AN art workshop will showcase the work of women survivors of domestic abuse and their children at an exhibition.

The Creative Butterfly Project will feature the work of more than 20 women and children, aged from one to 72, at its exhibition called The Wishing Garden, held at Shipley Library.

The project was set up by artist Jill Boyd, who has a background in mental health nursing and education with adults and adolescents, in May 2016. It was funded by Bradford-based charity Staying Put.

She is a survivor of domestic abuse herself and moved to Yorkshire with her daughter.

The project’s 26 members meet twice a week in two sessions held in the Bradford district. The expressive art workshops aim to empower the women and allow them to focus on positives, as they move forward in their lives, to rebuild their confidence and self-esteem.

The free exhibition at the library in Wellcroft, which runs until Friday, August 11, includes 30 different pieces of work by the group, including paintings, photographs, sculptures, collages and ceramic pieces.

It features a work called Mountains I Have Climbed and the centrepiece is a wishing well made by its members, where visitors can make their own wishes.

Ms Boyd said preparing for the exhibition had been a positive experience for the group’s members and seeing their work on display would further boost their confidence.

She said: “This is the biggest exhibition we have done. It is not a designated art space, which is good. People will come to see it when they come to the library. We will also have leaflets available, where people could get access to our services.

“The current members will get to see that people who come to the exhibition will value what they do. It is a way of expressing themselves in a way that they have not had before.”

Creative Butterfly was given a £10,000 grant from the Big Lottery Fund’s Awards for All scheme last year, which expires in October. Ms Boyd is looking for other sponsorship and funding sources.

It has been shortlisted for the best arts project category in the National Lottery Awards, to be announced later this month.