Mapping of Initiatives on Culture, Health and Well-being

Spitalfields Music is a creative charity in East London and they use music to bring diverse communities together through high-quality performances, an industry leading artist development programme, and award-winning projects in the community. Their mission is to bring diverse communities together in one most challenged and deprived boroughs in the UK, at a time when the perceived differences are threatening the well-being of the society. Spitalfield Music are oriented towards organizing different music festivals and to provide professional music training for different participants, or to organize different workshops such as music and mindfulness.

(B)old is part of the Southbank Centre’s artistic programme for well-being. People living with dementia, and their companions, can explore their creativity in the (B)old project. Led by artists, these creative workshops take place over nine weeks, for two hours every week. Not only are they a place where people can find their artistic voice; they’re also a space to make friends. So far, they have presented: (B)old Words - a series of creative writing sessions; (B)old Moves - a series of dance workshops and (B)old Visions - a series of film-making workshops.

Tea Dances is part of the Southbank Centre’s artistic programme for well-being. Social dances have drawn light-footed visitors to the venues to try a huge variety of moves. The Tea Dance initiative is one of the only free events of its kind in London, and welcomes around 300 visitors every month. More than three quarters of social dance attendees at the Southbank Centre are aged over 55, and more than half are aged over 65.

Art by Post is part of the Southbank Centre’s artistic programme for well-being. Created originally for those most isolated by social distancing measures and designed by artists, Art by Post delivers free poetry and visual art activities direct to people’s door. Art by Post booklets were available for any individual or organisation seeking creative resources, including care-givers, those living with dementia or long-term health conditions, as well as practitioners and professionals working in social and healthcare settings. Each booklet guided participants through a series of activities to spark their imagination, keep their mind active and help them stay connected to others. They included a Freepost envelope for artwork and booklet responses to be sent back to us, many of which will be included as part of the exhibition Art by Post: Of Home and Hope.

Sing Inside is run by a small but passionate team of volunteers, who have built the organisation from its roots as a student society into a national charity. Sing Inside provides group singing workshops in prison, enabling all to enjoy singing with others free from judgement. Sing Inside provides group singing workshops in prisons across England and Wales. They enable all participants to enjoy singing with others free from judgement or assessment, inspiring hope and confidence, and facilitating connection to others.

rb&hArts runs an innovative art programme across both hospitals. rb&hArts brings the benefits of the arts to support in and outpatients at Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals and the local communities surrounding each hospital. rb&hArts raise additional funds to deliver a long-term programme aiming to increase levels of wellbeing, enhance the patient experience and improve the healthcare environment through the arts. The core creative programme includes: (1) Commissions - rb&hArts manages temporary exhibitions in a number of public spaces across the hospitals; (2) Vocal Beats - two days a week on the pediatric ward, lead music facilitators accompanied by beatboxers take young inpatients on a musical journey; (3) Singing for Breathing - weekly workshops to learn breathing techniques, release physical tension, meet new people and have fun, supporting people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), an incurable respiratory condition which makes breathing difficult; (4) Musicians in residence - live music, singing and creative music-making opportunities provided on the adult wards each week; (5) Crafternoons - working with artists and craftisans to run monthly ‘crafternoons’ and participatory workshops, bringing together volunteers, outpatients and inpatients to learn new creative skills.

Plymouth Music Zone (PMZ) is an award winning music charity that believes in the power of music to reach out and help transform the lives of some of the most vulnerable children, young people and adults across Plymouth and beyond. The ‘Keep Singing, Keepsake’ Project (KKP) works with older people in a range of residential and community settings. A weekly group singing session was designed to strengthen social ties and improve emotional wellbeing among the participants. CDs and DVDs were made from the sessions to give to families and friends as keepsakes. The keepsakes provided an historical record of the project and information for others who wish to consider similar work. The project also aimed to promote intergenerational communication and understanding via opportunities for these singing groups to perform with groups of young people working with Plymouth Music Zone.

Plymouth Music Zone (PMZ) is an award winning music charity that believes in the power of music to reach out and help transform the lives of some of the most vulnerable children, young people and adults across Plymouth and beyond. Beyond Words was a 2 year research project between Plymouth Music Zone and Plymouth University Institute of Education. The project was one of only eight national projects funded by the Arts Council England Research Grants programme in 2015 and an international conference took place on 14th and 15th March 2017. Beyond Words focused on how the arts use the unspoken and how those who face problems communicating with words (such as those with dementia, stroke, autism and learning difficulties) are valued and included across communities.

Plymouth Music Zone (PMZ) is an award winning music charity that believes in the power of music to reach out and help transform the lives of some of the most vulnerable children, young people and adults across Plymouth and beyond. Researchers from Exeter University ran a research programme with Plymouth Music Zone that explored the benefits of singing for people with a communication disorder associated with strokes called Aphasia. People with aphasia can struggle to speak and often make mistakes with the words they use, sometimes using the wrong sounds or putting words together incorrectly. They can also experience difficulty reading and writing. Researchers at the University of Exeter Medical School recruited volunteers in Devon and Cornwall to take part in a research trial called Singing for People with Aphasia (SPA) to determine whether group singing sessions can help reduce the impact the disorder has on people’s lives.

Performing Medicine exists to support health professionals to provide high-quality, compassionate care. They pursue their mission through arts based training and courses, research, advocacy and public events and through practical exercises and lateral-learning techniques. They address staff wellbeing and mental health, compassionate care, diversity & inclusion, effective communication, leadership and teamwork, by providing creative training programmes (online, in person, or a blended approach), forums, consulantcy, professional development and bespoke programmes for healthcare professionals and students.