Art has always been part of Nelleke’s life, with her mother being a potter and her father painting watercolours. “I have some learning difficulties myself and art has always been a way of expressing myself”. As a young person, she was always told that you can’t earn a living from art, though finding ways to be involved in the arts while earning an income has been important to Nelleke. Her own art is expressive and sometimes earns her a little bit of money, much to her satisfaction.

“I think its seriously cool that the person who started The White Room wasn’t an artist but recognised the value of art for people with learning difficulties”. Being involved with Skillwise for some time, she has seen the progress of The White Room from a garage, to a small workroom, and now the current large art space at the Climate Action Campus.

Nelleke says it is great to see artists who attend The White Room change and develop not only their art but connect with others artists. “It can be emotional seeing how the art helps them deal with some of the traumas in their lives, and the happiness and confidence when they sell their work at an exhibition”.