MAACC CIC has run 14 arts, music and movement sessions at Middlesex FA in Northolt since July. Founder Samantha Scott and a care home resident explain why.
A Northolt community interest company has run 14 arts, music and movement sessions at Middlesex FA’s ground on Ruislip Road since July, as part of a National Lottery funded programme aimed at people who are lonely or struggling.
Mindful Arts N Crafts Collections CIC, known as MAACC, was set up by the singer Samantha Scott. Companies House lists it as company 16685123, incorporated on 1 September 2025 with its registered office in Northolt.
By 23 September, the CIC says, the programme had delivered 28 sessions, reached 265 different people and recorded 455 attendances. When the CIC first contacted us on 12 September the figure it gave was 197 people. The CIC says around 14 more sessions remain in the final phase of the Lottery funding, some at Middlesex FA and others elsewhere.
Where it happens in Ealing
Samantha Scott said in written answers to our questions: “MAACC has delivered 14 sessions at Middlesex FA, Rectory Park, Ruislip Road, Northolt, UB5 5FA. We have also delivered a session with Seva Care Group, and there has been a coach departure/trip event in Ealing.”
The county football association is a partner, not just a landlord. “We work in partnership with Middlesex FA, which supports the programme by providing venue space free of charge as well as a 25% discount on food,” she said. “Alongside National Lottery funding, this has helped us provide accessible wellbeing activities locally.”
Not everyone who takes part lives in the borough. The CIC’s own programme page says it works “across Ealing and Brent”. Its geographical report records 74 participants and family members from Ealing and 16 sessions or events delivered in Ealing. The CIC points out that this comes from its area and registration data, so it is counted separately from the 265 total and the two should not be compared directly.
What a session involves
“Our programme uses enjoyable, accessible activities to support mental, physical and social wellbeing,” Samantha said. “Mindful arts and crafts can give people space to slow down, relax and switch off from everyday pressures, while encouraging creativity and a sense of achievement.
“Our activities also include music, singing, dance and movement, Mindful Walk & Talks, inclusive games and social activities. Some sessions include relaxation, sound-based activities and massage delivered by a professional masseuse/physiotherapist.
“The programme is also about human connection. People of different ages and abilities take part together, including parents and children. We want people to feel included, connected and part of something.”
The CIC’s programme page lists Soca Zumba, Afrobeats dance workouts, walk and talks including one at Kew Gardens, personal safety awareness and independent living skills such as road safety. Its day trips have included Hen Corner and Southend-on-Sea.
“As long as you’re here, I will be here too”
The clearest account of what the sessions mean comes from Tricia, who lives in one of the care homes in the borough where MAACC has run sessions. She recorded a video for the CIC after a Zumba session, and MAACC has given us permission to use it.
In Samantha’s account of the video, Tricia called the Zumba session “fantastic” and said she had “never had movement like this since after my stroke, after five years.” She described the singing and dancing session as “very, very beautiful” and said “it was amazing.” Asked whether she would come back, she said: “Yes, I will. As long as you’re here, I will be here too.”
Samantha added that an Ealing resident had recommended MAACC on its Facebook page, “describing the sessions as safe, relaxing and well organised and the arts sessions as a lovely experience.”
Why Samantha Scott started it
“I have experienced my own mental health challenges in the past, and this is one of the major reasons I created MAACC,” she said.
“I’ve brought together those personal experiences with my professional background, including senior youth work, my time working at IBM as an Executive Secretary, and my career as an international singer. Travelling and performing around the world has also taught me a great deal about connecting and communicating with people, even when we don’t speak the same language.
“MAACC brings those different life and professional experiences together to create something that helps people feel included, connected and supported.”
She has chosen not to say more about her own health for now, and we have left it there.
What it means for you
- Where: most of the Ealing sessions are at Middlesex FA, Rectory Park, Ruislip Road, Northolt UB5 5FA.
- Cost: the CIC describes its activities as free.
- Dates: the remaining sessions had not been published when we checked on 1 October. MAACC posts upcoming activities on its programme page and its Facebook page as they are confirmed.
- Time is limited: about 14 Lottery-funded sessions are left in this phase, not all of them in Ealing.
We have asked the CIC for the value and end date of its National Lottery Community Fund grant, and for the Northolt dates. MAACC’s PR adviser said the grant figure would follow once it was confirmed, and we will add both here when they arrive.
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