get into a little bubble, so I thought ‘no, I’m going to get out and see what’s out there’.”
Paul, whose colouring book of choice features men’s sheds. added: “I hadn’t coloured anything for years, but I’ve always enjoyed it, so I came along, met all these wonderful people and now I’m looking forward to Tuesdays.”
He said several colourists were very skilled and willing to talk about their methods, including how to better shade images.
Kate joined the group last April following a series of mental health problems.
“I was just trying to get myself out into the community, meet people again and get functioning,” she said.
“I had a lot of anxiety about it, but I come when I can and everyone’s been really great and friendly. They just leave you to get on with it.”
She said colouring helps her stay calm and praised its mindfulness benefits.
Kate, who favours blue patterns, says her skills have improved.
Elaine Featherstone, 70, has been with the group since shortly after it was set up.
“I came in for a library book one day, spotted Abbirose and another lady doing some colouring and gave it a try – I’ve stayed since,” she said.
“It’s lovely, we’re all different mixes and we all just have a laugh and general chitter-chatter.”
Elaine does a mix of different images from patterns to full pictures and also continues her work at home, using mostly crayons with felts for the patterns. Her favourite colour is lilac.
“My least favourite was green until Abbi pointed out all the different hundreds of hues and shades of green.”
Her favourite piece is an owl she has now framed at home. She finds picture colouring the most challenging but advises new members to relax and enjoy the process without worrying too much about perfection.
Julie, 70, joined after losing her husband three years ago.
“I was looking for something to fill my time on my own. I came up here and there were a few groups, and this one seemed to fit the bill,” she said.
Julie also tried crocheting but said that “wasn’t my cup of tea”.
She said members had made her feel welcome and she enjoyed the company.
She joked: “I do like to talk – the ladies will tell you I do more talking! I’m still on my first book in two-and-a-half years!”
Julie enjoys bright colours and has a koi carp that she filled with all colours of the rainbow: “I struggled with colour to start, but Abbi said it’s up to you. If you want to make a sky-blue-with-pink-spots cow, then you colour it that way – there’s no right or wrong. Nobody criticises you for that. It’s just coming and enjoying the company.”
Eileen West, 75, joined at the start and also volunteers at church.
She said the group allowed her to “just switch off for an hour from a busy life”.
She prefers colouring patterns with gel pens.
Her highlights include some of the group's most challenging projects, like a book of Famous Cities of the World that was passed around for members to tackle together but mysteriously disappeared as members grew overwhelmed with the number of houses to colour in, and a colour-of-the-month challenge.
“The group is just very good at encouraging people and letting them do their own thing. If you want to do something a bit more childish, then do it. If it suits you, do it. Do what you want,” she said.
Eileen also initiated a Christmas Tree Festival at her church, involving intricate decorations and community participation.
The group has entered displays featuring origami baubles, coloured pencils and interactive decorations.
To find out more about events in your library visit https://www.better.org.uk/library/lincolnshire
