Post people Anne Blackburn, at Maples Care home,

Anne Blackburn has been a community project worker at the Maples Centre, Barking for eight years and she is also part of the Community Support Centre for Studio 3 Arts, in Barking.

I started working as Community Project Worker for the Maples Centre eight years ago, and still do to this day. Even before I started working at the Maples Centre, I have worked with the elderly, and people with mental health issues in the past; I always have. The Maples Centre works with people between 18 and 65 who live in the borough and have a learning disability. What I like best about my job is that I get to meet, interact and work with a range of people from all different walks of life.

The Maples Centre allows people to get involved and take part in everyday activities including shopping, swimming, bowling and gym classes, which is great for them.

Last year, my manager at the time asked if I would be interested in working as part of the Community Support Centre at Studio 3 Arts. I said yes straightaway as I am quite a creative person and I would definitely be interested in working with the groups of people there. Studio 3 Arts works with a range of diverse groups such as older people, younger people, mentally and physically disabled people. It aims to make art available to everyone, whether it is visual art, performing arts or digital art, with references to current and social issues in the community.

Some of the groups have taken part in a programme that has lasted for the past six weeks called ‘30 seconds in Goresbrook’. It shows 30 second film clips about areas in Goresbrook, which I am going along to watch on September 21.

I thoroughly enjoy working at Studio 3 Arts. I mainly work with disabled volunteers, and seeing them blossom and become more confident is fantastic. They work either in groups or individually, and learn many different skills as well as interacting with each other.