Tongues and Grooves in the Community is a not-for-profit body using poetry to promote motivation, well-being and social inclusion.

Since 2006, our community projects have been delivered with help from local and national partners such as ArtReach, Hooked on Words, Lewes Live Literature and the Good Mental Health Co-operative.

Our work has attracted funding from Arise Portsmouth, Arts Council England, Awards for All/Big Lottery, Grassroots, The Partnership Foundation, Portsmouth City Council, Small Sparks (NHS) and Waitrose, along with individual and local business sponsors.

Examples of past projects:

• Community Conversations – Poetry Project for the refugee and asylum seeker community in Portsmouth in partnership with ArtReach and Journeys Festival 
• Poetry Workshops for SHIFT – a peer led group for people with experience of mental health difficulties.
• Diving into the Wreck – a live literature production based on the lives of people in recovery from addiction in Portsmouth
• Living Memory Project in partnership with The Kings Theatre – Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• Voices from the Front – workshops and performance to commemorate Gallipoli 1915 in partnership with the Royal Naval Museum.
• Poems Lost and Found – Portsmouth City Council
• Poetry for Well Being – Small Sparks and NHS
• Hampshire Festival of the Mind – Writing for Well Being workshops
• Recovery Saturday – poetry workshops for people in recovery from addiction in Portsmouth
• Haslar Immigration Removal Centre – poetry workshops

Our constitution